A week in the Northern Thai city of Chiang Mai
(February 2008)
After spending the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) with a
student friend up near Dali we splashed out on tickets for the short flight from
frigid Kunming (it was snowing when we left!) to steamy Chiang Mai with our
friend Paul Hider. His mission was to get hold of an Indian visa (he
succeeded...just), ours was to have a break from China for a bit and see how our
experience of Laos (February 2007) would compare to Thailand.
Here are some ubiquitous Thai cultural icons: gilded temple stupa; portrait of
the revered King; portrait of the King's recently deceased sister; the national
flag and a robed Buddha figure. One of our more surreal moments came at 6pm on
Sunday when the whole town stopped and solemnly stood to attention as the
National Anthem was broadcast over loudspeakers. Can't imagine that happening
back in Britain...or even in China!
Nowhere in China is it possible to sit in a clean, riverside cafe, enjoying a
perfect cappuccino (and chocolate truffles!), while devouring the latest world
news from a (relatively) uncensored newspaper. How refreshing!
L to R: Paul and Lesley in the courtyard of our hotel; coconut curry noodle
stall; cycle rickshaw dude
Buddhism is very much part of the Thai national psyche, and saffron-robed monks
(often carrying out a few years of what could be described as religious National
Service) are everywhere. However, we never got up early enough to catch them
receiving alms!
Eagle House Chilli
Club Cooking Course
Ali's favourite day was spent attending a Thai food cooking course at a local
guesthouse. He learnt how to make coconut cream/milk (far left), how to chop
vegetables (far right) and in between cooked a number of very tasty dishes, like
lemon steamed fish and papaya salad (with tomato rose!). He came
home from Thailand with a 5kg mortar (and pestle) for spice grinding and papaya
salad preparation! The course was very useful because many of the ingredients
(like green papaya, fresh coconut, mango, fresh chillies and coriander, even
lemongrass) are widely and cheaply available in Simao.
Here (on the left) are the ingredients for a sweet and sour chicken dish.
He also prepared Chiang Mai pork curry and the most amazing (even if he
says so himself) coconut sticky rice with mango. And here (on the right)
are fellow course attendees: James, Rachel and the slightly crazy Östein, a
climber from Norway, who (we suspect) had spent a little too much time out in
the jungle recently.
Chiang Mai Zoo
The zoo was, predictably, a little disappointing, but I'm sure much better than
many Chinese animal sanctuaries. Feeding time with the giraffes (left) was great
fun, but the lions (right) were a bit sleepy. The girls loved the hippos...
Wat Chedi Luang
Highlight of our visit to Wat Chedi Luang was "Monk Chat", a formal
setup every afternoon, offering a chance for the monks to practise their English
and for us to learn a little about their lives. Ali offered a consecrated (for
the weekday of my birth - Thursday, apparently) candle and bunch of flowers to
this reclining Buddha "for good luck". And Edie enjoyed playing Tarzan
and Jane with her Barbie doll.
Wat Umong
Wat Umong is famous for its tunnels (containing the lovely Buddha, far right)
but it also houses a rather eccentric collection of old Buddhas in a sort of
sacred scrapyard (centre) and a few other striking statues in a quiet, secluded
and happily run-down setting. We really enjoyed our trip out here.
A few other Chiang Mai scenes. L to R: red taxi buses by the river (we
invariably used these to get around); Khantoke dinner for Lesley's birthday;
chicken curry noodles on the street; Freda and Edie, the day before we flew back
to China, stocking up with goodies (food, clothes, toiletries) at the Tesco
Lotus Superstore - we spent nearly the whole day there!
Chiang Mai street scene - Tuk-tuk in motion
Thailand isn't all engine-screaming, diesel-fumed high-speed action though. Some
more serene views of Chiang Mai.
And how did Thailand compare to Laos? Well, Thailand is
certainly an easier country to operate in, the tourist industry is obviously
well developed, and there was none of the price- tiering which aggravated us in
Laos. And the people in both countries are exceptionally friendly and polite
(none of the spitting or staring which we get in China). But Luang Phrabang has
a certain character which is hard to beat - if you don't mind paying three times
as much as the locals for your pate salad baguette!
LEAF-go-VSO
