Thailand was the last stop on our adventure to S.E. Asia this time around.
We had originally planned to spend some time in Laos, but with malaria a
threat, and Kristen in a "delicate condition" we decided to save Luang
Prabang for another time.
Instead we headed to the north of Thailand to visit Chiang Mai. It turned
out to be a great choice, as Chiang Mai was one of our favourite cities in
South East Asia. From the moment we arrived we were stoked to see hawkers
and street vemdors, the lilypad filled moat and crumbling brick of the
city walls surrounding the old city, the slightly rotten sweetness of the
tropics filling the air, the dusty heat blurring the distant hills and the
tuktuk drivers calling for customers.
Chiang Mai is stuffed with culture for such a big, modernizing city. One
of Thailands largest cities, the old part of town has temples on every
block. Huge golden stupas, gleaming nagas (serpent figures) guarding the
carved doors of massive prayer halls, oranged robed monks sweeping the
grounds and tourists, old ladies and other locals all praying, gawking and
sitting in the shady grounds. We had a blast one day just walking around
to a number of the biggest and most famous temples. At one point Paul
ordered some "street tea" from a vendor in the courtyard of one large
temple. A combination of teas was put into a wire mesh bag, and hot water
was dumped in. Condensed milk, sugar and a variety of other flavour
enhancers were added and the result was a bright orange drink unlike
anything we have ever tasted (very good though!).
The markets were great, and we waltzed through the crowded streets of some
of the biggest night markets we have ever been too. Everything was on
sale, and although the goods were mostly touristy t-shirts and tacky
knick-knacks, there were also a bunch of really awesome handicrafts and
textiles made locally. The food at the markets was outstanding, and we
gorged ourselves on the ubiquitous noodles, curries and roti canai
(literally "fried bread" in Bahasa Malaysia... its a tasty fried pancake
that has made its way to every corner of South East Asia that tourists
frequent).
Oh the food! Even though our hearts are Canadian, it is pretty clear our
stomachs are Thai. Thick noodles, thin, spicy, sour, sweet, salty.
Everything about Thai food makes our mouths water. So to that end, we
signed up for an all day cooking course. First we visited a food market
outside of town (fruit, veggies, eels, frogs, baby birds and entrails as
far as the eye could see), then went to an organic farm where we picked
veggies and herbs. The course took place on the organic farm's property,
and we had a blast pounding spices into curry paste, stir-frying and
eating all day. The dishes were mostly pretty simple, but the process was
fun and the end results were tasty! We were lucky enough to have a pretty
good group of Brits, Irish and Germans with us and we spent most of the
day laughing (when we weren't eating).
We also got to check a life goal off of our list while in Chiang Mai.
Despite Kristen being a wee bit preggers, we decided to try our hand at
being mahouts. We signed up for an all day class and learned how to mount,
steer and otherwise control elephants! Kristen was a natural and bossed
her elephant around like it was no big deal. Paul took a little longer to
get it down pat, but was definitely accomplished after a few minutes. He
even got the elephant to lift him onto its back using his trunk (which is
awesome and pretty freaking thrilling!).
The guides were concerned about Kristen's "condition" (well they
definitely did not want her falling off) so she got to ride in a chair
strapped to the elephant while Paul served as her personal mahout in the
afternoon. They mounted up an elephant who was a little ornery (we are
pretty sure she had a prolapsed uterus- look it up!) and took off for an
adventure. Going up and down hills while perched precariously on the back
of a less than thrilled elephant is a wild ride. The elephants actually
climbed up some incredibly steep slopes and there were times when Paul had
to be as concerned about hanging on as he was about keeping the elephant
moving. Eventually we got to a river where we bathed and scrubbed our
elephants- keeping them (and ourselves) cool and getting them clean before
heading back to camp. All in all it was an incredible experience, and
something we will never forget.
We also got to the Chiang Mai Night Safari zoo where Kristen got licked by
a giraffe and we watched cross dressing lady boys do the lamest dance
performance we have ever seen. It was a cool idea for a zoo, but the lazer
show, the fireworks and the lady boys definitely dampened our enthusiasm.
I mean if you are going to have transexual dancers, at least find some
good transexual dancers! Seriously!
After Chiang Mai we headed to Bangkok. This time we stayed in the Siam sq
area rather than the Koh San road tourist ghetto. Siam sq is in the heart
of modern Bangkok and everywhere around were affluent young Thais and
foreigners, beautifully dressed in the latest fashions. The malls were
huge and gleaming and we felt both out of place and happy to see a
different side of Thailand.
We were in Bangkok for a spot of medical tourism. Bumrunungrad Hospital is
one of the worlds highest rated "tourist hospitals" and is covered by our
MSH plan! Usually we try to avoid Bum-runs, but this one turned out to be
awesome. Modern, clean, and with fluent English staff everywhere we were
well treated. Kristen had an ultrasound (baby was doing great and is
apparently a wonderful traveller even in utero... can't wait to take him
on another trip!) Paul got a mysterious skin infection looked after, and
we both had our teeth cleaned. Thank you health plan!
We visited a few local sights including the house of a former silk
merchant who had collected a wonderful array of Thai historical artifacts
and artwork before mysteriously disapearing while on vacation. After a few
days though, we had to head back to China to start working again. All in
all, it was an absolutely amazing trip and one that we will not forget
anytime soon!
