Our Noodle Mamma and The Wonderland 2

 Our life source in Thailand!

House of Fruit Shakes since 2002 

Can I just start by saying, I'm on a night bus, and the strange white man siting next to me just ate THREE bananas in a row. Just one after the other... Who does that? 

Anyways, these west coast chicks set off from Chiang Mai, after a week of tours, adventures and amazing street food! 

Apart from the cockalackas (German for cockroach, I find it much more fitting!) that were big enough to eat the cats, (not really but YIKES!) Chiang Mai was a hip, beautiful city. 

We put ourselves on a minivan bus to Pai, four hours outside of Chiang Mai. 

Waiting for our bus, I struck up a chat with a British guy, just over from Indian. As we were taking he pulled out some American Spirit tobacco. It's the little things that make ya start missing home. 

The road to Pai was not for the weak of belly or residents of Wooztown. It was a two lane road (or what we call an unsafe, one lane road, in the states.) weaving through the mountains, foggy with smoke from controlled wild fires. 

When we hopped off the bus and grabbed our backpacks, our British friend pointed us in the way of a cheap place to stay. 

The directions where something like: passed the bus station and the lady selling pancakes ( spelled Puncukes), take a right at the temple, across the foot bridge over the river, left out of the dirt ally and presto! We found ourselves at Family River View Guesthouse. 

Our new landlord, Jonathan, was, a stoner. He apologized saying he only had a bungalow with a double bed, we went to look at it. Behind the door was a queen, maybe even a king mattress... 

We told him we loved the room and wanted to stay for four nights. The next morning he asked "You check out today?" 

Ali says "Naw dude, we just got here!"

"Well tell me maybe one day before you leave.."

"Sure thing Jonathan." 

He's so good! 

Pai is like a chilled out little beach town, who's lost the ocean. Long haired Thai artists who look like they might have just crawled out of an opium den, have shops selling their beautiful paintings or hand made jewelry. Signs saying Pai is Falling in Love, it is an arts town. You can feel it's what makes up its core. 

It's been an on going topic of conversation since Ali and I got to Thailand. To rent the motorbike or not to rent the motorbike?

On Koh Tao every other tourist we passed was bandaged in some way from motorbike wrecks. The streets are narrow, Thais drive like mad men and tourists need more than 30 seconds to learn how to drive a moped.

But being the brave little toaster we are and wanting to see the country side, we soon had the keys to what looked like a life size, pink Barbie bike. The man gave us our 30 second intro, before sending us off. Thai style! 

Ali drove and I held on, occasionally grabbing at the breaks or honking the horn... Oops! 

I don't know what's more scary, being the driver, knowing you have someone's life in your hands or being the passenger and knowing you have no control what so ever. I just know I was pretty scared! 

For two days we buzzed around hill villages, waterfalls, passed elephants, cows and kids stacked 4 deep on a motorbike, with homemade spears. They looked like a good time, but Ali and I were too intimidated to ask of we could play with them... 

(--Man on bus next to me just ate 2 more bananas!! What the...)

Every night in Pai, the Main Street would turn into a buzzing night market, filling the whole street. 

Our first night there we found Noodle Mamma. 

She had three types of cold noodles, buckets of roasted garlic, cilantro, chili paste, tomato sauce, cabbage and carrots. She'd snatch up a portion of noodles with chopsticks, tossed in the perfect amount of everything, a dash of this, one and a half ladles of that, working her way down the line. All the while with her little baby tied to her back. 

As soon as we saw her, we said This lady is a mamma! She knows how to cook!

For 25 bhat you got a piled bowl of noodle perfection! 

Each day we spent in Pai was mostly just waiting for Noodle Mamma to open or wondering where she was or why she didn't serve noodles all day? They were our dinner every single night.

Yesterday/today we caught a 4 hour minivan bus from Pai to Chiang Mai, a 13 hour bus to a place called Udon (made me happy!), 45 minute tuk tuk to a 2 hour minivan, walked outside of Thailand, a 15 minute bus to the Laos boarder and a 30 minute tuk tuk to Laos' capital Vientiane! 

It was like a scavenger hunt, each stop, each new mode of transportation we knew we were just a bit closer to where we wanted to go! 

Laos is beautiful so far. Though Laosize similar to the Thai language, there are all new "Pleases" "Thank yous" and "Hellos" to learn.

Lao currency is called a Kip. It's 8,000 kip - $ 1.00 

But our dinner was 95,000k, one can't help but wonder... Why all the zeros? 

We have a room at Wonderland 2 guesthouse and just when we thought it might not be such a wonderland, being on the 3rd floor with no windows, hotboxing in a bad way,

we got the air conditioner to work! 

Little wins. 

Oh and in all the man on the bus. 

My shoulder to sleep on, the all dressed in white, messiah want-to-be, my 13 hour never said a word, bus buddy,  ended up eating 7 bananas! Seven.

So as I fall asleep, my mind wanders to him, wherever he might be... And what kind of bathroom action he must have seen today!