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Published: October 15th 2011
Chiang Mai - Mounting biking
Full kitted out and ready to crash and burn!Chiang Mai – Thai cooking and my rude awakening to the level of my mountain biking ability.
As described in the lonely planet Chiang Mai is a cultural darling, a cool place to kick back and relax. I have to say the lonely planet guides have been fantastic and the info is so up to date and current it’s priceless. There have been so many occasions where it has saved me a fortune by just knowing what prices I should be paying for stuff. Big praise for the LP!
Chiang Mai turned out to be exactly as described, it was a really relaxing city with a homely feel about it, it was quite apparent that tourism is stamping it’s mark here but it’s not a massive scene like some cities. Whilst in Chiang Mai I wanted to do two things, one was to attend a Thai cooking school and the other was to do some mountain biking, so I was on a mission.
The first day I was here I booked up both courses and continued to explore the city during the day. They have a great night market selling all the usual T-Shirts and watches but also
some beautiful handicrafts produced by the locals and some really funky art work. I just wish I could buy more but the backpack is full!
The next day it was time for my first cooking lesson, Thai style. The day started with our chef for the day taking us to the local market to explain about all the produce and to purchase what we would need for the day. The market tour was really good, I learnt a lot about the local foods and how the local people normally purchase their ingredients. Our chef was so energetic and passionate about her job it was infectious and I knew it would be a great day. The course itself entailed me selecting 6 dishes from 18 on the menu and we would get to prepare, cook and most importantly of all eat all 6 dishes.
My first dish was cashew nuts and chicken stir fry, I won’t bore you with all the dishes but I have added a photo of my menu selection and all my dishes. Even if I do say so myself they were bloody delicious. It probably helps that I really love Thai food so I was
destined to like the dishes but I wasn’t sure if my cooking skills would ruin them, thankfully that was not the case.
As you will see from the photos the facilities are very basic, which is representative of many of the restaurants and street stalls here, it’s quite incredible what the locals can knock up with the most basic equipment, it makes me feel like my nice kitchen back home is a little bit over the top. Best I make use of these new skills when I get home. Rose and Euan I’m fully aware I owe you guys about 100 dinners and you’re top of the list for taste testing my new Thai cooking skills, I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing for you?! The cooking school day was fantastic fun and I learnt so much, not to mention I also eat all 6 dishes in 7 hours and was ready to explode. After the day finished I decided it was time for another stroll around town before getting an early night ready for mountain biking the next day.
As some of you may have read on facebook, the mountain biking proved to be
Chiang Mai - Cooking school
Our chef explaining about the ingredients a little more than I was expecting. Clearly I’m not an expert or an experienced mountain bike rider, but when they advertise these things they always tend to exaggerate and I thought that a road bike tour would be a little tame so I decided to tick the box that said course D4 Hunters single track downhill. I thought how bad can it be. Well the answer to that question turned out to be horrendous. 20 people were in my group when we got in the 4x4’s to make our way to the top of the mountain and I turned out to be the only one doing my route. I was presented with a bike that had about 10 inches of play in the front suspension and then a full set of body armour. Initially I thought it was a joke but I soon realised I might have bitten of more than I can chew, but it was too late now I was committed and had to give it a go.
To put you in the picture the track was a single track working its way down the mountain, it was a mix of large rocks, loose small rocks,
tree roots, 300mm deep ruts and streams! Not my normal Thetford forest route I do 4 times a year as an experienced rider…… We set off and it was just me and my guide and this guy was awesome on a bike. He held the city record for completing this course in 18 minutes, it took me over 2 hours! For the first hour I was coping, I’m not exaggerating but it was one of the hardest things I’ve done, the gradient at times was in excess of 45 degree’s, complete with rocks and tree roots which meant you either went for it at full speed of basically fell off. I was fine to start with and just went for it, it was so scary but great fun. After one hour my arms and legs were shot and I had nothing left, apart from half the course still to complete. I decided I just had to take it slow because I couldn’t grip the handle bars very well and I had no energy in my legs to stand up which was essential.
Because of this lack of fitness and a very steep section I decided it was time to get
Chiang Mai - THe 3rd Dish
Tom-yum-kung or Hot and Sour prawn soup intimate with mother earth and hug a tree and dry hump some dirt. That’s my way of saying I crashed big style. I just couldn’t slow the bike down and a tree was approaching at a rapid speed, I tried to turn away from it but at this point the front wheel caught a tree root and threw me over the handle bars. After smashing into the ground and sliding for several yards I came to a stop with a mouth full of dirt, a hip covered in blood both hands cut to pieces and my ankle instantly swelling. I also managed to crack and break both arm protectors they provided, thank god I had them on.
At this point I’d had enough and wanted it to end, but there was no choice I had to finish the course because it was the only way down. After cleaning my wounds I got back on the bike and with a combination of walking and slow biking made it down to the finish. This is yet another painful and valuable lesson learnt about being realistic about my skills and limitations. Thankfully nothing was broken apart from my pride.
I have
a new found respect for pro-mountain bike riders because that was seriously extreme and I have no idea how you could do that course in 18 minutes and still live to tell the tale.
After a painful day and a hip that felt like it had been in a fight with a hammer I lazed around the hotel the following day to hopefully help my body recover. I did make it out that night to the Sunday night market which was incredible. It was a mix of city people and local village people selling all manner of hand made products of which most were so beautiful and intricate.
In summary Chiang Mai is a must see for anyone heading to Thailand, it’s so relaxing (providing you pick the right biking trek) and has a great vibe around the city as well. There is something for everyone here, from hiking, biking, elephant treks or simply just chatting to the locals and visiting the markets. A great place that I hope to visit again in the future and complete the C3 biking trek this time : )
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