Chiang Mai is Friggin' Awesome!

First off, I have to heartily thank those of you who have written comments. They really inspire me to keep writing… I mean typing, and sharing pictures. I love to hear from you and what you think. Did I mention I love the comments?

After a fabulous shower at the Bangkok train station for 10 Baht, I bought my supplies (yes, beer and crunchies… but also, some dumplings and a “Pepsi Light” for dinner. I still don’t know what was in those dumplings, but damn, were they good.), and boarded the train to Chiang Mai. I was seated in 2nd class this time and really had a good time of it. The seats are set up as you would imagine, with two seats facing each other on either side of the car as far as the eye can see. The other three people who were seated in my little quartet area were a Thai older couple and their adult daughter. They were all going to Chiang Mai “to visit Buddha”. Grandma had the best English and they were all very friendly. When the seats were turned into beds the train car turned into rows of curtains, teenagers giggling from time to time, train tracks thumping, and the older couple began an evening chant that set my soul at ease. I drifted into sleep with thoughts of “the North country” dancing in my head.

I awoke with an hour and a half to kill before the train would arrive in Chiang Mai. It was still dark outside, but the sky was slowly warming to the arrival of the sun. I had no breakfast waiting for me in my bag, but the lovely family that I was sitting with was kind enough to give me a box soy drink with black sesame seeds. Yum!



When I arrived in Chiang Mai to a hundred faces waving and calling, “Taxi!” no one seemed to know where All in One Guest House was. So, I had to yet again go online, so that I could get the address. (My bad for forgetting to write down this important piece of information.) I found the address and a songthaew (truck with benches in the back and sometimes handrails and a canopy) driver that would take me there. I watched the sunrise from the back of the songthaew as we drove through the morning traffic to the “Old City” part of Chiang Mai.



After asking a couple of folks, we finally found the All in One Guest House and I was pleasantly surprised; a sweet little guesthouse with a courtyard and three stories of clean lodging. I had a breakfast of tasty coffee, scrambled eggs, and a really good croissant. I then checked into my room on the third floor with a view, a flat screen TV, a hot shower, a fridge, a flush toilet, sparkling tile floors, and a double bed with sheets that smelled like fresh laundry. I was home… at least for a couple of nights, anyways.



I was off for a day of Chiang Mai exploring. With sneakers tied tightly to my feet, I walked through the interior streets of Chiang Mai’s Old City walls. I started by finding Wat Umongmahatherachan. I meditated for a long time in there, something about that particular Buddha that really got to me. He had the kind of smile that just made you feel like everything is going to be okay, all is forgiven, we are all the same.



After that, I wandered the streets and found myself on the doorsteps of the Chiang Mai City Arts & Cultural Center. This was a really great museum that familiarizes you with all the history and culture of Chiang Mai. It is set up in such a way that you start in one place and end in another feeling as if you know all the basics of Chiang Mai. I was glad to have found it early on in my visit to Chiang Mai.



The museum took a long time to walk through and I came out on the on the other end looking for lunch. Eating is quickly becoming one of my favorite things to do in Thailand (if you haven’t already guessed) and I’m starting to take pictures of my meals. I’ll try to only post the most interesting ones.

I found a cavernous spot with only Thai writing on the boards that looked a little grungy but smelled terrific with lots of Thais inside. Great signs for good food. I walked in and a girl came up to me and I think she said with a smile, “What you want? We only have beef noodle soup.” I gave her the universal thumbs up sign, grabbed a Coke from the fridge, and took a seat in the back with a good view. (I am always looking for the most defensive position to sit in a restaurant. Thanks Dad…) The soup was amazing, though not as spicy as I would have liked. I kept adding chili to it. I think they leave out the spicy in a lot of dishes when they see the white folks come in. Now I’ve learned to say “pet nip noi” which mean “a little bit spicy”, and if you want the “mouth on fire” option that’s “pet pet”. Don’t say that. Thais are serious about their spicy. I learned my lesson through a glass noodle salad that made me feel like I was on Fear Factor. I think lunch cost less than a dollar.



Oh, that’s another thing. Just when you think Thailand is cheap, Chiang Mai hits you with supercheap. The U.S. dollar equals about 35 Thai Baht right now. My kickass room, for example, costs 550 Baht a night, which is roughly $16. An hour long Thai massage on Koh Tao or in Bangkok was 250 to 350 Baht, which is roughly $7 to $10, in Chiang Mai, you can get the same thing for 150 Baht… do the math. I have yet to pay more than $3 for a meal with an average price of $1 without the beverage.

Speaking of which, I bought a couple of really cute, like awesome, designer shirts that fit me great (this is of interest, because fit is very hard when your American woman shoulders are a third wider than a Thai woman’s shoulders) for 300 Baht.

I wandered the streets some more, popping in and out of Wats, getting lost, and eventually finding my way back to my room. I also found a fellow CELTAer from Germany whose name is Jan. I was happy to have his company to the Muay Thai Boxing match later that night.

Muay Thai is that crazy fighting style like in the movie Ong-bak, which uses knees and elbows and I think just about anything except for teeth. The boxing ring was classic and they play this weird, slightly annoying, live music with a drum, little cymbals, and some horn that sounds like a dying duck. (When I can get my video uploads to work, you’ll see what I mean). Jan and I had ringside seats, the Farang (Thai word for ‘gringo’) section, for people who pay way too much without knowing they could just go to the fight and buy a standing ticket or back bleachers section for about half the money. I was one of those people. Oops. But, by the 5th fight, I was glad to have the seats. By the end of the fights, Jan and I were right in the first row. The whole time this weird music is playing, the people are whooping and yelling, everyone’s drinking Sing-ha, and the fighters are kicking each other’s asses like it’s nobody’s business. It’s quite an unforgettable scene that I recommend to anyone in Thailand, whether you’re into fights or not.



Well, it’s another day, and I’ve already spent a lot of it writing this enormous entry. One more day in Chiang Mai before the CELTA begins, what to do, what to do…Probably go eat something.

I leave you with these wise words.