Monday, May 9, 2011

Chiang Mai, Thailand (April 7-13)



We left Luang Namtha in the morning via tuk-tuk for the bus station.  We had purchased our tickets the night before from the same travel agency we had booked our hike through.  So when our tuk-tuk pulled up to the bus station and the driver pointed at the already packed bus, we knew we had a long day ahead of us.  This bus was so packed there was no way that we were going to fit on.  However, since we had pre-purchased tickets, we got seats and people that had planned to buy tickets on board, had to get off the bus and wait for the next bus to depart.  This bus ride was pretty much like the rest of the bus rides, hot, bumpy, and mostly uncomfortable, although it was made a little bit more interesting by the caged bamboo rat that was by the door.  It would hiss as you got on and off the bus during stops.

We made it to the boarder and sadly checked out Laos.  To get back to Thailand we had to take a long boat across the Mekong.   We got to the Thailand side found that we had missed the public bus for Chiang Mai and would have to get into a minibus if we wanted to make it that night.  This minibus turned out to be worth the money.  Not only was it nice and the air-con worked really well, but we only had to share it with two other people.  We arrived into Chiang Mai around 9 o-clock pm and then wandered the streets for a good hour or so before we found a cheap clean guesthouse to stay at.  The night guard had checked us in so in the morning I went to the front desk to pay and confirm that we could keep the room.  The guesthouse was completely booked for over a week due to Songkran, the Thai new year.  So we packed up our bags, stored them at the guesthouse and went to the Chinese consulate to apply for visas.

Before I go any farther, let me update you on our plans.  We planned to stay a couple of days in Chiang Mai, then Bangkok, fly to Hong Kong, travel in China for two weeks before jumping on a cruise ship in Beijing that ends in Anchorage.  We’re reached the bittersweet part of our trip; where it’s sad its coming to an end, but we’re starting to be excited to get home too. 

Anyways, we rented a couple of pedal bikes and rode to the Chinese consulate only to find out that they are closed until the following day because of some Chinese holiday.  So we pedaled back into towards where the guesthouses are and started another search for a place to stay.  We found a guesthouse with a really nice gentleman that ran it.  He filled us in on the Thai New Year.  It traditionally is the start of the rainy season and the Wats and temples hold ceremonies bathing their Buddhas with scented water (Buddha’s yearly bath time).  It also is a time for celebrating and the streets turn into a huge water fight.  Originally, we weren’t planning on staying for so long in Chiang Mai, but we decided to stay for almost eight days to experience Songkran first hand.. 

Chiang Mai can really grow on you in eight days…. We made it to the Chinese consulate, turned in our paperwork and received our visas about six days later.  We took a Thai cooking course from a professional chef.  He also took us on a  market tour.  This was very informative as he explained the different ingredients in Thai cooking and he also explained what we could use as substitutes if things weren’t available at home.  Jeff and I also learned what we had been eating some of the bowls of noodle soup we had.  In some soups, there would be brown chunks that had tofu like consistency. We were fairly confident it wasn’t organ meat, but it turns out it was steamed chicken blood.  I’m glad I didn’t know that before I tried it!  During our cooking course, we made Pad Thai, chicken with cashew nuts, banana spring rolls, tom-yum soup, and a yellow curry dish.  It was a great evening!

On another day we did a tour called Flight of the Gibbon.  It’s about a 45 minute drive out Chiang Mai, and is a series of zip lines strung in the jungle canopy.  I’m scared of heights and was nervous as our guides fitted us with harness and went through the safety briefing.  The first platform you come to is a short line and it was pretty easy just to sit back in the harness and let go.  That being said I screamed on almost every line!  The longest line was 850 meters long and the fastest line was about 550 meter long.  It was a lot of fun flying through the jungle and we did see three gibbons.  There was a black male and a tan female carrying a baby. 

We spent a day lounging by a hotel pool and another day wandering around Chiang Mai looking at the Wats and temples.  On Sunday, Chiang Mai has a Sunday walking street market.  They close one of the main roads and the street becomes lined with market stalls, food stalls, and places to get a cheap foot massage.  The fruit smoothies and street noodles were awesome! 

Songkran (the new year) didn’t officially start on Wednesday April 13, but starting on Monday if you didn’t want to get splashed or wet, you didn’t go outside.  In fact the drier you were the bigger the target on your back.  Jeff and I bought some water cannons and buckets and were armed to protect ourselves.  On Tuesday, we spent our time in the main square and shot water at anyone that walked by.  The streets were packed and everyone was wet.  There were refill stations at  every store doorway; the shop owners would fill up barrels or garbage cans with hoses.  It really was the biggest water fight I’ve ever seen let alone been in!In the evenings for Songkran, the city would shut down the same street that the Sunday night walking market was held on.  Here Jeff and I stuffed ourselves full of noodle soup, pad thai, sushi, fresh fruit smoothies, and all other sorts of yummy street food.

The next day, we spent on a side street from the main square.  We hung out at a bar that had a huge container of water to refill our weapons at.  Pick-up trucks would drive by with people piled in the back, slow down as they approached the bar, and then the water started to fly.  Sometimes, the water in the trucks would be ice cold and would quite a shock as a it hit you.  Another favorite target were the tuk-tuks as they came whizzing down the street.  If you timed it right, you could a full bucket on water dumped right onto the passengers!  We spent the afternoon engaged the water festival, ate some delicious street food and hopped on a night train to Bangkok.  Bye northern Thailand!

Me flying through the jungle

J doing a pretty good job of freaking me out on the zipline

Sunday walking market in Chiang Mai



The first bucket of water thrown for the Thai new year

Jeff getting ready for battle

Direct Hit!

Happy Songkran!



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