Chiang Mai Nights

Last night I met up with Will and Liz, my friends out here in the CM. We had plans to meet Will's boss and director of NES, which is the language school where Will and Liz teach. All three of us piled on to Will's motorbike and hauled ass around the ancient moat which surrounds the perfectly square, temple filled Ancient City. Will -- who I once lost on a subway car in New York only to find that he had somehow found his way back to Ohio, and not the previous stop -- is actually one hell of a motorbiker. He knew his way around the city surprisingly well and we zipped in between cars in the lawless melee that is Thai driving. Now I want a bike, I' m getting one soon (take that, mom).
We met his boss and a couple of other workers from NES at an amazing restaurant. It was Thai chic -- the waitresses were all gorgeous, skinny, Thai girls who were incredible tall, or so I thought until I noticed they were all in 6 inch tall Go-Go boots. We drank and ate well, mostly unidentifiable meats, something tubular -- ie, intestinal, and something animal shaped that I was asked to carve. I announced that the meat still had marks from where the jockey was hitting it which went over surprisingly, or unsettlingly well with my hosts. They then dared me to eat some of the insects that street vendors were selling outside (cockroaches, crickets, maggots) -- I agreed but nothing (that I remember) came of it. Maybe tonight!
One of the teachers is a middle-aged black guy; apparently it is difficult for black men to get jobs teaching English, but since David, the director, is more interested in having a diverse, against the grain, overall: weird, staff than having a bunch of snotty English guys or PHDs. In fact David (from Texas) hates English guys and everyone teaching there is American... and weird. Anyhow, this teacher has a Thai wife and lives in a gated community that is mostly for westerners. He has taught his wife to cook western style food and he lives his life in as American a fashion as possible. It is strange that he would want to live and work out here, when he seems to have no interest in the existing culture. This is the weird thing about this place that I'm still trying to figure out.
Today for example, like yesterday, I had the best cappucino I've ever had. I love this little kitchen where they serve it. The furniture is all wood, there are a million plants, the Thai musac version of Hotel California plays gently and it is wide open to the street. On one hand, I'm drinking cappucino and listening to the Eagles -- my experience is that of a tourist . But all the while I'm drinking coffee, there is the sound and smell of frying egg rolls. The greasy sputtering and popping, tiny explosions of golden eggroll smell, interrupted by the steamy hiss of meat being spread across a hot pan. It all exists simultaneously.

Anyway, the chic bar had a live karaoke act; you can pick a song and have a live band accompany you. But these people singing were clearly professionals and all Thai. They were damn good. My favorite song was Smooth Opelator. Yep.
Inspired, we headed off to a different Karaoke bar. Walking in, we passed by a group of 15 bar girls, preening and giggling amongst themselves, smiling in a very special kind of way. One of them would later accompany us in the private Karaoke room, run the machine, and pour drinks for us. We became very drunk singing Billy Joel, Elton John, Led Zeppelin and of course some Elvis. The night was a blast and as we piled into David's car afterwards he offered me a job.

I told him I'd think about it.