Jimena's visit

In the morning of January third my eyes were stuck at door C of the Suvarnabhumi airport of Bangkok. About one hour after the sign announced her plane had landed Jimena emerged from the guts of the arrival hall. It is strange seeing someone you know so well in a place separate from the reality where you met.

Jimena and I met in Washington, DC. A friend in common thought it would be a good idea to introduce us, since we were both climbers and from Argentina. During the year that Jimena stayed in DC we shared many moments, including long talks on Sunday evenings, while we rode the metro from the climbing gym to the Bethesda station, where she would get off the train. When she returned to Argentina we kept on with the tradition of the Sunday talks over Skype. We still have them, although not every Sunday.

The adventure started with a boat and walking tour of Bangkok. Some sections of the tour included roads with no sidewalks, which Jimena found half terrifying and half amusing. We visited the biggest reclining Buddha at Wat Po (my fourth time there), a Hindu Giant Swing, a neighborhood where they sell Buddha statues of all sizes and shades of gold, and saw a magnificent sunset on the hill of the Golden Temple. We passed by the Democracy monument, where there Thais displayed numerous flags (as part of the protest against the Prime Minister) and a band played on an improvised stage. Finally, we ended the night at colorful Khao San Road. No scorpions this time; just fried rice.

The next day we walked along Sukhumvit and visited a few malls and strolled around Lumphini Park. In the evening we said goodbye to Bangkok from Hua Lamphong station and rode the overnight train to Chiang Mai.

My beloved Chiang Mai! It never ceases to enamor me. We walked around the walled city and stopped at a few of its many temples. In the evening Rachadamnoen Road burst with energy. The main road turns into an extravaganza of musicians, street foods, vendors, artisans and tourist during the Sunday Walking Market. One feels like buying everything, eating everything and absorbing everything to last forever.

After two days in Chiang Mai we took the scarily winding and hilly road to Pai. Pai is a little town meant for the tourists: adorable. We rented a motorcycle in the downtown area and rode with our luggage to our guesthouse, which was on the outskirts, Thai style. In our first day in Pai we visited a Chinese colony that served us tea on a hill. The next day we started the ride early in the morning, and it was so foggy and cold that my lips turned blue and I could not feel my fingers for a long time. Our first stop was at Love Strawberry Pai, a dreamlike place of hearts and strawberries. We sang, of course, Strawberry Fields Forever, while we rode. By the time we got to the next stop, Pai Canyon, the sun came out and we were able to defrost.

The minivan night ride from Pai to the Thai/Laos border was as terrifying as a rollercoaster ride, except a lot more dangerous. They carried us as cattle, without explanations, through immigration. In Laos we had to wait half a day at the bus terminal, which was in the middle of nowhere, to catch another night bus to Luang Prabang. Yet the whole torture was worth seeing gorgeous Luang Prabang, a city that is too pleasant and comfortable to be in such a modest part of the world.

The ride back to Thailand was long and draining. However, the views we glimpsed of the mountainous and almost untouched country of Laos made the trip less unbearable. Up on the hills, we saw rivers of clouds covering the valleys. All along there were huts of people that we could call poor if we ignored the fact that they get to enjoy these views each day of their lives.

Back through the border, we landed at Nong Khai, a Northern city in Thailand that sits on the Mekong River. It was a most bizarre place. Because the only people we met there were very jovial older fellows, Jimena and I joked that it was Cocoon Town and that we would come back later in life to rejuvenate ourselves.

As we had had enough long bus rides, we flew to our last destination, the dreamy island of Phuket…

From Phuket we took a boat to Phi Phi Islands for a couple of days. We stayed at Viking’s Nature resort, where they gave us a spectacular room with a bathroom as big as my condo.  At Maya Bay we played in the clear and warm water and in the white beaches and we watched the most amazing fire show with new friends from Spain.

With Jimena I shared the place that I got to know well; the good, the bad and the ugly: Phuket, the island where I suffered so much loneliness and where I learned so much about myself. Phuket, with its amazing sunsets, its powdery sand, its proud people, its shallow love, its materialism, its selfishness…  Sharing it all with her gave me the opportunity to close this tough time with a sense of accomplishment and pride.