Day 38 - Chiang Rai & The White Temple

This morning we left Chiang Mai for Chiang Rai. We booked minibus tickets that included a stop on-route at the White Temple. We had never even heard of it, but it turned out to be the most interesting thing we did all day.

After 3 or so hours in a cramped minibus, the White Temple arose on the horizon like something out of Disneyland's Winter Wonderland. White and covered with mirrors and shards of glass the temple sparkled proudly in the afternoon light. After being told my shorts were "impolite", I was given a nice modest toga-like sheet to wrap around my waist. It was white, of course. I blended in nicely.

The temple was surrounded by beautiful lawns and gardens. But it the midst of the rolling greens were these really odd (and grotesque) sculptures of skeletons, ogres, and monsters coming up out of the ground. The quaint bridge crossed over this sea of demon-like creatures making the strark contrast between the temple and the carvings; good and evil.

Inside the temple was a Buddha shrine and the usual offerings and accompanying statues we have become accustomed to seeing on this trip. But the walls were not! The paintings on the inside walls of the temple was a bizarre collage of pop culture images we assumed was supposed to reflect modernity. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures, but some images were things like; Tomb Raider, Angry Birds, Avatar, and Michael Jackson!

We arrived at the bus station and easily found a place to stay. Although we didn't have a booking we had the address of a Guesthouse we found online that we liked. We rested until I was really hungry (which is synonymous with grumpiness) and then headed out for some fresh fruit from the market. The market was buzzing with activity; everyone seemed to be buying their groceries for dinner. Then we tried to find the river to walk along it. But we kept getting lost and finding only one way streets so we gave up! Maybe tomorrow...

For dinner, we headed to the night market. I had sushi (again!) and Phil had barbecued pork. The market sold some really great crafts, clothes, and toys. We walked around for a bit before heading back towards our Guesthouse. On-route we stopped at a travel agent to book our tickets to Laos via the famous slow boat. Everyone says this is a must do trip so we are really looking forward to it. We'll basically take a minibus to the border, cross over to Laos, get onto the boat for about 8 hours, then spend the night in Pak Beng, and then wake up and do another stint on the boat before arriving in our destination, Luang Prabang.

And that was pretty much our day.

Until next time,
Luisa

Day 37 - Chilling in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai has been great for relaxing and we've needed it as the past month and a half has been busy. Today was very chilled. We strolled around the streets and grabbed an ice coffee - our new favourite drink. We also needed to get some reading material for the 2 day slow boat trip in Laos. We went to a second hand book shop where we could exchange our books. I decided on the first of the Lord of the Rings series and Luisa (after much deliberating) went with a book called Papillion. When we arrived back at the guesthouse Luisa discovered that the book was a photocopy. Not only that but it was a photocopy of a retyped copy! So there were loads of errors and in some places it would just have [MISSING TEXT] instead of the story. This would drive Luisa's copy writing brain crazy.

After a awim in the chilly pool we decided to go for a walk and check out some of the temples. The first one we came across was Wat Chedi Luang - the remains of a temple that was toppled over by an earthquake in 1545. It had some beautiful sculptures of elephants and with the afternoon sun reflecting off the sandstone it made for an incredible sight.

Our next stop was Wat Phra Singh. A huge temple complex with monks strolling around the grounds.

For dinner we went to the local night market and I had an amazing noodle curry soup and Luisa had her usual sushi platter.


My only complaint about this part of Thailand is that at the time we were visiting the local farmers were burning their fields. This would be fine if it was just a couple of them but its thousands of fires which creates a constant haze. So in the couple days that we were here we didn't see blue sky once and the sun was orange rather than yellow. Tomorrow we're off to Chiang Rai.


Phil

Day 36 - What's Cookin'?

It's been a month and a half since we moved out of our Morningside flat, and since I have packed up our kitchen. And anyone who knows me knows I enjoy cooking and baking. It's no surprise that the "Great Return" to the kitchen today had me grinning like an idiot. We were picked up at our Hotel at about 8am. A Canadian lady and her daughter were already in the back of the van. We picked up a few more; another Mom-Daughter Combo from the UK, and a French lady who spoke very little English. Our teacher for the day was a very smiley petite woman with a shrill laugh that was infectious. Soon we were all grinning like idiots.

The first stop was about 30 minutes out of Chaing Mai; the market. There are very few grocery shops in Thailand so this is where all the good stuff is sold. Our teacher took us on a tour showing us the kinds of spices, sauces, rice varieties, and other ingredients we would be using throughout the day. When she told us we'd each cook 5 dishes, Phil and I snuck off and got very strong cups of coffee; a long day of slaving over the gas stove awaited...
   

The Thai Farm Cooking School was another 20 minute drive from the market. It was more of a big veggie garden then a farm, but it was lovely nonetheless. Organic. Decked in our straw hats and aprons, we had a lesson on the Asian vegetables and herbs which sprouted up in neat little rows.

After sampling a few flowers, buds, and chillies straight from the garden we were introduced to our kitchen. Each person had an individual little station and gas burner. We started out making our own curry pastes which we would later use in our curries. I chose green and Phil, yellow. And trust me, the pestle and mortar workout is recommended for the biceps!

But that was just the beginning. When the day was done, and our bellies were positively stuffed, we had made the following:

Luisa's Menu A'la Thailand:
Chicken & Coconut Soup
Green Chicken Curry
Chicken & Cashewnut Stirfry
Vegetable Springrolls
Mango, Sticky Rice & Coconut Sauce

Phil's Thai Teaser Menu:
Shrimp Tom Yum
Yellow Chicken Curry
Sweet & Sour Chicken Stirfry
Phad Thai
Banana's in Coconut Milk

We both had such a sense of satisfaction, we learned something new and had such fun doing it. The best part though... we got recipe books too! 

We got dropped off out our Hotel at about 4pm and spent the rest of the day watching back-to-back episodes of Law & Order. A very very good day indeed!

Until next time,
Luisa

Day 35 - A Slow Day

So far we have found Chiang Mai to be a very relaxing city. It's actually a huge city but it's historical centre (where all the tourists hang out) is small and walkable. We did some of our mandatory housekeeping such as a load of washing and catching up on some e-mails and blog posts.

We then set out to explore the city a bit more. We stopped of at restaurant that offered falafal pita's and Luisa couldn't resist. The centre of the city is surrounded by a big moat and there are still areas where the wall is standing. Inside the centre there are lots of small alleyways dotted with restaurants and guesthouses. It was nice to take detours along these smaller roads to escape the noise and the traffic. Luisa had done her homework the night before on cooking classes and we ended up booking a course at the Thai Farm Cooking School. This would allow us to get into the countryside for a bit and learn how to make some of our new favourite dishes.

That night we headed back to the night market and had a bite to eat before walking around and looking at the stalls. We went back to our Israeli stronghold to watch some TV before hitting the hay.

Phil

Day 33 & 34 - Last Day in Bangkok

We woke up early, kicked-off the morning with the usual breakfast fare (Cornflakes with long-life milk in the purple plastic cup I have been carrying around since Langkawi), and planned our day: a visit to the Chatuchak Weekend Market, a Thai massage, then an overnight train to Chaing Mai.

The eagerness we had for what the guidebook calls "Bangkok's most enjoyable shopping experience" soon worn off when Phil started getting stomach cramps. This meant a walk back to the Guesthouse just as the bus we waited 20 minutes for whizzed past, and a bathroom break mid-way at a questionable petrol station (and yes we paid a double bus fare as a result). Well, in total, it took us a good two hours to get to the Market. But Phil was brave and soon felt better; maybe it was something in the litchi shake?

I loved the market, but I've yet to find a market I've hated so maybe I'm biased. Buzzing with people, stalls inching onto pavements, and a sighting of our first bit of foliage in Bangkok - a wide green park! Everything that opens and closes can be found at this market. Also, if it can be worn, displayed in your home, paraded around on a leash (aka little Fido), or eaten (not to be confused with Fido); it will be sold in some corner somewhere. Hundreds of open-air stalls had my eyes popping with excitement; eat your heart out Essenwood Fleamarket, this is the real stuff! And to throw some entertainment in the mix, we saw this guy spinning elaborating and dramatically throwing his hands into the air while swirling long trails of milky sweet tea between cups. We have a video. Check it out:

I bought a dress and a pair of leggings and Phil just enjoyed the edible purchases. We walked around until we felt we had passed the stall selling second-hand jeans just one too many times. It was a good run. But we were tired. We headed back to Banglamphu and grabbed some baguettes for lunch.

We then braced ourselves for a traditional Thai massage (which we now know is an intense stretching session!). A few times everyday since arriving in Bangkok, we are enticed and sometimes hounded by ladies on the roadside with silky voices: "Thai masssssage for you, Sirrrr. For you, Lady. Good priiiiiice." Today is the day. D-day. No more escaping it. And, it was amazing, but strangely so. You are poked, prodded, pulled, and contorted unnaturally by a frail-looking (but strong!) woman a third your size. She uses her feet, heels, elbows, and the base of her palm to manipulate your body and to coerce your pressure points into feeling some sort of pleasure and relief. I went for an hour session. Phil wisely chose 30 minutes and limped out the room faster than you could say "Ouch!" when his time was up! I found him back at the Guesthouse nursing his shoulders and greedily slurping down an ice tea; oh the injustice of it all! I just settled for a coconut.

We relaxed then, it was about 5pm. We played cards, chess, and swapped massage survival stories. After grabbing dinner on the street, we showered, and headed to the train station. The tuk tuk driver tried to throw in a dodgy trip to a sex-show on-route. I mean, really! Is that the most cultural thing some tourists do in Thailand's capital?

The overnight train was horrid! We booked beds/seats in the fan section of the car. This meant it was really hot all night long and very loud since people in the lower bunks all had their windows down. Train fumes and noises for 15 hours! The train was delayed and we only arrived in Chaing Mai at 3pm.

With no booked accommodation and very little food in our bellies, we set out to find a place to rest our heads. And in true biblical style, there was no more room left in the Inn... or Guesthouse, or Lodge, or Homestay. After a few tries, we actually found a pretty decent place, Thana Hotel. We soon found that this particular establishment is very popular with Israeli's traveling in huge groups.

We rested in our room WITH a TV that had a good number of English channels. For dinner we headed to the Night Food Market and then to the impromptu Sunday market set up by the old fort wall where we enjoyed a drink and watched the goings-on.

Needless to say, we slept amazingly well that night!"

Until next time,
Luisa

Day 32 - More Buzzing Bangkok

So yesterday we had to buy new toothpaste as the good old Aquafresh we had brought from home was finished. We went with the familiar Colgate but to our surprise the Thai version has salt in it! Copious amounts of "natural salts"! As you're brushing your teeth there is this horrible taste in your mouth as if you used sea water - not fun.

Today we decided to start our day off with a trip to China Town (and avoid tuk tuks). We caught the bus and managed to get off at the right stop. There we're hundreds of little stores selling everything from hair accessories to hand held sewing machines the size of staplers (Luisa was tempted). There were also shops selling herbs and spices; they had these huge packets of saffron, cinnamon, star anise and dried chillies. We had our first glass of sugar cane juice over ice - delicious and refreshing. Some of the streets were really narrow and the shops were making the most of their space so it meant that if two people were going in opposite directions it was a tight squeeze! Even more so when you throw scooters into the mix.

The best thing about it was that most of the people shopping there were locals so none of the shop owners were badgering us. I had an amazing lunch of some sort of sausage in a red BBQ sauce on rice. We then caught the boat taxi to our next stop - Wat Pho. The boat taxi was fun, it felt like you were on a really jam-packed sight-seeing cruise (without the cocktails). The best part was you didn't have to worry about Bangkok's hideous traffic.

Wat Pho is a Buddhist monastery that is famous for it's Reclining Buddha - a 40-metre gold plated long buddha that's lying down. It was huge! Buddhas smile alone was 5 metres and you couldn't fit the whole thing into one picture. It makes you wonder how on earth they constructed it. The feet were really beautiful as the bottom were black and inlaid with Mother of Pearl. We strolled around the monastery for a bit more and admired the colourful buildings but eventually the intense heat wore us down and we headed back to our guest house. Later in the day I had to go pick up my suit which I was really excited about. I left Luisa at a shopping mall as she wanted some retail therapy. My suit fit me like a glove and was really happy with it. It didn't need any adjustments and the tailor had done a great job. I killed some time watching a some Thai boxing and then we headed back to our guest house. We decided to walk the streets to look for some food and found a bustling street kitchen. With full bellies, we were relieved to get into our beds after a busy day.

Phil

Day 31 - Discovering Bangkok

We started our day off by moving to another guest house because it was cheaper and nicer, a winning combination. After sitting down with our guidebook, map and the all important calculator, we had strategically planned out our day starting with the National Museum. On our way there I decided to consult the map to make sure we were heading in the right direction and a Thai man approached us to see if he could help. When we told him where we wanted to go he said: "You go tomorrow, English tour tomorrow, French today." He then grabbed the map and started circling places that we should go and taught us how to say 60 Bhat in Thai - this being the amount we would have to pay the tuk tuk driver. We kind of nodded and smiled and thought we'd let him go on his way and we would carry on with our original plan but then he pulled over a tuk tuk and almost forced us on it. We drove through the traffic and were taken to all the sites he had marked off. They were:

1. Big Buddha - a temple with a really tall buddha statue.
2. Black Buddha - a temple with black walls.
3. A Travel agent - the guy had said this was a government owned tourist information place but it was an ordinary travel agency where one of the ladies planned a 2 week itinerary for us and we were to polite to interrupt her. All we wanted was train ticket prices.
4. The Golden Mount - A buddhist monastery that was built on a hill and has great views of Bangkok. All the way up the steps to the top there were hundreds of bells that you could ring.
5. Another Travel Agency - When our tuk tuk driver took us to the previous travel agent he practically begged us to go to another one so he could get free petrol from them. Another hour of our day wasted.

After our sightseeing we decided to never trust tuk tuk drivers and strangers who approach you on the street - even if they have good intentions. Once bitten, twice shy. We headed towards the shopping district to get some food and I had to go to a fitting for my suit. We decided to keep our lunch authentic and went to Burger King. This was a big deal for me because the last time I had burger king it almost killed me. I had such bad food poisoning that I was in and out of consciousness for a couple days. It tasted like McDonalds.

The suit fitting went well. They had finished the pants and they fitted perfectly. While walking to the bus stop we passed the nearby national stadium where they were having a international thai boxing tournament. There was no entrance fee so we watched a couple fights before catching the bus. On our way back to our guest house after a long day, Luisa decided to buy a popular street side snack called mango sticky rice. It's a sticky glutinous rice mixed with palm sugar with strips of mango on top. A ladle of cocunut milk is then poured over to make a delicious dessert!

Phil