Crossing roads

Walking around Chiang Mai is a little disconcerting at first. It seems that Thais seldom walk more than a block or two. The place is saturated with songthaws (go anywhere for 20 bhat), and the picturesque three-wheeler tuk-tuks (the haggling is as much fun as the journey). Motorcycles can be hired for as little as 80 bhat per day. Street pavements are cluttered with anything from pot plants and vendor stalls to sleeping dogs. Most streets are one-way. To cross them is an extreme sport - even at those with their own traffic lights.

I came to one on a busy three-lane street, pushed the button, waited patiently for the lights facing traffic to turn orange then red (which they did), and then for the one facing me to turn green (which it did - showing 13 seconds to make the crossing), and then... nothing happened. They ignored the red. A Thai couple approached from the other side, pressed the button and the traffic stopped to let them cross. Que? I tried again but instead of waiting on the pavement when the lights changed - 13 seconds, 12, 11, 10... I took a deep breath, closed my eyes for a moment and walked across. They stopped.

I turned right after Thapae Gate, and walked past massage parlours, agencies for tours and motorbike rentals... until I got to a quaint general-dealer store and a market selling fish, fruit and vegetables. Once through that I entered what some call the guest house ghetto. It's a network of narrow lanes where houses have been converted into hostels or guest houses for backpackers. There are laundries and back-yard workshops. Some of the restaurants double up as Thai cookery schools. Some are not much more than a kitchen in a tin shack with a couple of plastic tables and chairs out on the road. I liked the atmosphere. I ignored the hostels, I needed solitude for writing. Most other places rented out basic rooms, some very cheap but then either the place or the staff lacked character.

I was thinking about crossing roads and traffic lights and London. We wouldn't dream of going through a red light, even if it was four in the morning and quite obviously safe to do so. It would be an automatic fine, with proof of offence being a photo from an automatic camera. We are ruled by an uncompromising system of law - policed and punished by machines - ever more automated - increasingly automatons - discretion discouraged... I'm ranting aren't I?

A laundry was set a little back from the road. A round table and two benches under a broad canvas umbrella at its entrance. A small Buddhist house shrine was garlanded with fresh flowers, a cup of tea and burning incense at it's doorway, "Lawan house" on a large sign and "rooms to let" chalked onto a board. Lawan greeted me with a Thai wai (more about them later) and one of those famous Thai smiles which sweep the shadows from my thoughts. She had four rooms. She showed me all of them. I told her which one I liked most. She looked at me sceptically as though I had made a mistake. If I was to leave Parami it would be in two days time. I was undecided. I told her I liked the place but still wanted to look at more before making up my mind. Some had better rooms and were even cheaper, but none merged with my character as seamlessly has hers had done. It was an hour later when I returned.

"I've made up my mind. I'd like to stay here from the day after tomorrow."

"Kaa. I know." she said with a serene smile, as though I had already booked in.

"I'd better tell you my name."

"It's Dominic," she said "I'll be waiting for you."

I must have told her. The worse my memory gets the more mysterious my life becomes.