Chiang Mai

Lizzie, Ingrid and I spent the past several days in beautiful Thailand, the Land of Smiles. We are not really 'beach people' so we took our pale bodies to the country's interior to the historic city of Chiang Mai. It is Thailand's second largest city but a far cry from the urban frenzy of Bangkok. As with most of our foreign travels, we tend to pass our days by just walking around and seeing what we stumble into, never sparing an opportunity to enjoy the local cuisine or beverage. Thailand is the perfect country for this travel strategy.

Thai food was a huge draw for our trip. In my mind, Thailand nudges out Singapore for the award of cheapest-best food of all the places I've been. From the street corner stall to the Four Seasons, you are assured of getting an incredible meal for a relatively cheap price. I had a $1 bowl of soup from a corner shop that was the culinary highlight of my trip, and I'll still be talking about it for months to come. It inspired me to try and get a gig on one of the many travel food shows on the Discovery Channel. I'll hold the boom mic if it allows me to travel for food.

Chiang Mai holds many charms. The city is nearly 1000 years old and is known as the City of Temples, because there are over 300 Buddhist temples, or 'wats' in town. They are absolutely beautiful, but I'll be the first to say that you need see only 2 and then extrapolate the experience 150x to get the idea.

In the driving rain we visited Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep atop a mountain overlooking the city. The location begs the question 'how did they get the materials up here to build this thing?' The answer lies in local lore that says an elephant was allowed to wander the countryside with a Buddha statue strapped to its back and wherever it finally collapsed would be the building spot. It was a beautiful temple and we were treated to a local youth music troupe who played Thai songs and were led by a cute little girl performing a traditional dance, a welcome diversion from the rain.

Lizzie and Ingrid said a prayer and made an offering by lighting a candle and offering a lotus flower. We have much cause to offer a prayer this year.

We traveled primarily by Tuk Tuk, the three wheeled buggies that swarm the streets. Wholly unsafe, particularly with Ingrid in tow, the tuk tuk really gives you the feeling that you are taking advantage of your Thailand experience. The only downfall is that they are so bumpy and rattly that its tough to take a non-blurry picture.


We wandered through a wonderful night market that had local crafts on display. Unlike the Hong Kong markets which sell counterfeit handbags and replica soccer jerseys, this market actually had items handcrafted with care. Lizzie bought some cool paper mache fish from an old man who'd made them personally, and they are to be slipped over Christmas lights before putting on the tree. Will make for a fun memory this year.

It was a great couple of days spent with no particular plan in mind other than to keep Ingrid free of mosquito bites, which we accomplished through vigilant attention and a bottle of herbal repellant. Lack of a plan frees you from disappointment of not keeping up with your guide book. And who needs guide books, they're too heavy to carry anyway. A guide book would never have pointed us to the pickup soccer game we saw played with a wicker ball or finding an awesome and out of place hole-in-the-wall Japanese restaurant/bar. Here's to wandering aimlessly.