I had originally planned to spend the ten days between my volunteer stint in Cambodia and my trip to Australia hanging out in Bangkok with my friend Kyle, who I first traveled with in Europe. However, after doing some research, it seemed like I really needed to make time to visit Chiang Mai. I had heard about the region’s beautiful mountains and lush greenery, the laid-back vibe, and the cooler weather. The best way to travel to Chiang Mai from Bangkok is by train, but since we booked so late, all of the trains were full. We wanted to avoid paying for air travel, so the only remaining option was to take the overnight 9-hr bus, which actually ended up not being so bad. But first back to my arrival in BKK from Siem Reap.
I stayed in a beautiful B&B for the one night I had in Bangkok before leaving for the north. The place had spa, and I opted for a traditional hour-long Thai massage the morning after I arrived. I was greeted by the burliest Asian woman I have ever seen and led into a curtained off area where I let myself be prodded, stretched, and massaged to the point of tears for one hour. Thai massage is not like a normal western massage: it uses high levels of pressure on specific parts of the body to release muscles one by one. Many of these muscles are only reachable by manipulating limbs into various stretching poses… It felt much like passive yoga, in that my legs and arms would be moved to create a stretching pose, and then the muscles would be kneaded (more like jabbed) to tense and relax them. It was wonderful in that I knew she was really getting the muscles to release, but it was not gentle by any means, and I was writhing and moaning for most of it. I have had a massage in each Asian country I’ve been to so far, and I have never felt the effects of a massage so greatly. Maybe it’s a bit masochistic, but knowing I suffered for that level of relaxation made it that much better.
Anyways, I met up with Kyle later that day and had some delicious noodles from the restaurant he had been working at, cooked up by a wonderful ladyboy named Jenny. We then bought some snacks and boarded the bus to Chiang Mai. The bus itself was quite nice, with decently comfortable reclining seats, air-con, and a bathroom, and the road was smooth for the most part. So, it was a better sleep than may have been expected for a bus ride. We arrived in Chiang Mai at around 7 AM and caught a tuk-tuk to the hostel, where we set our stuff down and showered and then headed out to see some temples. The main temple, Wat Chedi Luang, was definitely worth a visit, but I must admit I am a bit templed out after Siem Reap. I spent the rest of the day cleaning out my backpack because it got so incredibly heavy whilst in Cambodia (blame it on the night markets) and I needed to get my bag down to 15 kg before getting on another plane.
The “thing to do” in Chiang Mai is pre-planned treks up into the mountains. The itineraries typically include some form of hiking, visiting a village, and elephant riding, and can range from 1 to 2 nights spent camping. Kyle and I were skeptical – pre-planned tourist gigs like this aren’t really my thing, and I hate the idea of riding an elephant who is kept at a camp solely for that purpose. But, we heard great things about one particular touring agency and decided to go for it. We left at 9 AM the next morning to meet the rest of the group and head out. Our first stop was an orchid and butterfly farm – a total tourist trap, but nice all the same. Then it was off to a local market, where we were encouraged to buy meat to barbeque that night at the camp. We were not brave enough to take a chance on the meat at the market, especially since it would be sitting in our guide’s backpack for the duration of the long, hot journey, and the idea of eating said meat was not particularly appealing. Next, finally, was the hiking portion. It was all uphill and I was dying. Like, I do a lot of yoga, but that obviously does not prepare you for an hour of climbing in the heat with a 20 lb backpack. It was quite embarrassing, and a stern reminder that I probably need to start working on my cardio. Halfway through the trek, the guides let us take a break and proceeded to show us how to make bongs (yes, I spelt that correctly) out of sticks of bamboo for a little while. They were experts at the craft of bamboo-bong making and could whip one up in about 3 minutes. They even gave one of the guys a bong as a souvenir. This was foreshadowing of what to come that night at camp….
Trekking uphill in Chiang Mai
We finally reached the elephant camp, saw our accommodations for the night – mats on bamboo floors – and check out the camp. It was nothing but a few wooden cottages in the midst of the most beautiful Thai mountain landscape, with dogs and chickens running everywhere. We were also able to meet and hang out with the elephants. These were the first elephants I had been up close and personal with since arriving in Asia, and my heart broke a bit to see them. Each one was chained to a pole with about a 5 foot circle of walking space, and they paced back and forth all day and night, obviously restless. Kyle and I opted out of the rides in favor of a small hike around the campgrounds, and the scenery was breathtaking. We saw elephants bathing and the sun go down, and then headed back to camp for a delicious dinner of curried chicken and rice. Then, the party began. We broke out the cheap Thai rum and bamboo bongs, and played “Who Am I?” (where you have to guess whose name is stuck on your forehead) until the wee hours of the morning. We were also offered fried dog skin, and informed that many of the dogs around us would soon be turned into food for the village. Talk about a conflict of emotion: one not wanting to seem shocked or offend the guides, and two actually being shocked and offended myself. The poor, cute little puppies….
We then walked out by the river to gaze at the stars for a while before meandering back to sleep in our bamboo huts. The next morning, we got up to go white water rafting (very mild compared with the rafting I experienced in India) and bamboo rafting. My rafting group consisted of myself, Kyle, and three strong German guys, and our bamboo raft sank into the water as soon as we all boarded it. So we spent the bamboo rafting portion of our trek immersed waist-deep in the river. It was quite comical. We emerged from the river soaking wet to hike to a natural “waterslide”, which was basically a waterfall with attributes that made it perfect for sliding down! We headed back to Chiang Mai after that, and endured a painful 2 hour drive (holiday traffic) in the back of a pick-up truck. I will be happy if I never have to ride in the back of one of those things ever again!
Sliding down the “waterfall”
That night, Kyle and I headed to downtown Chiang Mai where they were hosting an “alcohol-free, smoke-free” food and music festival to countdown the new year. It was literally Thai street-food heaven. You could find everything from grilled squid to whole fried fish to chicken feet to mochi ice cream, and of course we took complete advantage and made our own feast. My personal favorite was also the creepiest looking: the whole grilled squid, street calamari if you will, served with super spicy cilantro chili sauce. The music, however, was not so heavenly. We ate our meal to the sounds of a preteen Asian pop band that sounded like bad Japanese karaoke, and then made our to our favorite bar in Chiang Mai: THC Bar. It’s situated on a rooftop with cheap drinks, good classic rock music, and blacklight paint all over the walls. It was a weird mix of psychedelic ambiance, but it worked. And the low tables and floor seats on bamboo mats reminded me a lot of the cafes I went to in India, which brought on a lot of nostalgia. If you haven’t figured it out yet: Chiang Mai seems to boast a huge marijuana culture. In Bangkok, you will be thrown in prison for carrying weed, but in Chiang Mai it’s one of the top tourist attractions. Maybe that’s what everyone meant when they said Chiang Mai was so laid back…
The next day, we headed back to Bangkok for NYE. We managed to score some super cheap ($35!) plane tickets, which saved tons of time and hassle travel-wise. I had stayed in Bangkok for a few days in between India and Cambodia, so I was already a bit familiar with the city. I knew it was big and lively, and that the food was amazing. There’s also a huge nightlife scene, though I didn’t get to experience it my first time through because I was on antibiotics.
People seem to have a lot of negative things to say about Bangkok, notably that the people are unfriendly and pushy. My experience, however, has been the opposite. I’ve had people go out of their way to help me get a cab, for example, (hardly any cab drivers speak English), and all of the servers in restaurants and bars have been super friendly. Of course there will be scammers, especially around the party areas of BKK. But it’s like that in every big city, and I’ve encountered more friendliness in Bangkok than in many, many other cities I’ve visited.
For New Year’s festivities, we decided to stay in a hotel within walking distance of Royal City Avenue, the more upscale bar street in Bangkok. We spent NYE night at Route 66, one of the most famous clubs on RCA. There was a 400 baht cover to get in, but we didn’t have to pay for drinks all night. Not because they were on the house, mind you, but because there were tables everywhere set up with bottle service and their patrons were more than generous with their booze. The crowd was pretty much all local, which was a cool experience, and they played house music until 6 in the morning. It was strange though, because the music was pumping and there was a live DJ, but hardly anyone was dancing. People preferred to stay around their tables, drink, and people-watch. But that didn’t stop us from dancing! We even got to get on stage with the DJ! That is, before security escorted us away… Oh, and random side note, the bathroom was amazing. It was huge with a mirrored sitting room and decorated beautifully. Leave it to me to find the bathroom decor to be one of the most notable parts of the night…
We walked home at about 3 AM and got some ridiculously overpriced pizza, and spent the whole next day recovering and watching movies.
The only photo recovered from NYE on Royal City Avenue.
We visited Soi Cowboy on our last night in BKK, which many would call the “red light district” of Bangkok. The street is lined with girls and ladyboys in the scantiest attire you can imagine, and a myriad of neon lights glow overhead. It’s pretty overwhelming in itself, and drinks can be ridiculously overpriced. We hung out for a bit to people-watch, and headed back after a few beers.
Kyle continued on to the Thai islands the next day, and I’m off to Melbourne to see and stay with my favorite family, the Parkers! I really loved Thailand and feel like I didn’t get enough time there. I have a feeling I will be returning for a longer period of time in the future. But for now, I’m preparing for the culture shock of being back in the Western world after so many months.
Thanks to the experiences I had and the people I met in India, Cambodia, and Thailand, I see magic in things I once saw as ordinary, appreciate things I once took for granted, and have an overall newfound appreciation for all that makes up my life. I am beyond grateful for my time in Asia and can’t believe it has come to a close!
Wanderlust Chronicles 