Regretting The Night Move?

Yeah, that one was weak.

My review of the night bus to Chiang Mai is “probably don’t”.

• I got some sleep, but I think not a huge amount; Probably slept better on the train in Vietnam
• The “being told stuff with no warning” thing continued right up to Chiang Mai. It was blind luck that I woke up to see a sign for the bus station go by & realised that we were there. Some folks were woken up by the shout of “Chiang Mai” & the bus stopping
• A fair amount of lurching as we drove along, but I’m not sure whether that was because of the road, the bus, or the driving style

Got into CM even earlier than I expected, at 5:30 or so, and ran into the problem that almost nothing, including the hostel reception, would be open for hours. So I did the sensible thing & sat there reading “Beware Of Chicken” on my phone until a more sensible time.

I did look to see whether there were any coffee shops or anything open around the bus station, but no joy. Plus, the whole area felt a bit sketchy, so I stayed in the bit with lights, people, and a bathroom where most of the urinals were broken & blocked off with plastic trash bags.

I had a bit of trouble figuring out where the Grab ride-hail app thought I was, so I wandered around a bit, got even more confused by the overall structure of the bus station, and eventually hailed a car from outside the Ganesha Shrine Arcade on the grounds that I was absolutely sure I was in the right place. And having found the arcade, it did explain the name of the Sweets For Gods Cafe.

• Grab #1 took the booking, then messaged me to let me know that his car wouldn’t start & asked me to cancel & rebook
• Driver #2 had to drop someone else off first (the app tells you this, which is both useful in expectation management & deeply creepy), but then turned up in a working car & took me to my hostel
• Mambo #5 was forged in secret by Lou Bega

I already feel a bit calmer in Chiang Mai. Granted, it was a Friday morning, but the traffic seemed less frantic, and even the bus station taxi touts were pretty chill about it.

There was someone doing what I’d call performative Tai Chi & Meditation in the early morning of the bus station. Right in the middle of a thoroughfare, where everyone would have to move around him & where he could be seen by everyone.

Got to my hostel for the next three nights vastly too early, as I expected, but they let me stash my bag & hang out until my bed is ready. Then I’m going to take a shower & a nap.