Back to List of Travel Articles
|
Chiang Mai - Miles of Smiles March, 2008 |
|
|
We had arrived in Chiang Mai after looping through some of the outlying regions of Northern Thailand. After a week in Pai, it was time to move on before we got so lazy and chilled out that our trip would grind to a halt. Just two hours up the road from Pai is the village of Soppong, where we intended to spend a few days. As we jumped off the bus, it was clear we could quickly check out the half-dozen guesthouses, since a slow blink and you would be through this town. High on the banks of the Pai River, we decided on the Soppong River Inn, owned and managed by the lovely Miss Joy. Here, we spent three delightful days, relaxed on the decks that overlooked the river, and sampled the creative and tasty meals that Miss Joy cooked up. After Pai, it was a refreshing and decidedly slower change of pace. Except for the knucklehead local kids, whose idea of fishing involved dropping M-80’s into the river and scooping up the dazed critters. With conservation practices like these, I doubt many fish were larger than minnows. Outside of town is the famous
Lod cave, where locals with rafts will paddle you through the dark
recesses of the cave. Other smaller caves are Mae Hong Son, four hours down the road, was a destination I really looking forward to and was most disappointed in once we arrived. The town itself is just not attractive, in fact, it’s somewhat grungy, and although we found a couple of cute places to stay - Piya Guesthouse and Jongkum Place - we decided quickly to move on after just one night. Sorry, Mae Hong Son, maybe my expectations were too high, but it’s not worth the effort to come this far down the road to visit this hamlet. We also planned to include a few days in the next village of Mae Sa Riang, another four hours by bus, but after our disappointment in Mae Hong Son, we decided to continue on the loop all the way back to everyone’s favorite Chiang Mai - nine hours up the road. We intended to be in Cambodia the last week of March, didn’t have that many extra days to waste, and wanted to stay put for a week. Chiang Mai was the perfect tonic.
Local vendors permanently line the streets in Chiang Mai selling everything – fabrics, local handicrafts, and best of all, street food. We’ve become so accustomed to eating the street food, that we’re not sure how we’re going to adapt once we return home – maybe spend all our money at the taco wagons around town? People here eat all day long, it’s just a series of small snacks which we’ve adapted to quite easily. My wife is particularly fond of the lemon shakes, and hardly passes a food cart that sells them without partaking. There are two sections of Chiang Mai - the old city surrounded by a crumbling brick wall and moat, and the newer section, alive at night with the daily market. We stumbled across this great guesthouse while canvassing the neighborhood – Mandala Guesthouse – situated between these two sections and moved the next morning. This was one of our better accommodations to date. For $26/night, it included a wonderful breakfast, although they really need to do something about those door locks, which can be jimmied without a key in about 5 seconds. The Old City must have the
highest concentration of wats in any one area – amazingly, there seems
to be one or two on every block – and we spent One day, I was drawn to commotion coming from a wat, with people exiting the temple carrying these small kids (could not have been more than 5-6 years of age) on their shoulders. All decked out in colorful sequined clothing, they proudly paused for pictures, as the festive families held ornate and elaborate umbrellas over their heads. I had stumbled upon an annual ceremony to initiate young boys into the monk way of life. As the kids were carried from
the grounds on the shoulders of their parents or relatives, they were
loaded into pickup trucks and paraded through town. One cute kid was
smiling through the window on the front seat and I managed to take his
picture, at the
We both loved Northern Thailand where the people are friendly and the scenery is outstanding. Here, you have a variety of experiences to sample - visiting indigenous hill tribes, chilling out in fun loving Pai, relaxing in small town Tha Ton and Soppong, or sampling the big city atmosphere in Chiang Mai. We’d pass on Mae Hong Son, Mae Sa Riang, Chiang Rai and Mae Salong in favor of these other destinations. Our next adventure is a dip into Cambodia, the land of ancient kings, rich culture and evocative temples, a destination I’ve been looking forward to for many years. From Chiang Mai, we’ll take an overnight train to Bangkok, then a bus to the Cambodian border, where we’ll arrange for a private car to Siem Reap. This next segment is one of the more grueling connections on our trip, and we’re hoping that things will proceed smoothly.
|
|
|
With
more glitz and flash than a Japanese tour bus, the Chiang Mai Sunday
Night Market presented a dizzying selection of merchandise, food, and
entertainment on a balmy full moon evening. For two hours, we squeezed
our way through the sweaty throngs on Tapae Road in the Old City.
Following our noses to the ancient temple grounds, we were surprised to
find food vendors spilled around the golden-lit wats where we eagerly
sampled the many food offerings. Reaching the end of the market, we
U-turned and walked back down the other side. Every available space was
packed with food and vendors displaying arts and crafts while street
musicians playfully occupied sections of the road. We had never before
seen a night market of this scale; it just went on and on and on… 
hidden
around the surrounding countryside, with maps readily available to point
you in the right direction. One hot day we walked to Lod Cave through
the woods – about six miles – and decided on the way back to hitch a
ride. My wife soon secured a ride on the back of a motorbike, but
unfortunately, it only held one person and I ended up walking the six
miles back into town. Nonetheless, we both enjoyed the town of Soppong,
our pick for sleepy town of Thailand. 
So,
after a comfortable and scenic bus ride (you do have the option of
flying from Mae Hong Son to Chiang Mai on a small propeller plane in
about 30 minutes), we arrived after dark in the town of Chiang Mai, the
largest city in Northern Thailand. We settled in at the Tapae Place
Hotel, centrally located and very comfortable. No sooner had our bags
hit the floor then we were off to sample the famous Chiang Mai Night
Market (the daily Night Market versus the Sunday Night Market). 
two days just wandering the streets and sampling the varying
architectural styles of these wonderful temples. The city itself is very
easy to navigate, everything is within walking distance, there’s tons of
shopping, and lots of aforementioned eating. 
same
time telling him ‘shogdee’, which is good luck in Thai. Besides becoming
a respected member of society, being a monk grants access to better
educational options and potentially, a chance to attend the university
someday. 
