A vacation within a vacation?

Wow! All of this traveling has gotten me feeling primed for a vacation. Not that this holiday hasn't been totally fantastic because it has, and I enjoy leisure traveling as much as the next guy, but now I feel the need to park up, chill out and sit down.  My choice is Chiang Mai, an ancient Buddhist city in the hills of northern Thailand.

Ahh, Chiang Mai, because I love it so much.  It's the perfect answer to the doctor's orders.  After a consultation with a southeast Asia travel map and a chilled Khmer coffee, it appears as if a journey up the Mekong along the Laos side of the river could land me into the promised land two weeks from now.  From there, my only purpose is to relax, recuperate, and enjoy while I contemplate what should take place next.

I could stay in Thailand for a while and that would be fine.  I could go to Japan to work but work can wait for another day; I have more important matters at hand.  I could head for New York City but I find the weather disagreeable at this time.  I suppose I'll keep traveling.  My bags are packed, work is out and I feel good. "Why not?" Exactly.

Land border crossings into Thailand grant fifteen-day entry privileges.  An application at the Thai Consulate in Laos will grant sixty days, with a thirty-day extendable option, all free of charge.  All I have to do is charge my IPOD and get ready to wait in the queue.  For lack of a better option, this is my plan.