Cookin' in Chiang Mai
Trip Start
Mar 10, 2005
1
11
24
Trip End
Aug 02, 2005
Chiang Mai,
Thailand
Monday, April 25, 2005
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Having enjoyed our time in Luang Prabang immensely and with the distinct possibility of a future return trip to Laos at some point, we departed Laos for Chiang Mai, Thailand. This was Alex's second trip to Thailand (the first being with Greg Langlois several years ago) and Amy's first.
It was a hot one in Chiang Mai as we checked into a small guesthouse by the river. In the evening we decided to celebrate with a dinner cruise offered by a local restaurant, The Riverside. As river cruises tend to go the cruise on the river was better than the food, but we enjoyed the ambiance nonetheless. We then strolled through the famous Chiang Mai Night Bazaar and Alex enjoyed a late night foot massage as a birthday treat.
April 22
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We had arranged for a day trip to Wat Doi Suthep, the Royal Family's Winter Palace Gardens as well as three temples around the old city. It was a private tour -- just the two of us and our guide who looked like Michael Jackson.
Doi Suthep was quite a pilgrimage site. Evidently in 1383, the king put relics of Buddha (bones or hair or something) on the back of a white elephant and allowed it to wander around Chiang Mai. The place where it stopped, keeled over, and died was where the temple was to be built. There is a memorial to the elephant inside the temple complex. The highlight of a visit is the incredibly large gold "chedi" (otherwise known as a stupa) in the center of the complex. MJ, the king of pop, was quite knowledgeable about Buddhism and answered some of Alex's burning questions like "If this is year 2548, what event started the calendar in motion?" Answer: The death of the last Buddha.
After 30 KM
Both of us also were blessed by the monk in the temple as he flicked water on us and said blessings of health, prosperity, and good skin(? -- apparently this is a usual blessing) for the coming year. Another interesting aspect of the temple was the huge Naga (mythical serpent) balustrade on the 300-step staircase leading up to the temple (we rode the cable car up and walked down). The other three ancient temples that we visited - Wats Phra Singh, Chedi Luang, and Jet Yot - in Chiang Mai were only marginally interesting to us after our visit to Laos and Cambodia with their many beautiful examples of wats. Chedi Luang was extremely tall and had been damaged by an earthquake though only partially restored.
April 23
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Today was full of chili, spice, and cooking in 100 degree heat. The two of us and another couple were picked up at the guesthouse, taken to the local market to pick up some vital ingredients, and whisked to a Thai home for a day-long cooking class. The other couple was British and quite friendly. We had a fun day of cooking up things like Pad Thai, green curry with chicken, panang curry with pumpkin, two kinds of soups, spring rolls along with another appetizer as well as a fish curry tucked into banana leaves. Just to reassure everyone - Alex was stir-frying up a storm, right next to Amy. So the next time we have guests Alex will be on cooking duty.
After slaving over a hot wok all day, we decided it was time for a Thai massage. Thai massage isn't for those who bruise easily.
Doi Suthep
It is deep tissue and vigorous. Amy thinks that she will opt for a lighter touch in future, though Alex enjoyed it.Later that evening we met up again with the British couple, Loveday and Damon, for a couple of drinks. We had a lovely time with them and got some good tips for Australia and New Zealand.
April 24
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For a bit of adventure, we booked a mountain-biking tour that took us around the Chiang Dao mountain valley just north of Chiang Mai. Before we headed off-road, we stopped at an elephant camp to see an "elephant show" (more like a demonstration of skills). There were old and young elephants alike. We fed them sugarcane with the 4-year-old being a particularly messy eater. After a bathing and demonstration of their skills for helping harvest timber, we hopped aboard one of the beautiful creatures for a short 30-minute ride. It was quite funny. When the elephant is going downhill, you'd better hold on. Amy almost fell forward out of her seat!
Once we had our fill of elephants, we got lunch, saw a Buddhist shrine in a cave, which was nothing compared to Pak Ou in Laos, and then headed out for our ride. We passed through some hill tribe villages, though again we had seen quite a few already. The scenery was lush and we enjoyed some local fruits that were yummy. It was an exhausting afternoon of riding (30 km) but was good to be active in such a landscape.
Back in Chiang Mai, we went into the old city for dinner and to do some power shopping in the Sunday market. Unlike the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar that has the same tacky tourist things for sale at every stall, this reminded us of a crafts fair with lots of creative products for sale. An entire street of Chiang Mai was closed off for this market and it was quite a long street. We really enjoyed seeing the different things on offer and a lot of locals were out enjoying themselves too.
April 25
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After our busy schedule in Chiang Mai, we took our leave and headed for Bangkok - our last stop on our SE Asia tour. Stay tuned . .
