rovineye Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 This is touching story from Good Morning Chiang Mai (Dec 2001) True or not I can not say. Maybe it is just my soft spot for Lisu women, maybe it reminds me of my GF arriving in Chiang Mai with nothing but fear and a few thousand baht, but I like the story. I must like it or I wouldn?t go thru the pain of typing it all out for you all. Hope you like it. It is written by Martyn Bradley. . Just Five Small Words The rain, if it comes at this time of year, comes in quick bursts which revive both the colours and the smells of the city and its host of local blooms-frangipani, bougainvillaea, orchids, all are at their most fragrant. The days are sunny, without the stifling humidity of the south, and the evenings are balmy producing an atmosphere reminiscent of the Mediterranean. An escape from the stress and pressure of work in Europe arrived in the shape of a 10 day pre-Christmas business trip to Bangkok last year. I quickly added a few days leave and booked a 3 day break in Chiang Mai. Having made the trip many times before, I didn?t feel the need to bool treks, elephants, rafts, or motorbikes and settled, on this occasion for mellowing-out within the city itself. I would visit a few of the older temples, read up on the local history, drink beer, eat lots and lots of my favorite Northern Thai cuisine and relax in the evenings with some of the regulars in the local bars. I speak enough Thai to get by (done the Linguaphone course!!!) but I guess most of the locals would assess my efforts as ?nid noi!?. I?d had enough of business-class hotels and wanted something a little more laid-back. A very friendly guest house was found with an excellent location overlooking the moat. An easy walk to the city center, the Night Bazaar and a host of good restaurants, perfectly positioned for a good time in the fun bars of Loi Kroh Road and Thapae Gate. What more could I possibly need? Years of travel around the world leaves one with a host of memories. Most fade as time goes by and simply become part of the ?overall? memory - a wealth of anecdotes from which to draw, but details become forgotten, locations misplaced. Like the small parts of a tapestry, it is the whole that is important. But a few vividly remain. Small, isolated incidents which can so often have a profound effect on our lives and values. Her name was Amee, and she was a young Lisu hilltribe girl from a village outside Mae Hong Son. I had spent my last evening in Chiang Mai shopping early in the Night Bazaar and had followed this up with a leisurely meal at the Aroon Rai, Kotchasarn Road. The 7:00am check-out next mourning, ready for the return journey to Bangkok, was not a pleasant thought!Chiang Mai was very quiet this particular evening and a walk through Thapae Gate, past the bars on Moon Muang Rd and back to Loi Kroh confirmed a distinct lack of sanuk! A live band played a Thai cover version of ?Knocking on Heaven?s Door? and this mingled with the TV commentary on Manchester United?s game at Old Trafford. Definitely not ?sabye dee?! I found myself back at the intersection of Loi Kroh and Kotchasarn and sat down at a table outside the corner bar out of sight of the TV screen. Where they appeared from I?m not sure. The two young girls were suddenly there at the side of the road. Natural girls these, not a trace of the make-up and worldliness of other Loi Kroh girls, lovely as they are. The younger of the two wore a pretty blue dress whilst the elder wore a beautifully embroidered top, tucked into a pair of faded wester jeans. Both wore the smiles which so often immediately follow eye contact in Thailand but even these smiles couldn?t hide completely the tiredness and hints of apprehension in the eyes. I thought I recognized then as Lisu. ?Pen khon Lisu, chai mai khrap?? I asked the elder girl- the best Thai I could manage. Some of the apprehension seemed to vanish with her understanding and her smile finally revealed a stunning natrural beauty, previously hidden. She confirmed that they were indeed Lisu and said her name was Ameee. She joined me at the table and her young friend sat on the other side, smiling sweetly, saying nothing. After a while I bought them drinks - nam som. Amee sipped hers gently while the young girl played with her straw. Amee was nineteen. The young girl was sixteen but everything about her made her seem far younger - a world away from the teenage professionals of bangkok. Amee and I talked. The mixture of Thai, English and animated sign-language seemed to amuse the younger girl, who laughed gently at our efforts, seemingly more relaxed. The conversation flowed. Neither of us fully understood the complexities of the other?s language but we managed to communicate on a level far above the usual drink-and-chat that follows most casual beer bar meetings. Amee was perfect! Jet black hair hung down her back, tied at the top with a small purple ribbon. Her skin was the lightest shade of the North, unblemished apart from the large callous on the upper palm of her right hand. Yellow and gnarled, four centimeters long, it was evidence of the hours of work in the fields and testement to the truth that she told. They had been in Chiang Mai for two days only, having taken lifts through the country from Mae Hong Son. With very little money and nowhere to stay, their situation was not good. The inevitable would follow. Amee tried to explain she needed make-up. I tried to explain that she didn?t need any but I don?t think she grasped what I was trying to convey. A hilltribe child came to the bar selling red roses at 10 baht each. I bought the girls one each. I cut the stem off Amee?s and threaded it carefully through the ribbon in her hair: she smiled. We continued, stumbling through our conversation. We asked each other many questions and somehow managed to answer them all;: backgrounds, families, wishes and dreams. As we talked the younger girl pulled the petals from her rose one by one and let them fall on the table. Unconsciously, Amee and I chose the same moment to smile across at her. She stared back across the table and spoke for the first and only time. ?You and Amee go sleeping?? The fear in her eyes was absolute! Suddenly she looked like a little child, lost and afraid that the only person she knew was about to be taken away. They were the only words she spoke that evening, in any language. I will never forget them. ?No,? I replied, slowly shaking my head with a smile of resignation, ?Amee and I do not go sleeping.? I spent the next half hour talking with Amee. Nothing had changed except that I felt totally unable to explain the emotions of this short encounter. I had everything, she had nothing, yet we spoke as if there was no barrier between us, certainly not the yawning chasm which existed in reality. The rain began to fall again and reluctantly I took my leave. I did not want to go but I knew I could stay no longer. I felt wretched at my inability to explain the complexities of why there could be no involvement, no tasting of the fruit, so tempting there on the plate. Mine for the taking. She simply understood I had to leave early in the morning, to return to a world far beyond her experience. She did not want me to go. I gave her some money, but she couldn?t understand at first I wanted nothing in return. I explained that her company had been worth far more than I gave her - more broken English and Thai but this time she understood and her eyes glazed. I kissed her hand a left. I walked slowly back towards the guest house, trying to focus my thoughts on what had just passed. I found it impossible to analyze, two people from different planets whose paths had collided for a brief, intimate meeting. The rain increased in its intensity as the last of the monsoon storms hit the city. I arrived at the guest house soaked to the skin, and asked for my key. At least the girl on the desk did not notice that I?d been crying...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allatsea2000 Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 Great post. It explains without saying the reason behind why we can love and hate thailand at the same time. HOw in an instant we can fall for there innocense their inner beauty, their gentle nature, yet hate for the way when we leave we aree so emotionally scared, so open in our feelings and our emotions, the feeling of being so vunurable. But i wouldnt have it any other way. They make us feel alive and for that i will always be in their dept. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Central Scrutinizer Posted November 15, 2003 Report Share Posted November 15, 2003 Rovin, Good story. Well done. Is this guy Martyn Bradley a regular contributor to the Chiang Mai paper? A staff writer? If you see anything else like this story by him please send it along. Good stuff. Cent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rovineye Posted November 15, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2003 Cent, This is the only thing I have seen him write. It is an old copy of the newspaper I keep around. I only get the paper when in town, so that is not very often. I will drop an email to the staff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rovineye Posted November 25, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2003 Rovin, Good story. Well done. Is this guy Martyn Bradley a regular contributor to the Chiang Mai paper? A staff writer? If you see anything else like this story by him please send it along. Good stuff. Cent I sent an email to the magazine, and they responded that he is a retired Brit, not living in England. Not a regular writer. Then he replied to me with a few nice emails. The story is true, and happened in Dec 2000. He has been back several times but has not seen her. He has asked around teh Lisu villages near Suppong. But with a name like Amee (meaning #1 daughter), every household has one. Hope he finds her some day. He is writing something for the magazine for Jan time frame. I will keep my eyes open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Central Scrutinizer Posted November 26, 2003 Report Share Posted November 26, 2003 Rovin, Thanks. Seems like a nice guy. If he doesn't mind you doing so please pass on any more stuff like this last story. I'm sure others enjoyed it as I did and would like to read it. I'd buy the paper and read it but we ain't getting any Chiang Mai papers up here in Surin so far as I know. :-) Cent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 8, 2004 Report Share Posted February 8, 2004 Great story! "The softer side of beauty and gentleness not easily shown but often neccesary when we stand at the edge!" SB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 10, 2004 Report Share Posted February 10, 2004 Fantactic story more please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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