Travel Fashion

These cute little face masks are all the rage here in Mae Sai for when you go out on your bike or motorcycle. They not only keep the smog and dust out of your nose, but the little teddies enhance your approachability. Perhaps what I'm missing is a camo bandanna.

The regular white medical mask tends to get dirty fast and doesn't go through the wash, whereas, these can be used over and over. Probably by using the right smelling laundry soap, I can give myself an aroma therapy treatment while I'm peddling down the jammed highway.

What makes me crazy on the road around here is when you're going one-way on a one-way road and bikes and motorcycles start coming AT you where you are peddling along the side of the road. I'm like,

"What? You wanna play chicken?"

Of course, I realize it's because they're too lazy or in too big a hurry to go all the way around the island to turn around. But still, there are just TOO many of them and they are going way too fast. One of these days... Well, I hope not, but there should be tickets handed out for going the wrong way on a one-way! Why take the time to put the big cement island there if the city's not going to enforce the law it was built to enforce? It's just dumb. At least to me. Either allow U-turns, take down the islands or else give out fines to offenders. Right?

Otherwise, this is a cute little, friendly town. Boring. But cute. I mean, when everyone disappears on the week-ends, all that's left to do here is Karaoke! And, if you ask me, all the half-decent singers are usually gone. The ones left behind are loud, I'll say that for them.

Then there's the pork man. I call him that because he sells pork every day with his sticky rice. His wife brings the sticky rice over all wrapped up in cloths inside of a thermos pot. But, last time I got it, it tasted like bleach. Not to complain, but there was a strong flavour of bleach involved. So, I figure she was very concerned about cleaning the cooking cloths but inadvertently cooked the taste of the bleach right into the rice. Still, no doubt I'll go back because... they're the only restaurant so handy that's not swarming with flies.

The weather these days has warmed up to the point that I'm using my air con. I'm keeping it on low at the "eco" setting because I hear that the price of electricity is really steep in Thailand.