In 6 weeks I'll be living & working in Chiang Mai, Thailand. 6 weeks! And getting closer everyday...
I knew next to nothing about Chiang Mai until about 2 months ago. Now I know that it is a small city of about 1 million people in the northern mountainous region of Thailand, known for their temples, spas, & blazing night market. It's also the historical center of Thailand, founded in the 13th century & established as capital of the ancient northern kingdom of Lanna. That history is marked today by ancient ruins & the presence of various tribal ethnic minorities that still hold onto lifestyles & customs of centuries passed. It sits in the heart of the golden triangle, straddling Burma/Myanmar to the east & Laos to the west.
(Spas & shopping sound good to me.)
And today I also learned that they have annual outbreaks of Japanese B encephalitis. Japa-what? It is a nasty little bugger transmitted by mosquitoes for which there is no treatment, & a third of people that get infected will die while another third will suffer permanent brain damage. Sounds lovely. Unfortunately the vaccine is a regiment of 3 shots over the course of a few months, costing $600. Ouch. I can only hope that 18 years of growing up in the tropics, being feasted on by all kinds of parasites carrying who-knows-what were good for some kinda immunity. (Please God.) I settled for the poor man's vaccinations instead- typhoid & hepa A, because Lord knows that alcohol gives my liver a thorough enough beating already.
Now my arms are so sore & bruised I can barely lift them. If that isn't a good enough excuse to skip gym today, I don't know what is. :D
2 comments:
Don't worry, you'll be fine. I'll miss you! *sniff*
maybe all that liquor in your system will kill those nasty mosquitoes!! hahaha
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