CGNWWT Part 4: Chiang Mai, Thailand Part 2

Aside from the being a beautiful place filled with some of the kindest people I’ve encountered, Chiang Mai is also a haven for backpackers.  It was interesting walking around the city center and running into people from different countries exchanging stories and updating their statuses on their tiny little laptops (it turns out Apple does not reign supreme in the ultra-portable, tiny laptop category.  C’mon, Steve!  Ditch the unfortunately named iPad and get crackin’ on one of those teeny tiny little laptops!).

Thus, Chiang Mai is a great place to indulge yourself in a few shameless tourist attractions.  The most popular one is the elephant ride, which Jason and I got a chance to enjoy.  I, for one, am not a big zoo person, so I was a little skeptical about how much I’d enjoy an elephant ride.  However, the Maesa Elephant Camp was a great surprise in that it was really clean, the grounds were well kept and beautiful, and the elephant show wasn’t too hokey.  

An elephant gets a little friendly with Jason.

Elephants bathing

 The elephants also painted pictures, which were quite impressive.  For 1000 Baht, you can buy one of their pictures.

Denise knew that they'd ask for volunteers for this part of the show, so she volunteered Jason to compete against the elephants at throwing darts.  The elephant won, but with great sportsmanship, patted Jason on the head for a good effort.

It’s a bit a ways out of town, but it was a great experience, still.  Also, it is the home of the BEST CORN I’VE EVER CONSUMED.  So the corn was swimming in enough melted butter and condensed milk to throw Paula Deen into her long-overdue cardiac arrest.  But as far as corn goes, this corn put most corn to shame.  



We also wanted to take a Thai cooking class.  Our hosts, the Tang family, suggested the Thai Cookery School, which cost 900 Baht (about $25 USD) for each of us.  They offer a week-long series of classes, but we were only able to go to the introductory class, where we made Tom Yam Gong, Green Curry, Pad Thai, and a few other lesser-known dishes.  The whole experience was a lot of fun, and even though I would have liked the class to be a bit more hands-on, it was very informative and the food was pretty tasty (Jason’s too)!

Outdoor kitchen facilities at the Thai Cookery School.  The school itself is a 20-minute ride out of the city center, and has its own organic garden where they grow the herbs and vegetables we use in class.

We love basil, oh yes, we do!  We love basil!  How 'bout you?

Jason fries up some Thai fish cakes.

We met this sweet Japanese couple from Hokkaido who didn't speak a word of English.  They took the counters next to us and gave us postcards with pictures of Hokkaido and made us paper cranes.  So cute!

The Tangs graciously fed us and toted us around to various food courts for meals.  And being that we are a bit conservative in our spending, Jason and I mostly ate cheap, local food.  But we did decide to splurge on one nice meal at a restaurant just around the corner from the Tang’s house.  It was called Khaomao-Khaofang and it was quite possibly the coolest restaurant I’ve ever been to.  It was mostly an outdoor space with a huge tent covering to shield you from the sun.  Everywhere you looked, there were trees, flowers, and WATERFALLS!  Doesn't get much more paradise-like than that!

This was just a few steps from the table where we had lunch.  To our left, there were a few mini-waterfalls and flowers growing out of the trunks of trees.  Absolutely beautiful!

Denise (Mama Tang) told us to be sure to go to the bathroom because of its decorations.  I won’t go into too much detail, but I’m sure there are few places in the world to pee that are as aesthetically pleasing as these stalls. 

Sink-area in the Ladies' Room.

I never thought I'd be so emphatic about a bathroom stall, but this picture really doesn't do the toilet justice.

And speaking of Thai food, of course, we consumed just about everything we could get our hands on.  Everything… and I really mean EVERYTHING… was delicious in Chiang Mai.  I was grateful that we didn’t have any stomach issues during our trip, but it turns out that even the hole-in-the-walls are pretty clean in Chiang Mai.  Here are a few things we were lucky enough to try!

You can't leave Thailand without having a real Thai Iced Tea!

...or an ice-cold Tiger Beer... YUM!  For less than $1, I'd gladly trade in pyramids of PBR for a Tiger any day.

Hmm... so this ended up being a series of photos of Jason with various beverages.  This one tops the rest.  A fresh strawberry smoothie that cost 15 Baht (less than 50 cents) and would run Jamba Juice out of business in no time.

A bit different from your standard Ketchup and Mustard... Ketchup and Thai Chili Hot Sauce.

Rice noodles with tender beef chunks and meatballs... extra cilantro, please!  YUM!

Green curry with fried fish.  The little green pea-looking things are actually tiny eggplants.  Neither of us were huge fans (super bitter and not much flavor otherwise), but it was cool to see what "real" Thai curry is supposed to taste like.

 This white bowl of magic is a local Chiang Mai specialty called Khao Soy.  It's a noodle dish with cocnut milk and crispy noodles on top.  It's served with this next dish...

Pickled cabbage, freshly sliced shallots, and a wedge of lime.  It was wonderful being surrounded by limes, again, since they're almost impossible to find in Beijing.  The lime and picked cabbage are the perfect taste of sour tartness to cut through the creamy coconut milk in the Khao Soy.

Oh, Chiang Mai... you sure know the way into a girl's heart.  Crispy breaded pork over Thai rice.  Jason and I split this dish and the Khao Soy at a tiny little hole-in-the-wall for lunch.  Everything cost us 50 Baht... about $1.25 USD!

There was so much more than we had that I forgot to take pictures of because, frankly, I was too busy eating.  Papaya salad, other curries, noodles, and some of the best coffee I've ever consumed.  I really can't say enough about how enamored I am with Chiang Mai.  My mom was joking that I probably loved it so much because the food was good.  She has a great point, but I can't stress enough how great the entire experience was because of the people.  Everything from the tourist activities to just chatting with the guy selling cut fruit on the street was such a blessed experience.  I've said it before, but I'll say it again...

I can't wait to go back!

CGNWWT Part 3: Chiang Mai, Thailand Part 1

Ahh, Thailand.  There is so much to say about Chiang Mai that I had to cut my CGNWWT Entry for Thailand into two parts.  Though my time in this amazing country was short, I am pretty certain that it is a magical place that would give Walt Disney a serious run for his money.  I realize that it’s certainly not perfect, and even the current political turmoil is evidence that my perspective on Thailand is one of great privilege.  However, there is something to be said about the quality of life of Thailand and how it is simply a lifestyle rather than something to aspire to.

Clouds outside my airplane window as we landed in Bangkok.

Homes downtown in the traditional Chiang Mai style.

The moment I stepped off the plane into Chiang Mai, I felt the feeling of coming home in a foreign country for the first time.  A lot of long-timers in China have expressed that they felt that when they arrived in Beijing.  I hate to say it since I do love aspects of China, but I am so grateful that I felt that feeling in Chiang Mai. 

As many of you know, Jason and I traveled to Thailand mostly to visit the Tang family—some friends of ours who took off to Thailand at the same time that we shipped off to China.  They are working with the Zoe House, which is a childrens’ home for young people who are at-risk for being sold into human trafficking.  It was amazing to go and speak with some of the rescued children who are now being fed, clothed, and educated in schools in Chiang Mai.  The staff at Zoe is incredible and their spirit is infectious.

Some of the Zoe kids & staff

While we visited, we were able to see the beginnings of a new era in Zoe history.  Zoe’s ultimate vision is to open a fully functioning boarding school with dormitories for families, single adults, single parents, and children.  Currently, they are finishing just a few dorm and office buildings, but it was amazing to drive out to the land where Zoe’s future will slowly be developed.

One of the Zoe girls at the site of the new Zoe complex.  She was using that giant leaf to shade herself from the sun.

We also were able to do a few touristy things.  These photos are from two walks in the downtown area.  The night scenes are from the Sunday night walking market, and the others are just from the city center of Chiang Mai, which contains tons of Buddhist temples.

 Jason will probably not like that I posted this one, but this is him eating some street food.  Clearly, it's a sausage.  

But it's filled with rice and pork and is a little chewy and a lot delicious.

These flowers are actually made of soap and individually painted.

This is a Buddha that was wrapped for some reason in that orange cloth.  It reminded me of a Rene Magrite painting.

 

Songthaws are like the lovechild of taxis and buses.  This is how Jason and I got from place to place most of the time.  Super convenient and surprisingly comfy!

 A Buddhist cemetary

One thing Jason and I noticed right away is the amazing friendliness of the Thai people.  In situations where many Americans and even Chinese living in Beijing would roll their eyes, fed up with the dumb tourists, the people in Chiang Mai simply laughed it off and gave us the help we needed.  Oddly enough, being around such patience and grace convicted me greatly of my own shortness with strangers and my unwillingness to express compassion in situations that don't benefit me directly.  It was wonderful to get a different sense of life and remember what it's like to not be caught up in the everyday hustle or the growing obsession with finding a clear career path and making money.  There is much that we can learn from the folks in Chiang Mai... certainly more than I expected.  I can't wait to go back.