A Trip within a Trip (part 3)

The return to Chiang Khon was relatively uneventful, with the exception of incredibly beautiful countryside we drove through. Veerat and I arrived in Chiang Khong before the ferry carrying my dad and Lung Sombat (2^nd host dad) returned from China so we killed time at a Tesoro Lotus. Tesoro Lotus is the most evil entity I’ve encountered. I should explain myself. Tesoro Lotus is a chain of department stores and supermarkets around Thailand. They bring the western values of crowded parking lots, undercutting local merchants, and consumerism to Thailand. It was alarming to see Thailand, a country that I think is incredibly beautiful, being influenced by the shittiest parts of America. This is possessive and imperialist in it’s own way, but I would love to see Thailand encapsulated in its current form. Obviously I want modern medicine and quality education and other such advances come to Thailand, but I also love the rough edges of this country. Watching it get corrupted by Tesoro Lotus is like seeing someone spray a bunch of ketchup onto a plate of Pad Thai. After escaping the commercialist hellhole of Tesoro Lotus, Veerat and I rejoined with my dad and Lung Sombat. They had a couple of women with them (who ran some business in Laos, I think), and with little explanation Lung Sombat and I hopped into the bed of the pickup truck to make room for them in the car. Did I mention Lung Sombat is like 75? Seriously, the guy has boundless energy. Where else would the solution to overcrowding in a car be for the septuagenarian climb into the back of a pickup truck? A truly remarkable man. We took the women to a hotel down the street where the conference between Thai and Laos business people was continuing (see previous blog posts for explanation). They were having a lunch, which we decided to crash. I think my dad made enough friends between his time in China and the day we spent in Chiang Khon to earn his place there, but Lung Sombat and I didn’t really have any connection to the event at all. We snagged a couple of seats and I made polite conversation with some businesspeople that all seemed pretty confused as to whom I was and why I was there. The food was delicious and my compliments go to the chef. I also thank the governments of Thailand and Laos for the free meal and wish you both the best of luck in creating trade between your glorious nations. The conference concluded and we drove back to Nan. It truly was a wonderful weekend.