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Published: April 11th 2006
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Since we were in Chiang Mai for more than a week, we didn't feel the urge to hurry and we spent a lot of lazy time there. We are pretty tired and it is really hot now, which makes it easy to do nothing. Chiang Mai has the best selection of used bookstores we've seen, so now that we can finally reload and get some good cheap used books, we spent a lot of time being lazy and reading in our guesthouse room. Our guesthouse is cheap, conveniently located by the center and brand new. I think we are the first people to stay in that room. The AC is from 2006 and the fridge still had the sealing tape on it.
Chiang Mai is well-known for its shopping and handicrafts, though we haven't found much because a lot of things are really cheesy. The Night Bazaar is absolutely huge, covering several blocks, and there are hundreds of sidewalk stalls selling food and merchandise set up outside. Most markets are at night, because people don't go out too much during the day due to the heat.
We also walked around the Sunday night street market, which is on the
main street off our guesthouse soi (lane). They close the street to cars and all the vendors move in for the evening. They play the Thai royal anthem every evening at 6pm. When it came on, hundreds of people in the street, farang and Thai alike, stopped in their tracks and stood silently for the anthem. Thai people revere the king and royal family and expect visitors to show absolute respect, but the sight of all these busy shoppers standing completely still and silent was not something that we will forget. His Majesty is the longest serving monarch in the world and his 60 year jubilee is this year.
One day we rented a motorbike and went outside the city. We skipped the cheesy snake and orchid farms and visited a national park with some waterfalls. The scenery was nice and it was a fun day trip, but not a great as Erawan. It is the end of the dry season and water levels are rather low. There are also some forest fires burning, so it is hazy in Chiang Mai and some other places outside the city.
Stevan drove the motorbike. Sometimes, driving was rather scary, not
because of his driving, but because of all the cars, motorbikes, pickup truck taxis, etc. on the road. They have bike lanes, but pickup truck taxis are frequently parked in those lanes. I about had a heart attack when some moron flung open the door and we almost ran into it. Fortunately, Stevan handled the situation well and we had no problems after that.
We took a 2 day foot massage course, which was a lot of fun and something different. We had to wear these baggy shirts and pants that made us look like mental patients or cult members. I regret that we forgot our camera and don't have any photos of ourselves dressed up like that. There were only 3 students (2 participants backed out because they were too hungover) and 2 instructors, which was great. Learning all the reflexology points on the feet will be a challenge, but they give you a book with a diagram of all the different positions. After we return to the US, there will be no more $3 an hour foot massages to spoil us, so we have to learn how to do this ourselves.
Amy also took a Thai cooking course one day. They take you to the market and explain what all these herbs, vegetables, and fruits are used for. I forgot the camera that day too, which is a shame because the market had some good photo ops. We prepared 6 different dishes: chicken in coconut soup, red curry fish, fried noodles with pork, stir fried mushrooms, papaya salad, and steamed banana cake. It was a lot of fun and I was stuffed after tasting all those great dishes. They give you a cookbook to take home. Most of these dishes are pretty easy to prepare and many ingredients can be found in the DC area (even Thai eggplant), so I will probably make some of these yummy dishes at home.
Chiang Mai was a great place to visit and we miss it already. We are unable to post photos because we are in Vietnam and the Internet is very slow. Expect photos from Chiang Mai and updates from Vietnam soon.
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Bren
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Great reading - what is the name of yr Guesthouse?
I am enjoying reading about your travels. We will be in Chiang Mai in June - I would love to know what the name of your Guesthouse is and if you have any photos. Cheers, Bren