Northern Provinces 3/1 - 3/12 2009
This line applies to both Thailand, and Jon, as I will explain later. Really, anyone who goes to Thailand and only manages to see Bangkok or the beaches is missing out on some of the most beautiful and interesting parts of the Thai community. I haven’t seen the beaches yet, and I imagine they are gorgeous, but the Northern Provinces have so far been a total delight. Our first few days in Chiang Mai had some surprises, a lot of laughs, and a much improved version of Thai hospitality!
Chiang Mai, Thailand
The second largest city in Thailand, and one of the oldest, Chiang Mai is about a 1 ½ hour plane ride North of Bangkok. Being a city, we were both still concerned about the taxi situation, but the Chiang Mai airport had a flat rate, 200Baht, to get to the city center. Huge relief and no tinted windows!!
Our hotel was situated right in the heart of the city, and walking distance to the Night Bazaar, Saturday and Sunday Walking Markets, and lots of bars and restaurants. There’s also about a million places to get Thai Massages, one of which is the Chiang Mai women’s prison, and somehow Jon managed to convince me going to the prison for a massage would be a good idea. I was naturally a bit uneasy at the thought of it, as I usually am when requests start with, “don’t get mad, but”. However, about halfway through my convict rubdown, I uttered those precious words few of you have ever heard me say: “I will not question your judgment again.” The massage was amazing! Plus it’s set-up to rehabilitate petty criminals so they can re-enter the workforce doing something productive. There seemed to be a lot of seedy (read: old white men and young Thai women) activity going on, so I was happy to support what I consider to be a better career option.
We decided we wanted to book a tour to see some of the local sites in Chiang Mai, but after our experience in Bangkok were a bit wary, to say the least. Armed with optimism (me) and cynicism (Jon) we tentatively approached the tourist booth just outside our hotel. After shooting each other several “is this legit” looks, we booked a half day tour. Our guide, May, was excellent and we learned a ton about the history and traditions of the Hmong village we visited. They live very simple with many people in one small house with areas instead of rooms dividing up space. One interesting architectural feature is a second door only used for a new bride to leave the family home, or to carry out a dead family member. Hmmm…does that make marriage sort of like a death sentence? Kidding, kidding!
The best part of our stop in the village was when Jon was made a tourist attraction himself. As if he had a choice in the matter, May casually asked while pointing at his arms, “Why do you have so much hair?” To this, Jon jokingly replied, “You should see the rest of me”. I was almost doubled over laughing so hard because I knew what was coming next, and just about lost it when May casually asked if she could. Obligingly, Jon lifted his shirt to the shock and awe of May and her friend. Now, us Westerners are used to a certain amount of hair on our men, but in Asia they’re lucky to grow a mustache. The ladies were impressed, Jon was uncertain, and I was trying not to pee my pants!!
Our day continued to Doi Suthep and the famous Naga Staircase (snake staircase). There we saw some important Thai cultural sites and climbed the 306 stairs to the sister emerald Buddha matching the one housed at the Grand Palace in Bangkok. I also learned that since I was born on a Friday, my Buddha is the Thinking Buddha. That seemed to make sense, until I found out Jon was also born on a Friday…
Having a new found-faith in tourist agents, we took another tour the following day to visit some famous sites including Doi Inthanon (Thailands highest peak at around 10,000ft), a beautiful waterfall in the National Park, and the King and Queen’s temples. I really enjoyed the gardens at the temples, but would have to say Jon’s favorite sighting wasn’t on the tourist agenda. Let me first say, I’m from Michigan, and grew up with a certain donut and coffee chain that apparently is the ONLY place to go if you’re from New England. For those of you who know Jon, it goes without saying if there is such a thing as “dunkdar” this man has it. I think he initially thought it was a mirage when I pointed out a Dunkin Donuts off in the distance! Realizing it wasn’t an apparition; he perked up and made a quick mental note of the exact location. I had a sneaking suspicion we’d be paying a visit that way sooner or later.
Feeling energized by our luck with tours, the kindness of our hotel staff, and the promise of iced-coffee within reach; we decided to once again brave the tuk-tuks. You may wonder why, with a Starbucks literally next to our hotel and our previous experience with tuk-tuks, we would dare to make the excursion. To this I ask, what is the definition of a fanatic? Because that’s the look we got from the tuk-tuk driver when we pointed to our desired location on a map, secured a price for the round-trip fare WITHOUT stops, and finally rolled up to Dunkins. It was momentous. So much so there is even a video detailing the trip to the pink and orange oasis. I much preferred the Passion Fruit Mojito at THC Club, but those of you who know me realize I’ll take a cocktail over a coffee any day.
Chiang Rai, Thailand
Chiang Rai is a small city northeast of Chiang Mai, and is known as the gateway to the Golden Triangle (where Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos all come together). We decided not to test our luck with the ever-changing political situation in Myanmar, and spent our time in Chiang Rai exploring the countryside by motorbike and on foot. One of my favorite days was spent just touring around on the motorbike and checking out the different villages we saw along the way. We were able to see how people really live and visit some quieter parts of the city surroundings.
Like most cities, you can find whatever your heart desires, and after all day in the sun and the heat ours were craving air conditioning. We took in the nightly show at the clock tower and then stumbled across an Indian food restaurant that met the air-con requirements. It wouldn’t have been much to write about except for the lady boy waitress. She/he would be one of many (especially as we made our way south) but even this San Franciscan was surprised by how common it is! The evening just got stranger at Teepee bar, a popular spot for travelers no doubt due to the eclectic array of costumes and the leopard-print spandex wearing proprietor. Despite the temptations, we called it an early night; a wise move otherwise I would not have made it through the next day’s trek!
Our day began with a short river cruise to an elephant camp. At the camp we rode around the village and got to see the area from 15 feet up. Admittedly I felt a bit conspicuous being paraded around town on an elephant, but it was still pretty fun. After the ride we had lunch and took off for our hike through the jungle. We booked the hike through the Akah Riverhouse, and I highly recommend going through them. They work with local villages to support a sustainable way of living (now that growing opium is completely outlawed, silly Thai laws!). Plus our guide was excellent and knew a lot about the area and the wildlife, very important when you stumble across poisonous snakes! One tip is to bring small change, as it’s nice to buy some little trinkets from the people or pay them if you take any photos. Also, if you’re fond of chewing tobacco, stay away from the local Akah chew (made from beetle nuts). Many of the elders chew it all day, and their teeth are completely black, and I mean BLACK. Teeth, tongue, mouth…it was actually sort of creepy.
The last night in Chiang Rai involved a few drinks, a few friendly games of Connect Four, and a relaxing dinner before going back to Chiang Mai and preparing for our adventure to Pai.
Pai, Thailand
Nestled way up in the hills off a winding road, the days are long and slow and the nights are comfortably cool. The ride up is not for those with a weak stomach, but once you arrive you really don’t want to leave. Full of hippies (many of whom probably decided they flat out weren’t going to leave) it was a backpacker’s oasis and a great way to end our tour of the Northern Province. Besides, clean-cut Jon was becoming back-packer Jon by this point as his pledge to stop shaving in Asia was catching up with him, so we fit right in!
Not feeling quite satisfied with the elephant parade of Chiang Rai, we booked a tour with Thom’s Elephant Camp where we were told we would ride the elephants through the jungle and play with them in the river. However, we were not told that we’d do this bare-back and that “playing” meant they were going to toss us off! Being a woman and having functional knees, the bare-back was not necessarily comfortable for me, but I wasn’t really in any pain. My co-rider however, was muttering obscenities for the first 20 minutes until he finally realized there was no “comfortable” way to sit on an elephant’s spine.
Once at the river our mahout (the elephant trainer) asked if we would like to be sprayed with water by the elephant. Presumably this meant he’d suck some water up his trunk and douse us, so we said sure and proceeded into the river. It all started out innocently enough, until the elephant started to tip and I all I could think was, “Holy shit I’m gonna be pinned under this beast!” He stopped just after I fell off and the mahout was laughing as I frantically backed away from the four ton crusher. Glaring, and then smiling myself, I realized the elephants were just playing with us!! After that we took turns trying not to fall off the elephants, and ended up buying a hilarious DVD of the whole thing. Our adventure finished with an afternoon cruise on a bamboo raft where once again, Jon was made a tourist attraction by the guide’s odd interest in his chest hair. He even rubbed his face against it! Weird, but funny.
Our last days in Pai were pretty relaxed, and we took a one day cooking course through the Red Orchid Cooking School. I really enjoyed the course, and learned how to make a lot of the basics for Thai cuisine, including panang curry, steamed ginger fish, spring rolls, spicy papaya salad and pad thai. We had a cute open-air kitchen and got to test out or culinary skills Thai-Style. Delicious!! I am definitely a little bittersweet about leaving Pai since it means one leg of my journey was over, but am looking forward to the beaches!
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