As curious as a cat in Chiang Rai

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HE SAID...
We arrived in Chiang Rai at 1pm, checked into our hotel, showered in hot water for the first time in three days, organised our dirty clothes and dropped 3.5 kilograms of washing at the local laundry. The afternoon heat was intense, so we headed back to the hotel with cold drinks to catch up on emails and writing. We were exhausted. Three days of trekking had taken their toll, and a shower, western toilet and soft mattress were incredible luxuries. It was difficult to consider leaving the comfort of our room for the searing heat outside. However, we had read that an interesting second-hand bookshop was close by, so we decided to venture out and have a look at 5pm. Ren picked up a Thai book by Chart Korbjitti titled “Time”. We also visited Wat Jed Yot temple on the way, and we picked up our laundry on the way back.

We headed out for dinner at the Night Market at 6.30pm, where we shared minced pork with chilli, fish salad with mint, stir fried barbeque pork with green beans, and stir fried pork with cabbage. We cooled the chilli with a guava shake and lemon shake, walked around the market and then headed back to the hotel to pack for an early start tomorrow.

I got up at 5.30am to catch up on writing. We headed down for coffee at 6.30am and then jumped in a songthaew (small pickup truck/ute with seats in the tray) at 7.30am for the short trip to the bus terminal. At 8am, an announcement in Thai came over a loud speaker at the terminal and everything came to a standstill - we all stood for the national anthem. We then boarded our bus for the three hour trip to Chiang Mai. The driver was in a hurry, so this was not a trip for the faint hearted - the tyres squealed as the bus lurched around corners. I don’t think the driver had heard of brakes!



SHE SAID...
I do not mind long travel days or even an overnight train at that, as long as at the end of it I can go to a hotel and have a shower and wash dust and any other uninvited grime off my skin. We had gone for three or four days without being able to properly wash ourselves and as a result, by the end of that Ren had dirt-induced grumpiness. I have never been happier to see a shower cubicle, no matter how small it was! I was also thrilled beyond words to have a toilet inside the hotel room. No more nightly dehydration practices or silently weighing up how badly I really had to use the bathroom to avoid walking into the darkness with imaginary night creatures nipping at my feet.

I did not take to Chiang Rai at first, but after a shower and a nap I started seeing what a lovely place this really was. It is smaller than Chiang Mai, and slightly more rough around the edges, but just as charming and friendly.

We stayed at Baan Warabordee. We fell in love with it right away. It is a small, cute and comfortable hotel on a small suburban street, but within walking distance of shops, food, drink and the Night Market. I’m sure Baan Warabordee felt more luxurious than it really was, but after squat toilets and mattresses on wooden floors, this seemed very welcoming and elegant. 😊

We spent far too long revelling under a hot shower, and then we summoned all the energy we had left to drop off our trekking laundry, and go for a short walk to the closest temple - Wat Jed Yot, and to pick up a book for me at the local second hand bookshop.

Later we all gathered for dinner, but the majority of the group wanted something more western after all the Thai food of the homestays, so Andrew and I went off on our own to explore the Night Market. The local food section of the Night Market was incredible and we were spoilt for choice, so we looked for the longest queue with local faces and joined that one. We were not disappointed - steamed rice with BBQ pork and green beans, and stir fried pork and Chinese cabbage for me; and fish and mint salad, and minced pork stir fry for Andrew. We also had fruit shakes and my guava fruit shake was the best of the trip so far. This was sadly was our last dinner in northern Thailand, and I think we celebrated adequately. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at a chemist and I bought a small bottle of Tiger Balm. A few people on the trip have been swearing by it as a good help for sore muscles and many other ailments. I can already attest that it stops my mosquito bites from itching within minutes. 😊

The next morning we were up at dawn, had much needed cup of coffee at the hotel and then prepared to travel to Chiang Mai for a day (to catch the overnight train back to Bangkok). While waiting at the bus station we had a quintessentially Thai experience. Being a very nationalistic country, the national anthem is revered here. They play it over loud speakers at 8am and 6pm in most public places. So when the loud speakers started to buzz, Golf leaned over and asked us to stand up. It was over in minutes, but the significance of it stayed with me all day.

On a completely different note, it just occurred to me that all my favourite breeds of cats come from these parts - Siamese, Burmese and Tonkinese. 😊

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