I left for Chiang Mai from Nong Khai on Friday night. After an hour and a half bus ride to Udon Thani (the nearest town with a long distance bus terminal), I embarked on my 13 hour bus ride to Chiang Mai. The bus was very nice- VIP- with reclining seats and a blanket. However, driving from Udon to Chiang Mai is very hilly and very windy. On a double decker bus with a crazy driver, needless to say it was a bit difficult to sleep. However, we arrived safely and I checked into my cute guesthouse on the edge of Old City.
Sunday night is a very busy night in Chiang Mai as it is the time for the Sunday Walking Market. And boy, do you do a lot of walking. After wondering for about two hours, I think I saw about 75% of the market. They sell everything from clothing to handicrafts to food and drinks. There are also long rows of chairs set up for massage! You can get a 30 minute back/shoulder or foot massage for 60 baht, approx. $2. A nice treat after hours of shopping!
On Monday, I went to the Tiger Sanctuary and played with four 4 month old tigers. They were so cute! And very feisty. There is always the concern at places like these that the animals are not treated well, but from what I saw, the animals were well trained and the little ones were very active, just like kittens. The older tigers liked to sleep, but compared to my cat at home, they seemed even a bit more active! The Tiger Sanctuary seems to have a successful breeding program as we also got to see three newborn (probably about a month old) tigers. When the tigers start to get older and possibly more aggressive, the sanctuary sends them to nature parks or zoos who are looking to mate with other tigers. Overall, a pretty amazing experience.
On Tuesday, I traveled outside of Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai, the Golden Triangle (where Laos, Burma, and Thailand meet around the Mekong River) and Mae Sai (the northern most point of Thailand where we could see across the border into Burma). The main reason I went on this tour was to see the White Temple outside of Chiang Rai. My description is not going to do it justice, so I will be sure to post pictures when I get home. This temple is all white with little glass mosaic stones to create a mirror border all over the temple. Construction only began on the temple 15 years ago and they project it will take another 55 years to finish the whole temple complex. The sponsor, designer, and architect of the project is Chalermchai Kositpipat, the most famous painter in Thailand. While the temple is beautiful, it is a bit odd that nearly everything in the gift shop has his picture on it. It seems a bit like shameless self-promotion, however he is building a great monument.
On this tour, we also traveled to see the Long Neck tribe, originally from Burma, in the hills in the northern most region of Thailand. They only arrived in Thailand about 10 years ago and still keep (mostly) to their traditional tribal lifestyle. We also saw the tribe who elongates their earlobes like the Buddha to ensure long life and prosperity.
The other stop on our tour was a boat ride in the Golden Triangle on the Mekong River. This route is called so because of the Opium Trade- in order to buy opium, one had to have the exact weight in pure gold as the weight of opium desired. This region around the Mekong had been primarily opium fields, but now they have been converted to corn and rice.
My final activity in Chiang Mai was a four course cooking class. It was amazing! I made Pad Thai (my favorite), Mussaman curry paste and curry (my other favorite) and a coconut glazed banana with ice cream for dessert. The group I went with was a lot of fun and we had a good time cooking our dishes and eat together, while sharing stories about our travels. I also got a cookbook to bring home, but who knows if I will actually be able to replicate any of the dishes :)
Tonight I am off on the night train to Bangkok. Should be another interesting travel experience :)
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