We arrived July 12 and on our first night in Chiang Mai we went to the Night Bazaar (night market) and it was unreal. This thing was huge!! It went forever with people selling everything! You could buy Mac make up, silk robes, t-shirts, "name brand" running shoes, watches, sunglasses, slippers, toys, all kinds of souvenirs and local art. My ability to haggle for a good price is poor to say the least. I was likely ripped off over and over again ... but I felt the stuff was so cheap to begin with I am not wasting my time arguing over a couple dollars.
The next morning we set out nice and early for an all day Thai cooking class. This little package included a trip to the market to learn about ingredients. For me it meant cockroach dodging. The little critters were all over the place! Our teachers for the day were named Boom and Perm. Yes you read that right. After the market we went to the kitchen where we could choose different meals to make. Carrie was more excited at this point then I was. New food scares me as we have learned from previous blogs. I made chicken coconut soup (which wasn't crap!), red curry, pad thai, and sweet and sour chicken. There were other items we learned to also cook as a class together. The cooking course was a lot of fun despite the fact that I was sick for three days after.
Side note: When Thai people say something is only a little spicy...they are lying!
After our cooking class we tried out a few local watering holes. We found a roof top bar where you sat on the floor and just relaxed. That lasted one drink as a mouse booked it across the room and we were ready to go.
Also a heads up that a whiskey sour in Chiang Mai = death in a glass and resembles nothing even close to a whiskey sour. Cheers to Carrie for getting that bad boy down.
Day two: Carrie and I set out to see some temples and cultural stuff! We get to temple number one and realize we are not dressed appropriately to enter. Our shoulders were to be covered. On the way back to the guesthouse to change we see a tattoo shop. Our plans change immediately and we spend the afternoon getting Carrie some ink. The temples will be there tomorrow.
Three hours later Carrie has 3 beautiful plum blossoms on her left foot. The plum blossom is Taiwan's national flower and it means perseverance in the face of adversity. The meaning comes from the fact that this flower only blooms in the winter months.
After the tat was wrapped up and ready to go we grabbed some dinner and headed to a Thai boxing match. A lovely "ladyboy" lead us to our ringside seats and got some beers. The first few fights were between boys. I felt awful watching these little guys duke it out. We were also treated with a special lady fight (actual women). As the fights continued they become more like WWF wrestling and less like a sport. At one point guys were tossed in the ring blindfolded and just beat on one another. Finally, we called it a night when a young boy was climbing into the ring to fight a little person. We were done. It wasn't what we were hoping for.
Day three was a lazy pool day. The only really exciting event was the HUGE gecko that was outside my room. This thing was like a squirrel just rocking out on the wall outside our room. I went into the hall and felt trapped cause I didn't want to pass it again on the way back in. So I called Carrie out so she could be scared with me. I am nice like that. She didn't find it funny. Now every time we return to the room at night I am terrified it is waiting for me. Carrie tried to remind me that they are harmless and it is good they are around to eat the bugs. I have an irrational fear that in the night it will get in our room and crawl all over me. Carrie said it was too big to fit under the door like the others. But I think if it really wanted in our room it could just open the door ...THAT IS HOW BIG IT WAS! I didn't sleep much that night.
Another Thai experience we signed ourselves up for was some Thai massages. Carrie was again the more keen individual, where I dislike the idea of strangers all up in my business. I opted for a foot massage, manicure and pedicure. Carrie goes all out with the full body hour and a half massage and mani/pedi. This was again NOT what I thought it was going to be. My foot massage was painful and awkward. The girl was unnecessarily rough and used a wooden stick to poke and grind at my feet. She rubbed it over the top of my feet and ankles, over and over as I squirmed and winced in pain. The bony parts of my feet got most of her attention. She followed this by slapping my legs and feet and pulling each toe until the knuckle cracked. I could not wait for it to be over!! When the manicure and pedicure began I was more optimistic. WRONG. She barely washed the dirt from my traveling paws. Next, she cut my nails and removed some old polish. I requested a french manicure on my nails, which of course they didn't do. I told her a clear coat was fine then. Some how she understood that to mean I wanted nothing and before I knew it she had keys in her hand and was waving good bye to me. I went into this thinking there would be soaking, scrubbing, lotions, gentle massaging, shaping of the nails and cuticles. I had visions of shiny clear coat and really pretty toes. (This was my first mani/pedi but I have seen such things on TV) My hands and feet looked the same as when I arrived. Carrie on the other hand loved her life. She had a great massage and was proudly displaying beautifully manicured fingers and toes.
I guess this is what you get for going to an establishment that employs women recently released from prison in an attempt to help them rebuild their lives. Next time I will paint my own nails and save myself the money... sorry ladies.
The next day Carrie and suit up for some ziplining in the forest outside Chiang Mai. On the bus ride I fall asleep, as per usual when in vehicles, mouth wide open and head back. A bump in the road (I mean I thought we were crashing) shook me awake and I found myself basically sleeping on the shoulder of a stranger. I smiled and said sorry while trying to secretly wipe the drool from my face. Once we arrive we are geared up in hair nets (yes hair nets), safety harnesses and a sweet helmet. On top of this we were given a short thick stick with a hook on the end. This high tech tool was our brake. Yes, a random stick from the ground is what was going to stop our bodies from launching into a tree as we whip from platform to platform in the tree tops. We were also instructed not to drop it cause we only got one. Despite the brake intro, the whole experience was great! I actually felt very safe the entire time. In the afternoon it started to rain which made breaking a little more difficult and slamming into our tiny guide more likely but other then that it was a total rush. The longest zipline was over 300m and the views were gorgeous. We also got to climb around suspended bridges and staircases. The best part though for me, was the drops. You were hooked to a pulley system and dropped from one platform to another. The drops ranged from 20 - 40 meters and you could let the guide know how fast or slow you wanted to be dropped. We had been joking with our guide most of the trip. He referred to us as TEAHCER (shouting most of the time like a student) and when I asked him to be nice to me before the drop he just laughed and I screamed the whole way to the bottom.
Zipping away and enjoying the view!
Finally, our flight was booked and we set out for Bali, Indonesia on July 19. Although our schedule only gave us time for Chiang Mai I loved it. Thailand is such and amazing place and can not wait to experience more of that country!
PS. I found the biggest piece of lemon meringue pie I have ever seen in Chiang Mai!
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