February 12th:
When I ended the last blog Doug and I were just departing Bangkok and had boarded a night bus to Chiang Mai. The bus ride was really cheap so we prepared ourselves for a very uncomfortable 12 hour long, butt-numbing night. We were wrong.... Instead we accidentally booked what was basically a first class bus ride, complete with: snacks, dinner, reclining seats, pillows, blankets, tvs, and all the Thai music videos we could watch (they are horrible but you can't stop watching them).
We slept better on the bus than we had slept in a long time. Maybe it was because there were two monks sitting behind us sending us their positive vibes or maybe it was the fact that we got to watch Frozen before we fell asleep. I spent the beginning of the bus ride texting my dad and catching up with him, but after that I slept like a baby. Really though, I did. I fell asleep at about 11pm and woke up around 5am (much like our niece, Hazel).
February 13th:
Our bus arrived in Chiang Mai at roughly 5:30am. We got off the bus, checked our bags to make sure nothing was stolen (because that was a normal thing to do) and quickly sat down on a couple benches to get our bearings. We hadn't booked a hostel yet, so there we were sitting in the dark, a little unsure about what the heck we were doing. Luckily a "taxi" driver came up to us and explained to us in broken English where we were at. He was obviously affiliated with a couple guesthouses and thankfully he offered us a deal on one where we were able to talk him down quite a bit. Awesome! At least we knew we had a place to sleep (it's weird that lodging is something we worry about now). We walked with the man to his "taxi" (a.k.a- his shabby little tuk tuk) and hit the road towards the Lai Tai Guesthouse where thankfully the receptionist had a twin room available and let us check in 5 hours before we were supposed to. It worked out great for us because we got the room for a day and a half at the price of a day. Score! Once we were in our twin beds (we looked like Marshall and Lilly in "How I Met Your Mother") we slept until 10am and then decided to investigate our new surroundings.
First Impressions of Chiang Mai:
1. Wow this place is polluted.
2. Not as crowded as Bangkok, but still busy traffic.
3. Smelly
4. What's with all the Western middle-aged men with super young Thai girls? Creepy.
5. I'm pretty sure the wiring here isn't safe. My dad would not approve.
6. Friendly people
We spent the rest of the day walking around the Chiang Mai "square" getting used to the Chiang Mai scent. We explored many of the Buddhas and temples.
We even went to a monk chat, where we talked with young novices who aspired to eventually be ordained as monks and oddly enough, an elderly Canadian man who came to monk chat all the time. We learned about their lifestyles, their practice of Buddhism, and why they do what they do. It was interesting and gave us great insight into the culture we were immersing ourselves in.
We also had our first encounter with mango sticky rice, which was delicious.
And we found a make-shift gallery with a talented artist. It would later be a great debate between Doug and I as to whether I should buy one of the paintings.
We also tried to get massages at a women's prison. Guess who's idea that was, not mine! (what?!?, a prison! Yeah that's exactly who I want rubbing my neck...no way man!) but turned out they were all booked. Apparently it's a popular place.
February 14th:
Valentines Day. Doug and I celebrated with a Thai breakfast followed by some temple exploration.
Then we had long foot massages ($6.00!) the night market and a delicious crepe.
The night market is quite the spectacle. Luckily Doug and I got there around 4:30pm and were able to see about half of it before the crowds arrived at 6pm.
The place was absolutely packed with people. There were hundreds of vendors and there was any kind of Thai food imaginable.
Doug got some sketchy Pad Thai that turned out to be good. Our night concluded with us ordering a peanut butter- Nutella crepe. It was heavenly! Probably the best dessert we've eaten on our trip (which isn't saying much because we rarely buy dessert).
February 15th:
The 15th Doug and I sort of took the morning off from the city. I wasn't feeling well. My sinuses were going crazy from all the pollution in the air so we stayed back at the Lai Thai. We planned more of our trip and scoped out future destinations. Doug and I went to the pool to have a relaxing sort of afternoon, however, with the pool came quite the show, which I would like to call.... "Pool Side Stories with Lydia and Doug." They say a picture says a thousand words, so here is a photo of what sat across from us at the pool.
Honestly it is a little inappropriate to completely explain, so I'll just say this: out of the five people: one got completely naked, one royally ticked off a lady and management had to get involved, one pulled out the weirdest contraption I've ever seen, one had elephantitis, and Doug almost saw one person's privates as he/she changed swim suits...try and match them as you wish. So, basically Doug and I got front row seats to the pool circus and could not stop laughing. I'm so happy I didn't feel good, because it was hilarious!
Later that afternoon we strolled through another market and eventually came back to our guesthouse for dinner. We each had hot and sour soup.
It was very good but there were a lot of things in it and we weren't sure what they were. Regardless, it definitely cleared up my head!
After spending a few days in Chiang Mai I had a some second impressions of the city. Let's admit, first impressions aren't always the greatest.
1. The food is delicious, especially the mangos.
2. Haggling with vendors is kind of a fun game.
3. At second glance it is a much more beautiful place.
4. The people were quite friendly and made me smile.
5. The detail in crafts and architecture is incredibly impressive.
6. You get used to the smell :)
7. The dedication of the monks and their willingness to explain their beliefs equally evoke a sense of admiration.
Our first few days in Chiang Mai took a little getting used to. Traveling isn't always beaches and margaritas. Sometimes it's smelly roads and delicious mangos. Either one is okay with me, but I think I benefit more from the second, learning new things about ourselves every day!
Stay tuned for the next blog: tigers and cooking and elephants! Oh my! :)
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