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Published: February 28th 2009
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After some deliberation we have decided to change course and go to Myanmar. See our upcoming entries on this amazing country for more! But... since it was going to take 3 days (essentially a weekend) for us to get our Myanmar visas, and because we really weren't in the mood to hang out in hot and sweaty Bangkok for another weekend, we decided to fly to Chiang Mai. In Northwest Thailand, Chiang Mai is known for its relaxed atmosphere, cooler weather, and tourist-friendly vibe. Jason visited here in 2002 and loved it - Heather was excited to bargain for local wares at the markets! Little did we know, the annual Flower Festival was taking place that weekend, so the city was particularly lively with visitors for the festivities.
We arrived Friday early afternoon and found a great guesthouse (
Minicost) in the central part of the city, which is surrounded by the ruins of a brick wall that once enclosed “old” Chiang Mai. You can climb to the top of the wall in places and get great views of the city. We walked around town to orient ourselves and figure out what to do for the weekend. As soon as
we stepped onto the street, flyers for the weekend's Muay Thai (kickboxing) fights were thrust into our hands from all directions. Jason had been talking about seeing a Muay Thai fight in Bangkok, so we were immediately intrigued. We wanted to make sure that we were going to see a real fight though - we had heard stories of “show” fights being organized for tourists to make money. After some checking around, we decided to go to that night's fight on the other side of the city, which we heard was going to be the biggest, the best, and with the most local flavor.
After checking out Chiang Mai's infamous - and huge - night market, and with our bargained goods in tow, we arrived at the fight stadium. The stadium was no more than a large warehouse type space with a ring set up in the middle, plastic chairs in rows around it and bleachers in the back along two sides. A three-man band played traditional music with drum, flute pipe, and cymbals. They played the same song on repeat whenever fighting was taking place...sort of reminiscent of snake charmer music. We paid the extra 100 baht to
sit in the “inner circle” which had the plastic chairs, and was almost entirely
farang. The local Thais (mostly men) were on the other side of the ring, closely grouped together. By the third or fourth rounds their hands would start to raise in the air, placing bets on the winner in quick succession. The energy in the air was palpable. There were 12 fights scheduled that night and we arrived during the 5th one. Each Muay Thai fight consists of 6 rounds which are tracked on a scoreboard. The scoring however seemed very subjective - we couldn't figure out why each round was won by who, especially in the early rounds where they mostly dance around each other and feel each other out. One of the most fascinating parts of the fights was watching the fighters before and in between rounds. Before each match, they come out wearing headdresses and make a show of stretching and bowing in the ring in all directions. Then their trainer ceremoniously removes their headdress and the fight commences. In between rounds, two assistants massage the fighter's legs and arms vigorously, pouring water on his head and down his throat, while his trainer and
random other people shout strategies and tips at him. This show is repeated each round, sometimes with the assistants grabbing the fighter's legs and stretching them as high as they will go towards their head. The fighting itself got very exciting, especially in the last rounds. They move so quick, punching, lunging knees, and kicking high. Each time one of the fighters made a successful jab, the Thai people would yell if they were rooting for them. Sounding like a resounding “ho!” or “ha!” with each good punch or kick. This along with the snake charmer music created quite a sound scape. We didn't see any knock outs, but curiously the best fight in our opinion was between two foreigners. It was a match between an Englishman and a Spaniard. The fight was better because they didn't hold back in the first rounds like the Thai fighters did; from round 1 they were in intense battle mode, which made for an exciting - and we're sure exhausting - six rounds. By midnight there were still three fights to go, but after 5 fights we had had our full of Muay Thai for the night.
The next morning we awoke
to find that the Flower Festival was in full force! A parade was happening on the main drag with huge floats made entirely of flowers. Local hill tribe villagers paraded in traditional costume and different bands of musicians jammed along down the street. We watched from our breakfast spot and then headed to the outer parts of Chiang Mai to check out one of the local day markets. We got a tip from a woman from Portland we had met the day before that this part of town has great textile shops. It was an interesting contrast to the very tourist-oriented night market as mostly locals were out and there were tons of shops filled with wonderful fabrics. We thought of our friends back home who are better sewers and seamstresses than us and what fun they would have picking through the different silks and hand woven cottons with beautiful local designs.
Later that night we went to the continuation of the Flower Festival, essentially a park where the morning's parade parked itself for the rest of the weekend. Rows and rows of exquisite flowers were on show, sporting their prize ribbons from the judging earlier that day. There
were orchids, bonzai, cacti, hanging plants, house plants, medicinal plants, you name it! It was a gorgeous display of some of the most beautiful flowers and plants we've ever seen. And the place was packed. We had never imagined so many people could be this in to flowers, but there we were gawking alongside of them. Everyone was taking pictures of their favorite orchid or in front of elaborate flower arrangements. But the true highlight of the festival was the floats. There were at least 25 of them and they were massive displays made
entirely of flowers and plant materials. The floats each had different themes constructed of pagodas, elephants, and different mythical figures. They were all stunning and impressive works of art. The Flower Festival was definitely a highlight of our time so far in SE Asia. It was a great experience to be in the midst of people celebrating with happy energy everywhere and great people watching. Plus, it was wonderful to be celebrating flowers - nature's abundance and beauty - something that we can all appreciate regardless of faith or culture.
Our Chiang Mai weekend wouldn't be complete without a bit of Pacific Northwest spirit. Remember
the Portland woman who gave us the tip on the textiles? Well, we kept running into her around town all weekend, the final time in a great little juice shop called Juicy 4 U the morning before our flight out. We finally sat down to chat more together and lo and behold, we have mutual friends in Oregon and California! It really is a small world after all.
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