Jan 12: Getting our Bearings
We arrived in Chiang Mai yesterday to start a two-week-stay-in-one-place stint. Every now and then we need to slow down the pace, fully unpack our stuff, and have "do nothing" days mixed in to our adventures.
We arrived in Chiang Mai yesterday to start a two-week-stay-in-one-place stint. Every now and then we need to slow down the pace, fully unpack our stuff, and have "do nothing" days mixed in to our adventures.
Our very first impression was... Where are all the mountains? When we plotted our SEA itinerary, all the research said to go to Chiang Mai, the city in the mountains. As such, we had expected to land in a tiny little metropolis nestled between towering slopes. As we drove (rented a car again) from the airport and surveyed our surroundings, Nicole and I both thought, "huh, I thought the mountains would be a little more mountainous. That John Denver's full of $@#% man."* It's a bit like saying Reno is in the mountains.
Our airbnb is, by nearly every measure, completely opposite of our accommodations in Koh Samui. We are about 20 minutes outside of the main Chiang Mai square within a gated compound of perfectly western two story non-descript tracked homes that might was well be in the hills of San Ramon or Danville. The only thing missing from this development are portable basketball hoops in the driveways.
After settling in to our suburban oasis, we headed out for some grocery shopping. With Nicole and Autumn's new Thai cooking skills, the shopping list now includes ingredients for spring rolls and pad thai! Continuing the theme of being teleport-ed to western suburbs, the grocery store was the Whole Foods of the orient - very posh indeed.
Since we're slightly outside the normal tourist boundaries, our reliance on English comprehension has waned. For example... During check out, the clerk picks up one of four beer bottles and shakes his head while holding up five fingers. I said, "oh, if I get one more bottle, is it free?" He shrugs, shakes his hand again, points to his watch, grabs the four beer bottles and places them in quarantine. "After 5pm?" I quiz. He smiles, and nods. Apparently you can only purchase alcohol between 11am and 2pm, and then again between 5pm and midnight. We have also had some curious "conversations" with the security guards at the entrance to our suburban oasis (the guard actually pantomimed a house with great effectiveness).
Nicole and Autumn slaved for a couple hours that evening preparing and frying their excellent spring rolls. Well done, I say, well done. However, that will be the last time we prepare spring rolls (indoors) as the house now smells like a Singaporean hawker stand.
Jan 13: Study & Mexican Food
Today was dedicated to studies... all day. It's a necessary evil on this trip. Another advantage of our compound is the ability for the boys to ride their bikes without peril.
We have had curious bad luck in finding places to eat using Google Maps. Often enough we have pulled up to our destination only to find it closed, or worse yet, permanently closed. It happened again tonight as we pulled up to Din Din for dinner (which made for fun conversations about where we were going for dinner that night). However, when one door closes, another door always opens. This time, it was mexican. Unlike other cuisine, Mexican food is like an earthquake with it's epicenter there in Mexico and quality radiating outwards. By the time it makes it across the ocean, it's hardly recognizable. We have come to expect a likeness to Mexican food, but hardly anything noteworthy. That was until Chiang Mai. We stumbled upon a restaurant that could take the Pepsi challenge with any bay area establishment.
When we entered we joined one other lonely sole in the restaurant which gave us pause. But by the time we left, it was full to the brim with what appeared to be expats that knew this was the best game in town. Everything from the salsa verde, the warm tortilla chips that exploded with crunchiness in the mouth, the carafe of home made margaritas, to the perfectly tangy guacamole was expertly created. The soft tacos sat upon handmade corn tortillas and my burrito was neither too wet nor too dry. The patrons sat on the first floor being waited upon by well spoken staff while the food was magically delivered via a dumbwaiter from the floor above. Every minute, a harsh buzz would sound (like when someone gets the wrong answer in Family Feud), signalling that yummy goodness was waiting to be served. I imagined that the unseen end of the dumbwaiter was actually a wormhole to an authentic kitchen in Mexico City, or San Diego. Anyway, it was totally awesome and we shall return at least one more time before we're deprived of decent mexican food for another five months.
When we entered we joined one other lonely sole in the restaurant which gave us pause. But by the time we left, it was full to the brim with what appeared to be expats that knew this was the best game in town. Everything from the salsa verde, the warm tortilla chips that exploded with crunchiness in the mouth, the carafe of home made margaritas, to the perfectly tangy guacamole was expertly created. The soft tacos sat upon handmade corn tortillas and my burrito was neither too wet nor too dry. The patrons sat on the first floor being waited upon by well spoken staff while the food was magically delivered via a dumbwaiter from the floor above. Every minute, a harsh buzz would sound (like when someone gets the wrong answer in Family Feud), signalling that yummy goodness was waiting to be served. I imagined that the unseen end of the dumbwaiter was actually a wormhole to an authentic kitchen in Mexico City, or San Diego. Anyway, it was totally awesome and we shall return at least one more time before we're deprived of decent mexican food for another five months.
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| The magic yummy making portal is off to the right in this picture. |
Jan 14: Old Town & Night Market
No trip to Chiang Mai is complete without a wander through the old center square of the ancient town. It is chock full of Wats (Buddhist Temples) nearly every other corner. We started at the main wat, Phra Singh, and had a nice walk around taking in all the colorful and ornate carvings. For lunch we stopped at a hole in the wall place for the famous local dish, Khao Soi, a red curry like soup of soft an crispy noodles. It really was a hole in the wall, the soup was delicious, and set us back an entire $3 for all of us to eat.
After lunch we went to another large Wat area called Wat Chedi Luang, which I enjoyed a little more, mostly because of the "Chat with a Monk" session we did. This is an opportunity for us foreigners to delve in to the inner life of a monk, and the monk's opportunity to work on his conversational English. Zane inquired why the orange cloth, and the kindly young monk said it was the color of a "city monk" as opposed to a "mountain monk" who wears a darker more reddish cloth. We determined that Bryce is nearly already a monk... He doesn't drink, doesn't like sports, wakes up at 5am, doesn't mind sleeping on the floor, can sit and do nothing for periods of time, and already has a mostly shaved head. Perhaps this shows my unworldliness, but before this session, I really didn't realize that Buddhism is more of a way of life, not a religion.
Bryce's thoughts on Wats: "There are many wats in Thailand. I think they are very cool and pretty. I'm ok with going to a few more"
As the day settled in to night, we went to the Saturday Night Market. Unlike the night market we visited in Koh Samui, this was a proper market of massive proportions. For nearly half a mile, the street and it's tributaries were blocked off and completely lined with food and crafts. Likely the strangest thing we've experienced on this trip happened at precisely 6pm when, over some distant loudspeakers, the Thai national anthem began to play. As though someone pushed pause on the remote, everyone stopped in their tracks and stood motionless. I nearly ran over the person in front of me. The moment the anthem stopped, the place became alive with activity again.
Zane's thoughts on the Night Market: "I thought that it was huge and had very good food. It smelled good some times, bad other times. At 6pm they played the national anthem and every one stops and it is like the mannequin challenge.
No trip to Chiang Mai is complete without a wander through the old center square of the ancient town. It is chock full of Wats (Buddhist Temples) nearly every other corner. We started at the main wat, Phra Singh, and had a nice walk around taking in all the colorful and ornate carvings. For lunch we stopped at a hole in the wall place for the famous local dish, Khao Soi, a red curry like soup of soft an crispy noodles. It really was a hole in the wall, the soup was delicious, and set us back an entire $3 for all of us to eat.
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| All homes and businesses in Thailand have a small temple like home in front meant to keep their house spirits happy. They offer daily flowers and food to ensure the spirits are happy. This spirit has a sweet tooth. |
After lunch we went to another large Wat area called Wat Chedi Luang, which I enjoyed a little more, mostly because of the "Chat with a Monk" session we did. This is an opportunity for us foreigners to delve in to the inner life of a monk, and the monk's opportunity to work on his conversational English. Zane inquired why the orange cloth, and the kindly young monk said it was the color of a "city monk" as opposed to a "mountain monk" who wears a darker more reddish cloth. We determined that Bryce is nearly already a monk... He doesn't drink, doesn't like sports, wakes up at 5am, doesn't mind sleeping on the floor, can sit and do nothing for periods of time, and already has a mostly shaved head. Perhaps this shows my unworldliness, but before this session, I really didn't realize that Buddhism is more of a way of life, not a religion.
Bryce's thoughts on Wats: "There are many wats in Thailand. I think they are very cool and pretty. I'm ok with going to a few more"
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| This upper portion was damaged in an earthquake several hundred years ago. |
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| This is Jer. He is a happy monk. |
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| My impression of Asian male tourist photos |
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| Autumn getting artist with nutella drippings. |
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| Bryce doing what he always does with pigeons... |
As the day settled in to night, we went to the Saturday Night Market. Unlike the night market we visited in Koh Samui, this was a proper market of massive proportions. For nearly half a mile, the street and it's tributaries were blocked off and completely lined with food and crafts. Likely the strangest thing we've experienced on this trip happened at precisely 6pm when, over some distant loudspeakers, the Thai national anthem began to play. As though someone pushed pause on the remote, everyone stopped in their tracks and stood motionless. I nearly ran over the person in front of me. The moment the anthem stopped, the place became alive with activity again.
Zane's thoughts on the Night Market: "I thought that it was huge and had very good food. It smelled good some times, bad other times. At 6pm they played the national anthem and every one stops and it is like the mannequin challenge.
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| Our first "Red Truck" ride. It's the Chiang Mai taxi service (along with Tuk Tuks). It's literally a red pick up truck with covered benches in back. Just tell the driver where to go, and hop in the back. |
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| No Scorpions were harmed in the making of this blog. They were already dead. Moreover, no scorpions were consumed in the making of this blog. |
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| Misc night shots on our way back to our car. |
All for now!
* Credit: Dumb and Dumber
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