Thailand Part I: Chiang Mai
It is a shame to allow one scary final evening in Thailand to ruin what was otherwise a truly fantastic trip in an amazing country. To not discuss the REST of our vacation would be a shame...so...here are some details about the REST of our vacation!! I'll start with Chaing Mai, which was our first stop.
I don't really know anything about Chaing Mai (starting with how to spell it: depending on where you look, its either ChAIng Mai or ChIAng Mai), but I did read a little bit about it getting ready to go there, and also to prepare myself for this blog post. For example, I learned that Chaing Mai is Thailand's second largest city (to Bangkok), and has a total population of around 700,000. However, the city center itself has a population of only 150,000, and it really does feel like a very small city. It is a pretty charming and nice place, seems much more rural and less cosmopolitan than Bangkok (probably because it is). It's located among some of the highest mountains in Thailand, and as such was a little chilly (keep in mind tropical standards--we're still wearing shorts) in the night and mornings. It's also located on the Ping River, one of the main tributaries of the Chao Phrya River...and also a great place to go rafting and bamboo boat riding!! It is also probably the best place to go shopping in Thailand, unless you want to buy fancy stuff (then Bangkok is the place). But for tshirts and tourist goods, doesn't get any cheaper than Chaing Mai. They have a very well known night market that goes every day of the week, and an even more well known weekend night market that was located right outside our hotel on Saturday and Sunday nights. All in all Chaing Mai is a great place and I'd love to go back some time.
Getting back to our trip though, we arrived in Bangkok airport from Hyderabad on Dec 22, around 4 PM Thai time I think. We rushed to our connecting flight direct to Chaing Mai, and got to Chaing Mai around 8 or so. From the airport, we took a taxi to our hotel, which was a great boutique style place, in the traditional Lanna style of the area. Lots of character in the hotel, I recommend it: Buri Gallery House. The first thing that struck me though upon stepping out of the airport (well the 2nd: first was the Dairy Queen in the airport! Delicious! No DQ's in India) was the complete and utter lack of chaos. India really is a fascinating place in that regard -- you are never (NEVER!) at a loss for sensory stimulation. People sounds cars animals havok and general mayhem are everywhere in India. After some time, you learn to adapt and adjust to it, and it becomes secondary nature. Which made arriving in Chaing Mai so striking -- we walked out the airport, and there was no bustle of auto rickshaws, no huge groups of people, no "lines" which in India are really just crowds of people with maybe some semblance of organization but really just a mob, it was all so ORGANIZED. Honestly I was disappointed, and distinctly felt the feeling that this is a bit of a let down! Reminded me of being in the USA, where everything is neat and organized. Seriously India is an experience. It's great. Back to the cab though, after a bit of a wait we got a cab (clearly marked, clearly metered, organized, new car, 4 doors, 4 wheels, just like in the USA) and went to the hotel. Here are some pictures of the Buri Gallery hotel: 
Note in the 2nd picture: the super sweet suction cup toothbrush holder animals, which we picked up at the night market. Those guys are awesome! The sinks were also pretty cool.
Checking the internet in the hotel lobby. Our rooms actually had computers and internet in them! (thats a first!), but this one is in the lobby. It was a small hotel, actually more of a guest house than a hotel. They were very nice and helpful, and the place had a ton of character!
After checking in to the hotel, we headed to the night market. The night market happens every night, and there are tons of vendors selling all sorts of stuff. Prices are more spendy than India, but still OK, ie with a little bargaining, a tshirt for about $4. There's actually two night markets -- one that goes every night, and then an even bigger one that is only on Saturday and Sunday. Anyway at the market(s) over the time in Chaing Mai I picked up some cool t-shirts (gifts if you're lucky!) and a lot of CD's and DVD's. Thailand is apparently a great place for all of those items (t-shirts, CDs, DVDs) so I had to take advantage.
As for whether or not they are original CD's and DVD's...I will choose not to comment on that. They cost about $2.60 each. You decide. :) Between Chaing Mai, Phuket, and Bangkok, I think I got about 40 CD's Here are some pics from the night market: 
Yum! Crickets, larvae, and other tasty treats 
And here's me eating some! Larvae was my favorite. (OK fine, it's really pork. Delicious pork! Food in Thailand was spectacular) 
Selin hunting down the latest bargain
In between sleeping, eating, and shopping, we did find some time to see some of the sights. Chaing Mai is well known for it's nature-centered activities and the tribes that live within close proximity to the city, so we had to be sure to check that out. We did it the easy way, through a guided tour that we booked at the hotel. We selected an all day tour that started at 7:30 am, and included breakfast, a stop at an orchid farm 
(as well as a bathroom break), an elephant ride, some fun whitewater rafting down the Ping river (and some fun rapids. Can't compare to our Pacific Northwest rivers, but it was still a good time. And it's always interesting contrasting the way these operations are conducted in foreign countries. For example, our guided raft trip in Washington was preceeded by probably 40 minutes of safety exercises, explanation, discussion, and preparation. Our guided raft trip in Thailand was preceeded by putting the raft into the river and our guide telling us to "Jump In and start paddling!"), a ride on an old school bamboo raft, some hiking, visits to 3 different tribal villages, some more hiking, a waterfall, and finally ending in, more hiking! It was a fun, tiring, and well worth it day. Here are some more pictures:
Selin at a bridge crossing, on our way to the elephant park
Me and my elephant buddy 
Here are some folks who joined us on the elephant ride. Sadly I don't have any pics of Selin and me actually on our elephant because, well, we were on the elephant. But, we were right in front of these 2 perched up there in style cruising up the stream. Elephant transportation rules!
After the long trek, we rewarded our elephant with a helathy snack of about 15 bananas. The elephant was hungry, he didn't even wait for us to unpeel the bananas, he just chomped em down peel and all! Ha ha, he woulda eaten all 15 bananas at once if we'd given them to him. And below is video of me feeding (and teasing) the big fella. Notice the ear flap after eating, I think he was saying thank you! (...well, or possibly "how about you just feed me the darn banana next time instead of waving it around like a moron...")
This woman, in traditional tribal wear for her village, must've been about 4 feet tall.
Here she is again, hasn't gotten any taller
the village from afar
Oh Herroh
Some more cute kids in a different village. I think the girl on the right was trying to hold out her hand for a baht (thai currency) or two, while the girl on the left was a little more reserved about it. :) In the end, they each wound up with a few baht coins to take home. Or chew on, which is what they were doing with them last I saw.
Some villagers working in the field. This particular village was a big producer of cabbage.
The waterfall. It's not rainy season, but it was still cool.
Selin emerging from the jungle. Yes she is barefoot. We were both wearing flip flops for this expedition, possibly not the wisest footwear selection but it's all we brought. Trekking through the muddy sections of the trail (which there were some) was easier barefoot than in flip-flops.
Our tour guide and the Thailand flag!After the tour we got home, showered, did a little more shopping, and oh yes I can't forget watched Prison Break Season 2!! One of my DVD purchases was the first 12 episodes of season 2, which was sweeeet as we had a DVD player and TV in our room. :)
After our time in Chaing Mai was up, we next packed up to the airport and headed straight to the beaches of Phuket -- to spend Christmas in the white sand and warm tropical waters! Update on that to come when I find time. See ya!
No comments:
Post a Comment