January 15 - 19
We took an overnight bus from Bangkok (about 9 hours) and arrived in Chiang Mai around 4:30 am. Julie's and Alex's friend, Chang, had offered to come pick us up from the bus terminal to take us out for breakfast and bring us to our hostel (he did all this before going off to work!!). We waited at the bus station, ofcourse, until it was a fairly reasonable time for Chang to pick us up around 6 am!
We had our first Thai breakfast at a local restaurant (and I mean, local, not touristy). All the food is displayed in containers, in the front of the restaurant. You point to what you want. We would not have had such an experience, had it not been for Chang who was able to tell us what we were looking at! We enjoyed this first meal of the day which included vegetables, as well as eggs, a familiar breakfast item. Chang wouldn't let us pay for our part. A very kind act, for someone we had only just met!!
Chang drove us to our hostel in the old part of the city. This 'old city' was once surrounded by four walls (now, mostly in ruins), 4 gates (pretty much intact) and a moat.
Chiang Mai, especially the old city, is a fun place to visit. It is a lot more laid back than Bangkok and not as chaotic. It's a lot easier to walk around and much more peaceful. Chiang Mai was, and remains, an important center of Buddhism.
By the time we got to the hostel it was still quite early in the morning. We took advantage of the whole day in front of us and decided to visit all the recommended temples within the old city. There were about 3 to 4 of them and each has a long and significant history. Each of the temples had their respective Buddha statues and each had certain differences from one another. Wat Chiang Man, is the oldest in the city. Wat Chedi Luang, is now mostly in ruins, and once housed the Emerald Buddha (an important religious object, now in the Grand Palace in Bangkok).
The grounds of Wat Phra Singh is the largest of all. It includes the main temple and other prayer halls, lots of trees/grassy squares, a library and large stupa (or chedi). There were lots of monks roaming around in their saffron coloured robes. And several Buddha statues: one of gold, another of jade and a reclining Buddha were among them.
It was at Wat Phra Singh where we partook in a "monk chat". There was a shaded outdoor area with tables and benches, in which monks sat and waited for the opportunity to chat with tourists. We were welcomed by a young monk who we conversed with for about 10-15 minutes. He spoke of some of the procedures in becoming a monk, and his current studies. He also spoke a little about his daily routine. I forget how old he was when he began monk school, but he was under the age of 10 at the time!! It was interesting, despite having a bit of a hard time understanding him because of his broken English. He did pretty well, nevertheless!
In the evening, after a nice nap (much needed after a very early morning start and lack of sleep on the bus), we made our way to the "Night Bazaar". Other than the regular tuk-tuks, or rickshaws, that are present in vast numbers, we were introduced to the "red truck". This is essentially like an enclosed pick-up truck, painted in red, and used as a mode of public transportation. We hoped in one of these, joining 3 other people who were already in the truck, to get to the night bazaar. The cost of a red truck ride is much cheaper than taking a tuk-tuk.
The night bazaar, was filled with a ton of stalls selling clothes, crafts and more touristy items. It also contained restaurants and food stalls. Just outside the bazaar, the street was also lined with rows of stalls selling all kinds of merchandise. At the bazaar, we bought a bag of Thai tea leaves (the kind one uses to make Thai iced tea, but we've also had it hot...yummy!). I purchased another pair of pants. Unlike most other times, our bargaining skills failed us at this bazaar. Still, we could not complain much about the prices!
Dinner around this area, was relatively expensive due to nothing but touristic restaurants. We ended up at a Belgian restaurant, of all places!! We got fries and a croque monsieur. Definitely Thai version of Belgian food, but fairly edible.
The next day, we hired a driver for part of the day to take us to a couple of spots. We fell into the trap and were lured to the "Tiger Kingdom". It sounded like a unique experience - a close encounter with a tiger?!!?! We weren't quite thinking of HOW this could be possible before our experience. Tiger Kingdom is a place were they keep tigers (cubs, adolescents and adults) in enclosed spaces. They are tamed from babies and apparently are then sent out to zoos. We chose to enter a cage with a couple of adult tigers it (we had to choose an age group and pay accordingly). For about 15 minutes or so, we had the opportunity to pet an adult tiger and take photos with it. We had to follow a few rules: to keep our distance from the tiger's head (no scratching it's head and ears, like we do with our cat) and to always approach it from behind. We clearly, obeyed!
Rakesh and I were both surprised by the feeling of the tiger's fur. We had thought that it would be fairly soft, but we were wrong. A tiger's fur actually feels more like a door mat made of jute!! So having one as a pet, is not as appealing after all (just kidding). Following our experience and after wondering around the "kingdom" to see all the various tigers in their respective enclosures, we began to feel a little guilty about coming to such a place (and supporting it by giving them our money!). We may be wrong in our thinking, but we were very superstitious that these tigers must have been sedated somehow. How else could they be soooo tame??!! Most of them were laying or sleeping on their sides. We did see one, though, that appeared to be a little agitated. It kept on roaming back and forth alongside a fence, as if fixated on something. The keeper, on the other hand, kept trying to calm the tiger down. Despite our guilt, we enjoyed having this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of petting a tiger!! Who would have ever thought?
Next, we went to the Butterfly and Orchid Farm. A very disappointing place. Luckily, the entrance fee was only about $1-2 per person, so no major loss in going. There were very few varieties of orchids (mostly one variety in different colour) and the butterflies, were nothing to speak of, especially after seeing SO many beautiful ones in South America.
After a short rest back at the hostel, we took our first walk outside the old city to get to a local flower and plant nursery. We wanted another local vs tourist experience and sure enough we WERE the only tourists around. Some of the shops were already closed, but we got a good sense of the place. It spand a huge plot, filled with stores selling all kinds of plants, trees and flowers. Some we recognised, though most were new to us. It was also fun to see all sorts of stone carved shrines and various garden ware and decorations, for sale. [Rakesh writes: The best part about these experiences is the fact that no one is hassling you to buy anything. Infact the locals were very curious about us being there, and did not mind answering our questions about the plant species we did not recognize].
The walk to and from this area was not as pleasant as being in the old city. We felt like we were the only pedestrians on the street. It seems most people get around these places by vehicle. No wonder! It was risky business just trying to cross a road (pedestrian traffic lights were non-existant in this area, as in many places in Asia). Little did we know and because we like to walk, we had to deal with the consequences.
Our long walk continued on toward the Ping river, a major tributary of Chao Phraya river, which runs through Bangkok. We were heading to a local night market. On the inner roads, the market consisted of hundreds of stalls selling food. Rakesh bought himself a papaya salad. I on the other hand, was still afraid of eating street food, especially raw vegetables. Papaya salad was a common dish we ordered while in Thailand, but mostly in restaurants. It can be a little spicy, but very refreshing. Slivers of green papaya are mixed with lime juice, peanuts, green beans, and red chillis (possibly more ingredients). I did, however, buy a couple of coconut based sweets sold wrapped up in banana leaves. Delicious! The other part of the market, alongside the river, consisted of a row of stalls selling cut flowers, wreaths etc. It was great to see such a wealth of colours! This area, on the outskirts of the old city, was busseling with tourists and locals, alike.
From the market, we walked back toward the old city and stopped in one of the nicest restaurants we had been to in Chiang Mai. It was mostly a touristy restaurant, but served great food. We happened upon it! A lucky choice!
The next day, we were directed to a red truck stop in order to get to a well-known temple on the nearby mountain in Chiang Mai. Little did we realise, that the truck would not leave until it had 10 people in it!! Rakesh's and my patience were definitely tested at this point, as we were the only ones in the truck to begin with. One man came along, after what felt like a long time, then shortly after, another couple followed. About a half hour or so after we got in, a total of 5 or so others joined us. At this point, the driver asked us all for more money on top of the base rate in order for us to get going and to make up for the fact that there weren't 10 of us on the truck! This was a new experience for us! This situation happened again, later that day.
The temple is called Wat Doi Suthep. It is a Buddhist temple and named after the mountain it sits on. It was constructed in this place as a consequence of a legend featuring a white elephant. This was our first temple on a mountain/hill and to get there we had to walk along an uphill pedestrian path lined with tourist stall and then a number of steps, about 300, to get up to the top. The staircase is lined, on either side, by impressive colourful stone motifs of nagas (snakes). The temple itself is quite different from others we had seen in Thailand. Inside, are a number of spaces for prayer. Rakesh and I sat in one to meditate for a little :) and to get out of the sun. I observed an Asian lady partaking in a prayer - a ritual of shaking sticks in order to obtain her fortune. I decided to try it out. A number of sticks are placed inside a holder and shaken until one of the sticks falls out. Each stick has a number on it. You look at the number of the stick that has fallen out and find your fortune written on a small piece of paper with a corresponding number on it (stacks of these papers were sorted in numbered slots on an adjacent wall). I read my fortune and some of it had to do with finding the love of my life....hhmmm! I think I've already found him and his name is Rakesh! :)
In the center of the temple is a large copper plated chedi. There are aspects of both Buddhist and Hindu religions in this temple - a copy of an emerald buddha and a statue of a Hindu God, Ganesh. Around the outside, are several gongs. We tried one out and it let out a deep and spiritual sound. A part of the exterior patio overlooks the mountain. Unfortunately, due to the smog, we could see very little.
We hoped in another red truck, and again had to wait a little for it to fill up with people. This time we headed further up the mountain to visit a tribe village, that of the Hmong tribe. Ofcourse, the place is somewhat commericialised as it's a tourist attraction, but I guess these people need to make a living, too. We, however, were more interested in observing the locals.
After some lunch (Pad Thai, another common dish we had in Thailand) we took a walk up a stair case that we saw from a distance. It was our way of exploring "beyond the beaten path". Little did we know what we were going to happen upon. Beyond the top of this long staircase was another temple. Several monks and others were helping to set up for some sort of ceremony. Flower arrangements and such were being placed all around. We did get some stares, as we were the only tourists, but we ignored them and continued on beyond the temple. We walked along a road through a tropical forest and along the way, we bumped into a monk, who was sitting on a chair off the side of the road. Was he guarding? We weren't too sure. We asked him what was further up the road. He didn't understand much English, but with some signing, he understood. He proceeded to walk to the other side of the road, picked up a stick and drew a map in the dust. Apparently, there was some sort of outlook from where we could see Doi Suthep in the distance. We thanked him and carried on.
For the first half of our walk, there were no vehicles in sight. Every so often, we saw trees with saffron ribbons around them. The significance? I can only imagine they were used for some sort of marking for the monks in the area. After we came to a junction, and greeted another monk sitting (guarding?) by the side we walked along the adjoining road. This time vehicles passed us by every few seconds. We were still the only pedestrians. After a short while, we came to an outlook. We saw the tribe village down below, but not Doi Suthep. We continued on. After a while we came to a dirt path leading away from the road. We ventured down it and came to some sort of temple in ruins. It was quite eerie, in fact, as it was in the middle of the forest and there was no-one about. It did appear like it was still used as a place of prayer as there were several tiger figurines and flowers placed along it.
After making our way back to the road, we managed to stop a jeep coming round the bend. We wanted to ask what was further down the road and, if anything, how far it was. We were told of another tribe village but felt like it would be too far to continue. We walked back to the village we came from and headed back to our hostel.
Shortly after, we had just enough time to get ready, as Chang and his wife, Ling, came to pick us up for dinner. They took us out to a lovely local restaurant, where we had more Thai food, including pork (except Rakesh), fresh whole fish and more. We had a lovely and fun conversation with Chang and Ling. It felt like we had known them for a long time.
The next day was one of our highlights, in Thailand. We went to an elephant camp, run by Woody, who used to work in other camps before starting his own. This place was recommended to us by the owner of our hostel. A great recommendation. Here we learned how to feed, ride and bathe the elephants. We learned how to give Thai commands for riding and getting on/off an elephant (Pai = go; Yut! = stop!; Hua = right; Sai = left; Yukha = bend knee up; Soong = raise the bent knee higher).
The bonus was swimming with the elephants and, a few but not too many, tricks by the them. The tricks involved the elephants dancing, giving kisses and hugging us, interlocking their trunks to make a seat so that they could lift us.
We could tell that the owner of the elephant camp LOVES elephants. The proceeds we pay to spend a great day at this camp goes mainly toward taking care of the elephants, and only a small portion toward the camp owner's profit. There were about 8 or so elephants, at the time we went to the camp, including one baby. All the adult elephants had either been rescued or bought from other camps. Elephant poaching for tusks still occurs in Thailand and these camps are a way to keep elephants safe from the brutality of the Homo-sapien. We were told that one of the elephants had been isolated since the day as he was being punished. The elephants are chained up by one leg, when they are unattended, so as to keep them from wondering off. Apparently, the one elephant had figured out a way to unchain himself, the night before, and found its way to a farm and ate a lot of the crops. The owner of the camp is then responsible for paying the farmer for the damage and because of that, the elephant is punished for a significant amount of time (no social interaction and little food). I guess it works!
All the tourists were divided into two groups so it didn't feel too overwhelming. The group sizes were quite small and each pair had one elephant to ride on. We took turns to sit in front and steer the elephant (ofcourse, the camp employees did most of the work). We learned how to use a stick with a hook to help with steering the elephants. After riding an elephant in India, three years ago, I was horrified by the way the stick was used so harshly by the chief to control it, I vouched never to ride an elephant again. At the camp, however, we were convinced of the fact that the elephant is not hurt by the hook (a blunt hook, ofcourse) as long as it is used very gently! Overall, I did not regret riding one again. They are such wonderful and friendly animals (though, I'm sure it helps when they are somewhat tame vs out in the wild!!). We had a lot of fun!!
That evening, we ended up going to a Northern Thai restaurant that was recommended to us by our hostel owner. After a long wait to sit at a table, we were not very happy with the food we ordered. I believe it's the kind of place where you need to go with people who know about the food. The waiters could not really explain what the various dishes contained due to little spoken English. All but one dish we ordered had a strong taste from some sort of fish based sauce, that we're not very used too...oh well, yet another experience...and all part of traveling!
Chang had told us about another market that occurs on Saturdays. We were intrigued and since the next and final day in Chiang Mai was a Saturday, we thought we would visit the market. It takes place on the outskirts of the south side of the Old City. Once we got there, however, we found out that the market would not open until later in the afternoon. Bad luck! We only had the morning to do anything, as we were wanting to catch an afternoon bus to our next destination - Sukhothai! It would have been nice to see some local artwork, but then again, we were quite marketed-out, so we weren't too unhappy about missing out. I'm sure there will be a next time.
