Skipsters

We arranged an early ride out to the mountain town of Chiang Dao, one hour north of Chiang Mai without traffic. Somehow, I was still in charge of picking accommodations and had found a happy Brit who had built a series of earthen roundhouses that look like mushrooms! As we are on our sabbatical of sorts, it seemed inspirational to stay with another dream chaser. Maggie, our host, wanted to live of the land and spent years planning and building these roundhouses. As we are here she is finishing another and has her own blog to show how! http://maggimck.wordpress.com/ They have the loveliest view of the mountain, and the fresh air, chickens, papaya trees and puppies are a perfect chaser to antibiotics.

We went to see the local cave, the main tourist attraction in town. Nice to see, and no crawling on your belly or hitting your head on stalactites.

And with that, we completed our touring and had a leisurely afternoon of biking around and reading. Breathing easy again, Chiang Dao was quickly becoming a favorite!

We knew this day would come. Fortunately, we had antibiotics and nowhere to be. T got to catch up on bad TV and since I wasn’t doing his cleanse (and passed on the cabbage topping which seemed to do him wrong), I went back to the same safe, yummy restaurant three times. And brought him back rice and Gatorade, like any good wife would. In our convalescence, we even managed to see the Thai state of the Union address.

Recovery meant familiar things, so back to the mall and even hitting a movie. We got to choose our seats but standing for the King’s song was mandatory. T was impressed to find a co-working space at the mall called CAMP, while I liked the flash mob or performance troop better!

We’d had to change hotels, and without T’s insight, I picked a well reviewed spot which turned out to be in no man’s land. Very peaceful, except when the taxi bus asks you to get out as the destination is too far out of their way! It was also breakfast your style, so T got to be his own chef controlling his destiny.

Chiang Mai is growing, but the infrastructure seems stalled. A monorail proposal allegedly is being blocked by the taxi mobsters. Without it, pollution from countless motorcycles, scooters and trucks made me want to ask ladies where they bought their face mask. Maybe fashion masks or scented ones could be my big business in Asia!

Missing our old central hotel with a pool and central air, we comforted ourselves with Ramen at the mall, a trip to the waterfall and botanical garden (just a bit further from the outskirts!) and T treated me to wine and cheese for good behavior. Or to make me forget the discouraging look he gave as I pretended I was a Russian tourist updating my Facebook picture at the waterfalls. Nyet was what his look said, to each of my pouty poses. So with no further ado, his photos of unspoiled nature!

Yes and yes. Officially in the 55%.

Source: AAFP

A tour! From options of zip lining to cooking schools, we opted for a bicycle tour just on the periphery of Chiang Mai. With cruiser bikes, a German traveller (sehr gut!) and Wit, our Thai guide, we set off on a leisurely tour. Turns out there was more eating than calorie burning! The leper colony (which now houses disabled and elderly survivors) was our first stop, likely because it was deserted and easy to test out our biking skills on the left side. Or for the less skeptical, the stop clarified that leprosy still exists and a small but significant 100+ cases were found in Thailand this year.
I did admire the ADA compliant houses for the folks, and their prosthetics center. After this food for thought, our next stop was for fried bananas, much more satisfying than Goo or a powerbar.

Cycling a bit further, we visited a temple to Buddha and his Hindu friends, including the ever popular Ganesh, the famous elephant headed god of wisdom and learning, as well as remover of obstacles. We learned about how Thais track which day of the week you were born more than the birthdate itself, and that temples often have statues for the different Buddhas for each day of the week where you can make an offering to your birthday. Our next stop was like birthday cake – cupcakes from a family run business offered to us straight from the oven!

We also stopped at a school where we were the drop in English tutors. Some brave girls converged to ask, “What is your name?” “What sport do you like?” I tried to think what else they might have learned in English and asked what weather they liked, sunny or rainy. They said rainy, and I said I liked sunny. They commented more in Thai, which Wit smiled and translated as, “they say that’s because you are white.” Cultural exchange: check!

Our last good stop was for lunch, and the classic khao soi again. $1 lunch, and very tasty! Our German traveller was surprised to hear that it was cheaper for Thais to eat out than eat home. We biked back past longan berry fields, jackfruit and papaya trees, and really enjoyed the fresh air and scenery.

Full from sights and tastes, the rest of our day was lazy wandering around bookstores and coffee shops.

We were tempted to just get more massages, but T thought we should work for it first. While the guesthouse offered 50 versions of tours and hikes, my hacker had found blogs that suggested you could find a trail behind the university which would take you to the top of the mountain.
So first stop was the Chiang Mai University, and lo and behold Wednesday was graduation day! Balloons, flowers, families but no spare diplomas for us.

Onward! We made it to a trailhead.
“Did you read the blogpost I sent you about the trail?”
Yes, I had. But what he meant was had I memorized it so I’d know if were on the path. Nope. However, I saw a Thai map at the trailhead and took a picture to reference later. Between our two tools (or us two tools?), we navigated a shaded jungle climb up the mountain. On the path, monks had built a monastery by a waterfall; we might have been wise to call it a day here, but we kept going!

By the time we made it to the top, I insisted we take the elevator to the Doi Suthep temple as I doubted I had energy for the 304 steps to the top, though I knew I needed some more spiritual rejuvenation (or at least hydration). At the top we found better-rested tourists by the hundreds which made me appreciate our solo jungle climb. As the photographer made his rounds, I marveled at a mural which seemed to feature in the crowd a white pilgrim in shorts, which is supposedly taboo. Things that make me go hmmm.

But the treat if my day was a reunion with Polly, a globe trotter and good friend from South Africa days. Polly’s core of beliefs are more solid than any six pack, and her laugh more contagious than “Shake it off!” I was eager to hear about her adventures in Myanmar and latest projects. She’s never failed to lend her brain and stamina to noble ventures, and I wanted to sign up to be her intern for the next month. As a Thai guitarist wearing sunglasses at night sang Yaz, I was a happy camper.

Welcome to Chiang Mai, northern Thailand’s populous city (1 million counting suburbs compared to Bangkok’s 8 million and Dubai’s 2 million) and popular destination. When the overnight train rolled in right on time, we and countless other white people with backpacks, GoPro cameras and hipster hats descended on the town. Well accustomed to the daily infusion of westerners seeking solace in the northern mountain climate, the songthaew pickup loaded us up in groups of 8 and deposited us at guest houses throughout the old city.

The overnight train put us in early, allowing us to unload bags but not fully check in to our room. With the morning to explore, we finally profited from local strength: massage time!

$6 and one hour later, we were new people.
“She walked on my butt,” I told the husband when we left the calm of the parlor. I was still awed by her balancing skills and strength.
“She cracked my toes. All of them,” he replied. My sister did that for me for free when we were kids, which has resulted in some long toes.

Massages done, we paid our respect to Buddha at another temple. We should probably bet know on how many temples we will see on our tour, but gambling isn’t Buddhist. So instead, we’ve been trying to educate ourselves. The naga or snakes often mark the entrances and adorn the sides of the temples, while the Garuda (or supanna) winged creature marks the top of the temples. The two creatures are historic enemies, but it seems the Garuda is winning the race as it is the national emblem of Thailand as well.

For meals here, we set out to find a restaurant and when we failed, we likely landed in a better spot! The mother daughter restaurant treated us to the local special dish khao soi – soft noodles topped with crunchy noodles in a curry sauce. Yum!

A holiday at home, and a holiday for us too. The past 14 years, T’s company never had MLK day as a holiday and we seemed to making up for the lost time well now that we are 14 days into our adventure.

Given we’d covered 2 palaces, 2 temples, 2 markets and 2 college friends, we took our 3rd day to slow down. We had a long stroll in the park, after having been tempted by Bangkok’s version of city bike rentals for the brave but not having the right access card (forget about a helmet!). We had a leisurely coffee and newspaper, and then met once again our friend for lunch. Life is good.

We found ourselves wishing for more Bangkok time as we were packing up our things. We hadn’t seen the modern art museum or the rooftop bars or where the other 4 zillion residents were residing. But the train tickets to Chiang Mai had been purchased a month or two ago, so our time had come.

At parting, our hostess commented on how Buddhists try not to attend too much to the past or future, and she smiled at the double meaning of present as a gift and the here and now. Thais frequently smile, and we genuinely and gratefully smiled back.

We woke up early, eager for a way to try to repay a fraction of the kindness of our hosts. After making a pancake breakfast, we were off to Bangkok’s largest market – Chatuchak. It was rumored to have everything from exotic animals to handicrafts to flip flops by the thousand, and it didn’t disappoint. But the real find was my college friend and her son, who fortunately had gotten back early from a trip to facilitate our reunion. Playing auntie and uncle, we wanted to buy the little one ice cream and a puppy, but his mother wisely got him 5 toys for the price of one, a juice and mango sticky rice. We missed the cock fighting section of the market and I missed my friend immediately after her taxi pulled away.

The afternoon found us at a second market. This smaller floating market would have been outside of our realm of possibility had it not been for our hosts’ concise directions, ticket purchases and companionship. We were munching happily on new snacks like pork balls and desert tacos (which tasted as sweet as marshmallows) as our longtail boat navigated hairpin turns in the canals. Our only stop was to feed catfish who looked as well fed as we were!

We stopped on the way home at our hosts’ club to have a beer. It might have been our first disappointment to find the bar closed, except it was closed because there was horse racing at the club’s track (which looped around the club’s golf course, which was adjacent to the two outdoor pools – all in central Bangkok). So we got a program and picked horses we liked based on names, and I wished my uncle and aunt were with us to enjoy my first live horse race. Not having bet, we came out even and settled in after a yummy Ramen dinner in the college neighborhood.

My first market selling reptiles, rugs and rose apples, my first floating market and my first horse race. Giddy-up!

What could have been my friend George’s advice to me for my – let’s say fragrant – feet was instead being broadcast from a monk’s recording. It seems Wat Saket (or the Golden Mount) is aware that the steps to the dome shaped Buddhist shrine are slippery, and so has a recording to tell visitors that unlike temples, at the chedi you don’t need to remove your shoes. The relief of my fellow fragrant pilgrims was palpable.

We have had our busiest and fullest (in every sense) day. Bangkok, though not hot at the moment, is where we have received the warmest welcome of T’s college friend and his wife. They have opened their home and shared their knowledge; T mentions a love of grocery stores to scope out local snacks and they transport us to Gourmet Market, which makes Whole Foods look like the Russian Safeway from college.

We were dropped in the morning at the Grand Palace and met at the end of the day at the new Dusit Palace. Though being driven around was pure luxury in this busy city, I think we most enjoyed hearing the perspective of two locals. And I even got a brief lesson on how the Thai language with its five different tones can be represented on a keyboard!

Of the many highlights of the day, I will mention a few. The Grand Palace of Siam days is as impressive as the Alhambra in Spain. The awe inspiring beauty, with the Emerald Buddha, throne rooms and art had been described in the book Four Reigns that I had read, but only a picture can start to do it justice. Its popularity can likely be quantified in the number of selfies taken there. T even got to borrow pants when his cargo shorts were deemed too short; the counter worker must have known he wouldn’t wear the colorful elephant pants others were offered, and loaned him a plain green pair we were tempted to keep! On the walk to lunch, a soccer team of 11 year old boys stopped to practice English and share high fives, which brought smiles to all.

We made a brief lunch stop at Khao San Road, popular with backpackers and those who saw The Beach. We only saw hipster mustache shirts and tailored suits for sale, but apparently if we’d looked closer we could have picked up a spare passport.

The sightseeing wound down at the new Dusit palace which was built in 1900, or four kings ago. I now feel like I’ve been to Versailles. To continue with modernity, we went to the mall for dinner. Our ever gracious hosts caught wind T liked Som Tom salads (with shredded spicy green papaya), so took us to a restaurant of that name. The bottom floor of the mall was mostly desert places, so we made another stop to enjoy a melting chocolate bomb and watching a few first dates.

And then we collapsed!

Our last day at the beach was peaceful. We stayed at the deluxe (spider-free) side of the Eco camp, and found our land legs. During our morning walk sans cameras, we watched an elephant bathe and I secretly marveled at how an enormous animal (granted in a distance) delighted me while smaller ones inspired fear.

We had a last seafood lunch while watching fishermen, and then were Bangkok-bound. I made T look up the lyrics to One Night in Bangkok and started singing it, and couldn’t put that genie back in the bottle. Cliche of me, I know.

In Bangkok, we met T’s college buddy and were fortunate enough to stay with them. We’d sadly missed their wedding, but maybe it was all for the best as we now get to spend a few days with them!