Can anyone remember the last time I was up to date?

   Muong Khua was bigger, uglier, and noisier than either of our previous two towns.  Not only were there competing karaoke groups at sonic boom levels but there were competing karaoke groups at sonic boom levels on every block.  By ten everybody except for one persistent singer had fallen asleep, so of course said singer was on the corner right outside our hotel.
     There was no room at the seemingly-empty hotel we found so Roger and Jael (a singer/songwriter) stayed elsewhere, but they came up to the communal balcony a few hours after the boat landed to chat.  Later we passed them eating at one of the only two open restaurants, both of which we passed on because of lack of veggie options.  Instead we found Chinese instant soup at a little minimart that was pretty effortlessly prepared using the electric teakettle at our hotel.  Probably it had no less nutritional value than we could have gotten otherwise and definitely it was quicker and more palatable.
      As soon as we could we got on a tuk tuk to the bus station the next morning.   None showed up until eight so we spent thirty minutes or so beforehand looking for a place for my parents to get coffee.  A few blocks away from our hotel we ran into a woman who must have been staff there, as she started screaming at my father in broken English that he hadn't paid. He had, and after walking back to the hotel and proving it she departed sullenly.
      I don't know what I would have done with five more hours on a plastic stool but luckily we arrived early enough to get seats.  Around one we were at the bus station in Oudomxai and got seats on the next bus, too.  Somehow without straying too far from the station my parents scrounged up an egg and noodle takeaway lunch and we ate that and ice cream sandwiches at a plastic table close enough to the bus to prevent anyone from taking our seats.
      Four hours later we were in Luang Namtha.
 
      The tuk tuk into town wasn't long and we came across the rare hotel that has no triple rooms but two doubles in our price range.  The roaches in the sinks were quickly drowned and the golden retriever mix downstairs was greatly appreciated.
      My parents rented bikes the next day and did a loop but I had caught my mother's cold and didn't quite feel up to it.  The town had a couple of good restaurants but it must have been an off night for the much-belove night market because there were only a few stalls selling gimmicky mass-produced chachkas.
     After two nights there we decided to cut out four extra hours on a bus and skip a town notable for its nearby ethnic villages.  Going back to the bus station, we shared a tuk tuk with two girls from Colorado and an old couple who took great pleasure in describing how amazing their trip was and what we should do differently even with limited signs of encouragement.
      The tickets to the Thai border had numbers on them and we assumed they were seat numbers.  14 and 15 were taken and though the bus was still mostly empty the threat of a Plastic Stool hung over us and my dad kicked the people in them out.  They left quickly and obligingly and chose a pair of seats across the aisle.  Of course, we later found out that the numbers on our tickets were merely a tally and it was open seating.  My dad communicated this, along with an apology, and they laughed at us good-naturedly.
     The border crossing went smoothly and I got my last stamp of the trip. Though short, the ride across the river was very cramped and we were glad when we got off.  It was more complicated than it should have been to find customs but once that was taken care of and our visas filled out we found a tuk tuk to take us to a money changer and then to the bus to Chiang Rai.  It was parked near a minimart and my dad ran in to find something to compensate for lack of breakfast and lunch.  With limited options, my new least-nutritious meal is now a sweetened yoghurt, half a Sprite, and three quarters of a chocolate bar.  The sugar rush lasted me the three hours to the city.
     Chiang Rai is mostly a destination for hikers and as we are fairly hiked-out we only stayed one night.  Nevertheless, we found a restaurant that could substitute tofu into amazing curries, walked around the night market (infinitely more interesting than the one in Luang Namtha), went to one phone store three times and another twice in search of a charger (I forgot to mention that my kindle died way back in Siem Reap and left my iPod charger in Muong Ngoi so couldntevenread on that.  Luckily we had a few paperbacks), and got coconut ice cream with fresh coconut and cream and peanuts.
      The Chiang Mai bus didn't leave until early afternoon so we slept in late and then went to Wat Rong Khun.  We took a song theow--the larger relative of the tuk tuk--to the white temple a few kilometers out of town.  It is nearly blinding.  Only one building is nearly finished, elaborately carved and sculpted but in the process of being painted on the inside.  The artist hopes that the complex will be finished in 2070, complete with white koi in the pools outside.
      I completely blanked on temple etiquette but was kindly provided with a white sarong before entering.  Other women, Thai women, even, were wearing them and my mortification was lessened.
 
     Inside the temple pictures weren't allowed.  A golden Buddha presided at the far end of the room and a sculpture of a monk sat in front.  If not for the flaws in his hands he could have been alive but meditating.  The walls were a surreal blend of religion and pop culture.  Worshippers floated on golden poufs of clouds, Batman grasped for his cellphone, a demon wore braces, Elvis floated near one naga-encrusted lintel.  The list goes on.
                                

     Outside the temple we dropped a coin into a wishing well and hung a silver ornament on a treelike sculpture in remembrance of my grandmother.
                                
     Back in town we left our hotel almost immediately to walk to the bus station.  A coffee shop was close enough for us to grab treats and Thai iced coffees before boarding the luxury bus.  Seats for everyone!  Air conditioning!  Non-repellent seat covers!  No blaring music!  An usher to show people to their seats!!!!!  On this delightful ride we made only one stop that lasted for more than a couple of minutes and bought a bag of olive like fruits to try.  They weren't meat, but they were bizarre.
     Our song theow driver in Chiang Mai had no idea where we wanted to go and tried to let us off fifteen minutes away from where we were supposed to be.  Despite gestured encouragement to pay and leave we stayed on and he got directions from a couple of men outside a restaurant. 
     Chiang Mai seems full of good restaurants.  Though our first try last night led us  to a meat-only place we afterwards found a small place with noodles and lots of spicy condiments.  Two shared bowls later my parents were still unsatisfied and we found a third restaurant where we got a green mango salad and red curry.  Things are definitely looking up food wise.
      A Thai TV show playing in the restaurant provided endless speculation on what these anachronistically dressed people were doing. They shouted at eachother a lot and had a chocolate fountain in what appeared to be a European city while ominous music played.  
      The next morning we found a restaurant called Nice Kitchen that has many breakfast options, all veg, and we plan on frequenting it regularly.  We wondered around the old city section until it got absolutely too hot to go anywhere else, when we got iced coffees and hid in a book exchange.  We had to stock up for the plane ride home.  It's coming up so soon!  
     My dad set out again for a camera store and met with success.  The new camera, used only for three weeks before the charger was lost, is back in action.
     My goal for the rest of the trip is to not fall behind in posting again.  We'll see how I do...