Chiang Mai and Surroundings
February 27-March 4
Chiang Mai reminds me of a Thai Berkeley. A mix of hippies, intellectuals and aspiring artists who like the outdoors and who like to party. We already had some impressions of Chiang Mai (before going there.) Our friend Kristin was expatriated there a couple of years before relocating to Prague; we knew there would be a lot of neo-Western-Buddhists and old white men married to young pretty Thai women. We also knew that all of the backpackers we had met stayed for weeks in Chiang Mai. We were anxious to see what all of the hype was about and to spend some time in the surrounding hills.
We found a very cheap guesthouse (next to Chiang Mai Blue House-it was full), run by an expatriated German man who I suspect was a Chemistry teacher in his former life (judging by the books in his library.) He also had a bit of a “mad scientist” air about him…More admin duties, we needed to apply for a Laos visa as well, requiring our passports to be sent back to Bangkok, a bit of poor planning on our part. I was still groggy from sleeping on the train and wasn’t in the mood to do too much planning, but Fab was ready to book us a week’s worth of outdoor adventure. By mid-afternoon the first day, our passports were on their way to Bangkok and we had booked a whitewater rafting trip and 3 days of hill tribe trekking. The cool temperatures when we arrived early in the morning were misleading, and by mid-day it was blistering hot. We went for a walk to get a feel for the city, passing numerous bars, restos, coffee and bookshops and boutique souvenir shops. The population is around 1.5 million, but it feels more like a small town (that’s if you ignore the incessant traffic that makes a ring around the center.) There are a few remaining city walls and the moats which encircle the town. The flower pots decorating the little bridges give it the feel of a little provencal French town. And its easy to forget your in Thailand because half the population seems to be European or American. It was easy and fun, that’s why people stay so long. Chiang Mai is also great for souvenir shopping. There is a huge night market where you can find handicrafts from the north of Thailand. We bought a couple of carved wooden rice bowls, a beautiful painting of the sunrise behind a wat, and a pretty purple handbag for me.
Our second day, we woke up excited about whitewater rafting. The first part of the day involved a lot of driving to get up to the launch site, but we had time to get to know a couple others in the tour. A girl from Chicago who was on a whirlwind 8-day vacation in Thailand and a guy from New Zealand who was recovering from a pretty potent hangover. We were all happy to be out of the van, after a long and windy drive on a bumpy road, and after a great lunch of fried chicken, spring rolls and fresh fruit, we got geared up for the river. The river itself was not the craziest I’ve been on (mainly level 2s and 3s with a couple of 4s) but the rafting guides were hilarious and they made the day very memorable. When we weren’t paddling hard through tough rapids we were having water wars with other boats, playing games and just having a good time. The landscape was gorgeous, lush and green, and we all enjoyed the fresh air. After 2 hours on the river, we were all soaking wet and exhausted. We changed and drove sleepily back to town, Fab and I ready to start our trek the next morning.
Trekking
OUr trekking experience was fun and well-organized, defintely more easy-going than what we are used to with a little bit of luxury thrown in. The first day was a bit disappointing; we spent most of the day in the back of a truck being shuttled from place to place, first a local market where we bought fruits and vegetables for dinner, then to a waterfall for lunch where took a swim and then to a temple perched on a hill. If the air would have been clear, the view would have been fantastic. Unfortunately the road was quite windy and Fab and I were both suffering from a bit of car sickness. When we arrived in the Karen village (a local hill tribe) where we began the short 2- hour walk, my legs were already a bit shaky. Our mood quickly changed as we got a glimpse of the hills in the fading afternoon sun. This is the hottest and driest season in northern Thailand, so the trees had turned a beautiful orange and yellow and were dropping enormous leaves that crunched under our feet. We walked through dried rice paddies and waited at a river for a herd of cattle to cross. Our guides stopped to point out local plants, wild mango, tamarind, medicinal herbs and poison ivy. We stayed in a small Karen village for the evening in a rustic house made of bamboo with a thatched roof. After dinner, we sat and talked by a campfire. Several villagers came to join in the fun. This sweet old couple sat by the fire. They had beautiful, wise faces; I wished I could speak to them and ask them about their lives, but I was content to watch them laugh and joke with our guides.
Day 2 was quite beautiful. We had a good steep walk uphill through a forest to get warmed up, then we slowly made our way down hill before taking a break in another small Karen village. At first glance, the village was quite rustic, then we noticed a small thatched roof with a satellite dish. I looked around wondering how they got electricity, I didn’t see any poles. Then our guide pointed out the solar panels, they were running off solar power. From the village, we walked to a small waterfall where we ate our lunch, fried noodles with tofu, carefully wrapped in a banana leaf, with bamboo chopsticks. Then a refreshing swim in the waterfall and an easy walk to the Hmong village where we would sleep that evening. They were building a small eco-lodge for tourists outside of the village. We stayed in a big rustic house, like the night before. We were surprised that they were offering Thai massage, so we really splurged and each had a 1-hour massage before turning in for the evening.
Day 3 was “adventure day.” We started the day with a swim in the icy waterfalls of another waterfall. (There are thousands of waterfalls in Thailand!!) Fabien took a 10m (30ft) plunge from a high rock into the pool at the bottom. Then we set off for “elephant riding.” It’s more comfortable than riding a camel, but you risk getting dirty. Our elephant had a snorting problem and kept giving us showers of muddy water. After elephant riding, we were off to bamboo rafting. Basically, the raft was made of about 10 bamboo poles roped together. Each had 4 people plus a guide. One person stood in the front and used a pole to steer, another at the back. It definitely makes a level 2 rapid seem more challenging. The trip was pretty and shady (lots of overhanging trees) and we passed several small villages going down the river. Our guide made sure that we were all soaked through by the time we got to the truck that would take us back to Chiang Mai.
When we arrived in Chiang Mai, wet and dirty, we happily found our passports with Laos vias, and unhappily found that the mad scientist had forgotten about our reservations and given our room away. I went in search of an available room, and found one at the “Your House Guest House” run by a friendly French-speaking Thai woman. We showered, dropped off our laundry, and went out for cheeseburgers and fries, I didn’t feel guilty at all. There was a little bar advertising live music at 9:30. We went for a drink after dinner at 8 and we were fading fast. Four hours later, we had to pull ourselves away; the owner, a Thai guy, had been playing good ol’ country music and rock, and we were kept entertained by the bizarre mix of expats, tourists and Thais jamming with him.
Saturday, I woke up with a headache, too much beer, too much sun. The day was a wash, just lolling around, had another Thai massage,exchanged books, did a little shopping and just chilled out our last day in Chiang Mai.
Tags: BIG TRIP 2005-2006, In English 2005-2006, Thailand
Administrator
Leave a Reply