The whole ride actually took 12 hours, and that was coming from Ayutthaya which is already an hour and a half north of Bangkok. I awoke at around 8am to a man's face. He was walking around snapping the bunks back up into the ceiling and mine was the last one left. Of course. I groaned and slid down the ladder into the aisle. Within 10 seconds, the man had converted the two bunks into two booths with a table. I took a seat and watched as we slid through mountains and into Chiang Mai station.
Accommodation is always easy to find. Most of the time it finds you. In this instance, it was a young Thai girl offering a free ride into town if I checked out her guesthouse. It was a decent place, so I got settled rather quickly.
Chiang Mai is a very common stop on the backpacker trail and it's hard to succinctly describe what makes the place so alluring. The old city in the center if the town is surrounded by a brick wall and a moat providing excellent orientation for a newcomer like me. It sits nestled in the mountains and enjoys a slightly cooler climate than the south. This means that vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and squash can occasionally find their way into your meal. Many also use Chiang Mai as a base camp for the area's numerous trekking opportunities. So far, for me it was just another big city. So like I do every time I land in a big city, I took some time to walk around and get my bearings.
I walked everywhere within the old city. I passed men swimming in the moat, clearly ignoring the signs telling them not to. I passed many temples, occasionally stopping to admire the architecture. Cars endlessly swirled the one-way streets surrounding the moat, never stopping for a traffic light or even a pedestrian. The backpacker scene was alive and well with guesthouses. bars, restaurants, tour companies and bookstores lining the "soi" in between main arteries. I popped into a bookstore and bought a book to stave off the boredom that resulted from losing my ipod. It was a leisurely walk, one which accomplished little, but soothed my weary head. Back at the hotel, I took a nap.
In the evening, I stopped for dinner at a restaurant that looked like it could use my business. Mango Restaurant. It was a lonely looking place, dressed nicely, but with no one to impress. The owner leaned on the counter. her look could have been either boredom or disappointment. She lit up when I came in. I ate and we chatted for a bit, clearly enjoying each other's company in what was otherwise complete solitude. It would turn out to be the only meaningful interaction of the evening. I combed a street of bars hoping to find something I fancied, but nothing materialized. Can't party every night.
Day 2 started late. I read and wrote until way past noon and then decided to seek out some brilliant photo ops. I had heard about a craft village just east of town that specialized in making beautiful paper umbrellas. Perfect. I set my camera to the "vivid" setting and head out. I butted heads with a few drivers and went to a few wrong stations before I found a ride out to the town of Bo Sang. Unfortunately it was a dull, gray late afternoon, and any kind of activity was rather subdued. I walked up and down the sad sack street; hardly the vibrant cultural experience I was expecting. I spent less than an hour there and took only four pictures. Low season.
I took to the Internet to lament my traveler's block.Last night was a bust. Today was a bust. What was so good about Chiang Mai? Some fellows traveler's responded almost instantly. That night, I made it a point to check out the "Roots Rock Reggae" bar, which was supposed to be good. And it was. I could hear the live music from down the street. I peeked in and the place was jumping off. Mostly backpackers, but when you have tons of people singing and dancing to an upbeat house band, it's impossible not to dive in. The aforementioned house band seemed groomed for good times. A short, peppy Thai girl with a mess of dreadlocks tightly bundled on top of her head bopped around with a mic while the band backed her up with upbeat ska melodies and Latin rhythms. On stage right, an old leathery black man stood stoically anytime he wasn't tearing it up on the sax. Clearly talented musicians, a refreshing change from some of the pseudo Jack Johnson pablum that echoed from Khao San Road. I stood and watched both the band and the swarm of backpackers flail about in drunken bliss. After they finished, I hopped next door to check out another band; a bunch of shirtless Thai guys playing Kings of Leon covers. All the girls loved the band and all the guys loved the girls. I was making friends by then.
Day 3 was get stuff done day. I had to get my photo taken, mail some documents, sort out my insurance claim ad obtain a translation of the police report. No more screwing the dog. I handled it all before 4pm. I had been screaming about town all day and was exhausted, but managed to pull it together enough to catch a songthaew up to the top of a mountain to check out Doi Suthep, a temple which overlooked the city. The road wound like a digestive tract up the mountain providing no shortage of stunning vistas. My riding companions were two poorly groomed Swiss guys, an uptight Chinese girl, and tow Thai guys who appeared to be a couple. The Chinese girl seemed really panicked and was stressing about this and that. The Swiss and Thai dudes were indifferent. She had frizzy hair and wore a dire expression. Up at the top, she unsuccessfully tried to unite the group in demanding a cheaper fare from the driver.
The temple was very still and quiet despite the crowds. The view was nice too. practicing Buddhists circled a huge stupa holding candles while others offered prayers. Rows of giant bells circled the outer temple grounds much to the delight of the children. The Chinese girl ran up and showed me a paper fortune she had just received. It said, in essence, "loosen up". This of course concerned her gravely.
On the ride down, the Swiss guys listened to her intensely personal lamentations on being 29 and unmarried. I really was hoping she would say something cheerful or uplifting. Or talk about how much she was enjoying her vacation. It was a shame.
In the evening, I ran into Adam at Roots Rock Reggae. He, in turn, had run into Melanie and her friend whose name I forgot, two girls we met in the Perhentian Islands. It had been over a month so we swapped stories. it was a different house band this night, but they got people moving just the same. A pale Thai man belted it out like I never would expect a pale Thai man could. More drinking and dancing and merriment. More friends. A complete 180 from when I first arrived in Chiang Mai. The city was sinking into me.
I planned on leaving, but stayed a fourth day at the insistence of the owner of Mango Restaurant. She even had a cheap room available upstairs that I could stay in. My attempts at being a good tourist had mostly failed my entire time in Chiang Mai, so I took a personal day. I rented a motorbike and rode about 10km north of town to Huay Tung Thao, a quiet lake at the foot of the mountain range. there, I spent the whole day reading and writing. The sun was punishing, but I took shelter in a grass hut by the shore. The scenery reminded me of Canada, a place I hadn't been for over a year. I finished my book, far too quickly, and as the sun was setting behind the mountain, I hopped on my bike and rode back into town.
As an aside, I came across the longest traffic light of my life in Chaing Mai. It was, no joke, over 5 minutes of waiting. People turned their engines off. Unfortunately, I was stopped behind a songthaew, and those things have never even heard of an emissions test. I choked on thick smoke for all 5 minutes.
I ate Western food for dinner. Comfort food to compliment my comfort day. My last night was spent at the bar with Adam and a group of friends he had met at his guesthouse. The old band was back playing for a new crowd. A constant rotation of new, young energy every night. My energy waned, but I made the most of my last night in Chiang Mai.
In the morning, I bid my landlady farewell and made tracks for the bus station. Adam and I would meet again in Laos.
The wall.
Umbrellas in Bo Sang.
Making the umbrellas in Bo Sang.
Photogenic cat at Doi Suthep.
Bells like this circled the temple grounds at Doi Suthep.
Chiang Mai from on high, Doi Suthep.
The faithful circling the stupa, Doi Suthep.
A lovely day at the lake, Huay Tung Thao.
Recreational fishing at Huay Tung Thao.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment