Leaving our friends in Chang Rai was a difficult thing to do…It may have had something to do with the fact that we were all incredibly hung over but I’m not sure. Luckily for us the bus ride to Chang Mai was super VIP. Soft seats that reclined, AC, TV, cold water, snacks, cold towels, bathroom…it was super plush and cost about 6 bucks. We arrived in Chang Mai and I immediately realized that this is the most metropolitan city I have visited thus far. Tourists everywhere, English everywhere and loads of people…everywhere. Sebastian had been here before and suggested Julie’s Place for our accommodation. This was also the spot my friend Lauren had recommended so we hopped a tuk tuk straight there. They were booked for a long time but suggested a spot around the corner. No AC but a fan in the room, our own bathroom and three beds for less than 10 bucks a night…not bad. Nat Guesthouse. Like all the guesthouses, they will arrange everything for you if you want. It was Friday night so we dropped our bags and walked to the market for some grub. Our spot is in the old city which is surrounded by a moat and our walk took us to the new city and passed many bars. We were getting hollered at like no tomorrow by hot chicks and hot lady boys. That was funny because you would see a hot body down the street and then a voice would come from them deeper than mine, ‘hey babay!’
So none of us were feeling too hot and we just decided to find an easy spot to grub. Indian food and it was delish. After dinner we walked back to Julies for a game of pool and 1 beer. We all called it quits early and crashed hard. Saturday we decided to kick it around the old part of town and did a walking tour out of Lonely Planet. I’m not one to follow the guide exactly but there were sights to see and we wanted to check em out. Oldest temple in the city, a few amazing treasures then a stop for a massage. This was cool because there is a women’s prison and, as part of their rehabilitation, they can learn massage and then have jobs when they get out. We all got massages from these women and it was cool. 6 bucks for an hour of bliss. Twisting, bending, pushing and pulling. I definitely cracked all over. After our massage we walked to an electronics store so I could check out some laptops. Scored a cool one for 440 bones. My dad says it’s not a great deal or anything but it works and does what I need it to do. Get ready for more photos and more blogging!! If I was home, I would have called my pops from the store and had him give me the rundown…or better yet, I would have had him take care of it for me since he is the local computer guru and all! Reminds me, if you want a phone call from me please send me your phone number as I lost my phone and all numbers. Went to the night market for some grub and souvenir shopping. Fruit shake (75 cents), pork shu-mai (75 cents), chicken satay (75 cents), fried fish (75 cents)…god I love street food.
We had to bounce early because we had tickets for the Muay Thai matches. Super fun shit. We had great seats for 10 bucks each and got to see about 8 matches. Colby and I were betting beers and I lost more than I won. A great girl fight (16 year olds), a great kid fight (6 year olds) and a great main event. Some dude from England vs. a local Thai fighter. I went for the local cause I like to root for the home team…too bad dude got knocked the fuck out. Like cold turkey. The English guy was way bigger and just dominated him from the start. The bartender/waitress was super friendly and was helping us pick who to choose. Then she got too friendly and we told her to back off. Then she convinced Colby to buy her a drink and she would buy him one only to find out her beer was twice as much as his. I told her to that wasn’t cool and it really rubbed me the wrong way so we paid and bounced. ..to a reggae club!! This was the shit. We walked in around midnight to a live band playing Specials songs. In no time Colby and I were skanking in the pit!! All of a sudden he gets tapped on the shoulder and it is our buddy Vincent. Colby met him over a month ago on his motorcycle loop in Southern Laos then we ran into him again in Vang Vieng then again in Luang Prabang and now here. It is so amazing how many people we may be crossing paths with regularly and not even know it. Vincent is super cool, from Colorado and down to kick it. Around 3 AM we bounced from the reggae bar, grabbed some BOMB kebabs and smoked a little ganja rolled in corn husks. He busted out his guitar and we sat on the street, drunk and happy!
Today we rolled out of bed a little late and decided to rent a bike and head to Doi Suthep. It was a great ride and beautiful temple on top of a huge mountain. Lots of people around and lots of beautiful things to see. We bought a bell for the house so the delivery men don’t have to worry about getting eaten by Early and also a few other cool trinkets. On the way home we stopped at Amazing Sandwich which was also mentioned in the book. Definitely worth it when you are tired of rice and noodles. I had a chicken sandwich with blue cheese, garlic, basil, rosemary, lettuce, tomato, olives and some other dankness…soooo good. Now we regroup and head to the big night market. Vincent is going to kick it with us and we are planning on doing a cooking course maybe tomorrow and then heading to Pai the day after…we will see!
The night market was grand as usual. The food was amazing and the trinkets were perfect. Colby purchased an extra suitcase for all our shit and I am glad to be able to send him home with a ton o shiz. We walked the streets for hours, snacking, watching performances and looking at all the cool crafts. The night ended very mellow-like and we agreed to meet in the morning for the cooking course. Since there were 4 of us in our group, we were able to cook everything that was offered and even negotiated to add cow-soy to the menu. We were picked up around 9 and taken to the market to learn about the ingredients. Very cool facts and tricks about eggs, pineapple and veggies that will surely keep in my repertoire. After the shopping spree we headed to Mr. Prom’s house for the lesson. There were 10 of us total in the class and we each had our own cooking station. I cooked spring rolls, papaya salad, panang curry, sweet sticky rice with mango, cashew chicken with vegetables and tom yum soup. We even got to do ‘extreme’ cooking which entailed a huge flame covering the wok and giving some great flavor. Our teacher had a great sense of humor and was cracking jokes left and right. Did you know that ‘shit’ means friend in Thai? Do you know how to say 5 in Thai? Ha. If you want to say 5,555 then you just start laughing! By early afternoon we sat and enjoyed our food and everyone else’s. Then nap time at our pad which was crucial. We woke in the evening, went and played a few games of pool at Julies then headed to the night bazaar for food and sights. Yum, yum, yum then more sleep. Colby and I actually bounced back early and read for a bit. I am still reading Shantaram and loving it. There are so many great quotes and poetic words; not to mention that the story itself is like none other. I am at the part where he is in the worst prison in Bombay and it sounds horrible. I couldn’t help but think our current living situation is somewhat similar to a prison in the US. We have 3 small beds in a small room. Each bed has one sheet to cover the mattress and one blanket to cover ourselves. The toilet is outside in the shower and there is no flush, you just dump water down it. We put the paper in the bin and shower with cold water. …but we are all happy to be there and it is cheap.
Sebastian and I decided to check out the tiger kingdom the next day before bouncing to Pai. That was an amazing experience and I got some great photos. For 20 bucks I was able to pet, scratch and lay with small tigers (6 months old) and large tigers (20 months). All tigers there are hand reared and friendly although you do have to approach them from their rear and never touch their head or face. We got back just in time for the rain storm and were able to pack up and wait for the minivan to swoop us up. Off to Pai we go!!
My pops asked me awhile ago about the ages of other travelers and if older people were out and about. I told him, ‘yeah there are older men out here and they all have young Thai chicks on their arms.’ This is true but not entirely. I have actually noticed lots of travelers that are ‘older’. Couples, friends and solo travelers both young and old. It really just depends on where you hang out. Most of the older travelers are spending 15-20 bucks a night to stay at a 5 star hotel, whereas, the younger ones are spending 2-5 bucks for a hostel/guesthouse.
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