Bangkok and Chiang Mai

We have just made it to Luang Prabang in Laos after a two day slow boat trip down the Mekong River.

Some of you have asked whether we were affected by the recent floods in southern Thailand. We were not. But saw the devastation on the news. Very sad.

This post tells of happier times: of our travels through Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

Bangkok Continued

Claire here.

When we last left you we were in Bangkok whiling away the weekend waiting for the Vietnamese embassy to open.

First thing Monday morning we grabbed a cab and headed for the embassy. As the taxi took off, the driver turned on a small TV on his dash board and tuned it to an English language news station. That’s nice I thought; he knows that the traffic will be bad so he’s given us some entertainment. A few minutes later the traffic wasn’t actually that terrible and we were cruising along pretty steadily when the driver changes the TV station to a Thai station. Hmm I thought. Does he think we speak Thai? Or maybe there’s something he wants to watch? But he’s driving in Bangkok traffic (ie chaos). I stopped thinking then. Sometimes in Southeast Asia it pays not to think; it reduces the potential need for anti anxiety medication.

We made it to the Vietnamese embassy safely. I always get quite anxious about these official types of processes; the fact that the whole process is completely out of my control is not my happy place. The whole process was—as we have so far found these types of processes to be—surprisingly smooth. We filled in the form, gave the embassy staff our passports and money, and were told to come back on Thursday.

That evening Rama and Leah rejoined us following their sojourn to Ko Phanang for the full moon party; we started planning for their last day in Thailand.

First up the next morning was the grand palace—the residence of King Rama IX of Thailand and home to some of the most elaborate temples around. We followed this cultural experience with lunch in Chinatown and shopping at MBK—the place to go for cheap knockoffs. Rama (not the king) went for his final suit fitting.

The following morning we were woken early by a massive thunder storm and torrential rain. We saw Leah and Rama off to the airport and headed back to our room to escape the weather. We spent most of the day inside. It was actually quite nice to have a break from sightseeing and traipsing around the city.

Thursday we picked up our visas and jumped on the sleeper train to Chiang Mai. Sleeper trains in Thailand are an experience not to be missed. The seats are wide and soft and the floor is clean. You order your dinner at the start of the journey and it is bought to your seat. Although we latter learned that there were two menus—one for Thai people and another more expensive menu for foreigners. A little while later the carriage attendant comes around and converts the seats into bunks which he then makes up with crisp clean white linen. So we closed our eyes, went to sleep, and woke up in Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai

Eli here.

After the intensity of Bangkok, Chiang Mai was a welcome relief. This laid back city of about 1.5 million people has plenty of cheap guesthouses, funky cafes and bars, and ladies offering massages. Tourists are present, but not overwhelmingly so. There is a night market and Saturday and Sunday street markets full of paintings, hill tribe trinkets, and lightshades. There are also an inordinate number of temples.

Arriving early on the train, we quickly found ourselves a cheap guest house with free WiFi and warm water. We spent the rest of the day walking around the old part of the city.

Our walk took us into some impressive temples with mosaics and high arches that reveal giant golden Buddhas with varying expressions. Locals pray and monks bless. Tourists poke their noses in for a look, but often fail to show respect by removing shoes, wearing long pants, covering shoulders, and restraining from taking pictures of monks without permission.

But we were not those disrespecting tourists. Rather, we were the tourists that had seen too many temples in too many places. Is there such a thing? Yes. Temple after temple. Buddha after Buddha. After a while they begin to blur into one and their importance begins to lose meaning. This is a hidden form of disrespect that is equally troubling to me. To overcome this problem, I now believe limiting temple viewings to two a day and five a week.

On the bright side, each temple is different. A little lady sat outside one temple offering—for a fee—to release little birds from a cage as a type of blessing. The funny part is that these birds were tame. So once the unsuspecting tourist left, the birds were caught again for the next to release.

Our walk also took us to a woman’s prison. Vocational training for inmates is a socially responsible activity, but would you take a Thai massage from an inmate? We did and enjoyed it. Legs twisted unnaturally, bones cracked, muscles prodded, and tendons pulled. At times I questioned the wisdom of getting a massage, but made sure not to show any weakness by letting out a groan—something I considered unmanly. I questioned it further when things got intimate; especially when the masseuse’s hands and feet pressed against my inner thigh and repeated movements were made. The massage ended after an hour when herbal tea was served. We both felt relaxed.

That night we ate at the night bazaar and listened to live music, which although familiar was distinctly Thai. The base guitarist was the lead singer and the lead guitarist thought he was, but wasn’t.

The next day we took a songtheaw to another temple, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. This one was worth it, although I had been before. Located on top of Suthep hill, the temple has stunning views of Chiang Mai province and is adorned by a central copper-plated chedi topped by a five-tiered gold umbrella. But outside the temple is where the action is: boys practice hitting drums in some sort of order, as others—some as young as five—struggle to stay focused; girls dressed in traditional hill tribe outfits dance rhythmically to cosmic music.

Our only gripe were the young kids on the steps up to the temple that were forced by their mothers to dress in hill tribe outfits and beg for money. Surely there must be a better way for these families to earn a living while keeping their kids in school.

Later we took a stroll around the Saturday night market in the rain, picking up a chocolate waffle for our troubles.

On our final full day in Chiang Mai we went cooking. We both love Thai food and, although Claire is the better cook, I have no qualms giving it a go. We made seven dishes each from curries, noodles, and stirfrys to spring roles, sticky rice, spicy papaya salad, and deep-fried banana. Mistakes were made and bananas burnt, but we had fun and ate plenty.

The Sunday night market lived up to its reputation. Streets lined with local stalls filled with everything at discounted prices. People were everywhere, which was tricky enough. But we decided to make it extra challenging by going against the flow, bashing into Thai ladies out for a shop and tourists ticking off another activity listed in the Lonely Planet guidebook.

After a few fun filled days, we set off to Chiang Rai on a Green bus, but that is another story.

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Well, that’s where we stand. Love to all,

xxx