So for our last day in Chiang Mai, we had a full day booked. We met Mameow at 11 to rent motorbikes. I was totally intimidated not only to try motorbiking for the first time, but doing it in a foreign country where the rules of the road are...looser.
So we finally got the bikes (actually motor scooters, but they still went 80-90 km/h) and dropped our stuff out at the new hostel we'd be spending our last night at, and took off for the countryside. Our destination was the Tiger Kingdom, so that Dielle and Dion could take pictures with tigers.
I wasn't ready to start out biking in the city, so I waited until we were on the outskirts before I took over. When I did finally get on the bike, it was actually a breeze. Speeding down the highway was just such a releasing feeling, and I can't think of a time I've ever felt so free.
When I went on this trip, I definitely had some personal goals I wanted to achieve during the trip. For those of you who know me well, you'll know about my struggle with risk aversion throughout my life. So you can imagine how I felt when I had to be the passenger on a bike. Talk about givimg up control and putting complete trust in someone else. And you know what? That leap of faith was totally worth it. It felt pretty empowering to put myself in one of the exact situations in which I desired to be (that is, give up complete control). Risk aversion is definitely one of the most important things for me to improve in myself in my 20s, and this opportunity was really what I needed.
Not only did I get to work on myself, but I absolutely fell in love with the feeling of motorbiking. Given my predilection for loving driving, road trips, and the open highway, the main issues I had with motorcycles were the safety risks and the noise. Now I didn't get to experience the noise, but now that I have proof for myself that you can get on a motorbike and not die (and feel totally freaking awesome), I think I may give some thought to trying it in the US. Seriously, I may have just found a new love.
So personal gains aside, we got to the Tiger Kingdom. They had an AYCE Thai buffet. It cost 3$. I think its 6$ usually, but we had Mameow, a repeat customer local. But even for $6, wowowowowowowow. I ate so much food. I may have had a plate of french fries.
Then Dielle and Dion took pictures with the tigers. I didn't personally feel the need to spend money doing that, so I hung back with Mameow and we took pictures and watched from the buffet deck. And of course, I had a mini-adventure of my own when they were done. I was going to get to try something I'd always wanted to try.
...
...
...
...ZORBING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, some New Zealander guy opened an extreme sports thing next to Tiger Kingdom, so Mameow and I jumped at the opportunity to go Zorbing (Xorbing at this place). And it was only $20! Basically we were strapped into a gigantic plastic ball that rolls down a hill into a lake (Mameow and I in the same one, dL and DIon watched as they had zorbed in NZ before). I was underwhelmed by the hill at first, but it turned out to be really fun. Definitely was a little carsick by the time we rolled into the lake and then were given free range to roll like hamsters around the lake. We got out soon after that because we were so dizzy. Then we biked home. At this point, I actually got to bike in Chiang Mai traffic, which was kind of amazing, but eventually, the complicated turns made it more efficient and safe form Mameow to drive again. That said, Dion drove like a pro through the streets. Super mad props.
We stopped for ice cream at iBerry before stopping in at the CMU Scrabble Club. Mameow bragged about my recent defeat of Nigel at Princess Cup, and then everyone was awestruck (lol). Since Jakkrit wasn't there, I was the de facto best player in their eyes, but the other club "teacher" just about beat me in a close game. He also beat Dielle. The club takes place next to a Tae Kwan Do club and a practicing band, so you get some hybrid of gamelan rock jazz music. Kinda a cool setup.
Then it was off for some more street food. We had tom yum (So yummy), rice, fried rice, curry, basil chicken, and spring rolls for like $6 US. SO GOOD.
So we went back to the new hostel, and tried to figure out our plans for the next day. The intent was to go to an island in southwest Thailand, Koh Phi Phi, but the planning for getting there never really happened, so it was becoming pretty clear that it wasn't going to happen. We eventually settled on flying back to Bangkok the next afternoon and just going from there. For me going to an island wasn't really the most important thing ever, and I was pretty excited at the prospect of spending a couple more days in Bangkok since I'm already somewhat comfortable and know people there.
After finally getting everything figured out, we checked out a club near the hostel even though it was closing, and eventually ended up at Club Spicy near Thapae Gate again. It was definitely an entertaining night, being right next to a (shield your eyes if you don't like rated-R stuff) lesbian hooker versus ladyboy hooker fight, and seeing an old guy make out with another one, ewwww. I try not to judge but ewwww.
We ended up getting home some time after 4.
The next morning was a mad dash to get to the airport. We eventually made it AND found a cafe that was actually normally priced. And then we flew Nok Air back to Bangkok.
That was a day and a half ago, and much has happened since then, but I think I am going to leave off here for now since it seems like a natural starting point.
So it's been an amazing trip so far - everything I could've wanted and more. I hope it keeps up, but I'll just ride this wave while I can.
Peace!
Showing posts with label Chiang Mai. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chiang Mai. Show all posts
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Lions, Tigers, and Beers, Chiang Mai!
So after nearly missing our flight due to the constant Saldanhian need to straighten ones hair, we hopped an AirAsia flight up to Chiang Mai. The hostel we had planned to stay at was booked to capacity, so we hopped a songthaew (or as it is called in Chiang Mai, a "bus") to Thapae gate, on the other side of the old city. A songthaew is basically a pickup truck with some open-air seats in the back. We checked into the MD Guesthouse near Thapae Gate, and headed to a recommended French restaurant, Chez Marco, nearby. Although I tried to put on a smile at dinner, the food really was not very good, and for $15US, I was rather disappointed.
We had been planning to go out on the town the last two nights in Bangkok, so we decided to make up for our failure to do so by going out our first night in Chiang Mai. Unfortunately, all the bars seemed to be dead, to our dismay, and we were tired enough that further exploration would be too tedious. We retired for the night.
Tuesday morning, we met up with Chiang Mai native (and Scrabble player) Mameow. She took us to Chiang Mai University to walk around and have lunch at one of the cafterias. Man, if UCSD served food like this place...I would've had a freshman 150. I had noodle soup and a japanese crepe, as well as a thai tea and thai green tea. yum yum yum.
After lunch, we walked through the campus some more, and then headed through town to the Chiang Mai zoo. At the zoo, I got to have 4 birds perch on me (one decided my finger was potentially a delectable morsel), I got to feed elephants, and got to see some lions and tigers and bears (oh my!) Apparently Dion is violently afraid of birds. We also saw an ostrich do its business. You should research how it works in ostriches. Very...weird.
From the zoo, we hopped a songthaew up the mountain to Doisuthep Temple. I got very carsick. We arrived near dusk, and climbed the 300 steps to the temple. From the outside, you get a panoramic view of the city of Chiang Mai (just gorgeous). From the inside, there is a stunning gold pagoda that glistens so brightly. We got blessings from a Buddhist monk (even though all four of us range from agnostic-Christian to Catholic), and walked around the temple for a bit. On the ride back down, my carsickness increased manyfold, and I had to sit down on the street when we got off the bus.
We tried to convince Mameow to come clubbing with us that night, but we finally agreed to meet up to do so on Thursday. Mameow bid farewell from a night market (not the main one - Dielle and Dion are there right now, and I chose not to go because shopping really isn't my thing), and the three of us walked around, trying all sorts of foods - crepes, deep friend corn fritters, shiu mai, fruits, sausages, dumplings, pastries, until we finally made it back to the main street. From there, we songthaewed over to a Burmese restaurant. My beef noodle soup was more like a curry, but it was delicious - always nice to try a new cuisine.
We went home, and vowed to find some nightlife. We started at Cafe Riva, where we had Tigers and played cards. Then we discovered there was a Jenga set, and whilst quite buzzed, managed to have an amazingly epic game of Jenga. Then, the two other bargoers next to us decided to join in for the next round. The game went so long, that Dielle actually lost on a turn where there were no possible moves that could end successfully. There are pictures to show just how epic the game truly was.
Once the bar shut down, we wandered over to a place with our new friends called Spirit. We were informed that it was known for being a frequent stop for hookers, as well as prone to the occasional fight. No matter, it had music and cheap drinks. Well, as soon as I walked in, a hooker tried to grab my leg. Uhhhh...no thanks. But we sat down and ordered drinks anyway. It was probably 1 AM. And then all of a sudden the club was hopping. And then many drinks and dances and songs and stories later...it was 5 AM and the club was closing.
We somehow ended up at McDonald's, and I regretably had fries. Aarrghh, BK and McD in the same week - what have I done?! I ended up falling asleep sometime after 6. What a fun day!
Today we weren't really capable of functioning until about 2. We literally stumbled over to a local restaurant that had all sorts of hangover cures - deep-fried spring rolls, pad thai, basil fried chicken. Delicious. And then we stumbled back to the hotel, really just wanting to sleep more. But we decided to not write off the whole day, and signed up last minute for a khantoke dinner.
Khantoke is a Thai dinner theater where you are served northern Thai dishes accompanied with music/dancing/performances by the hill tribes of the area. There was everything from fire twirling and knife twirling to candlelit dances. The food was great - and they kept refilling it! What's not to like? After the dinner show, we were treated to some more performances from tribespeople outside in a small ampitheater. There were some pretty unique performances, including some kids who would perfectly step through large bamboo sticks being pounded together (i.e., miss a step, and your foot is gonna feel some painnnn.
We picked up our laundry when we got back (a coin laundry place, and the owners had all our clothes folded and ready when we showed up!), and Dion and Dielle headed to the well-known night bazaar after procrastinating for two years, and finally productively booking a night for the 4 of us at the hostel we wanted to stay at on Monday for tomorrow. As for me, I'm turning in for bed now, at about 12:30 AM because tomorrow is going to be a long day. Supposedly the agenda is to meet up with Mameow at 10:30 to rent motorbikes and go to the Tiger Kingdom outside of town. Mameow has made me aware of the fact that I can go xorbing nearby. I may insist that we do this, as I have always wanted to xorb. Later in the day we will go to the CMU Scrabble club, and then we will check out Nimmanhaemin road, and hopefully go dancing. This will be followed by an early morning flight to Bangkok en route to the next stop on my adventure. Where are we headed? You'll just have to wait and find out...
It's becoming clear to me that trying to add photos to these blogs is going to be tough, but I'll still try.
We had been planning to go out on the town the last two nights in Bangkok, so we decided to make up for our failure to do so by going out our first night in Chiang Mai. Unfortunately, all the bars seemed to be dead, to our dismay, and we were tired enough that further exploration would be too tedious. We retired for the night.
Tuesday morning, we met up with Chiang Mai native (and Scrabble player) Mameow. She took us to Chiang Mai University to walk around and have lunch at one of the cafterias. Man, if UCSD served food like this place...I would've had a freshman 150. I had noodle soup and a japanese crepe, as well as a thai tea and thai green tea. yum yum yum.
After lunch, we walked through the campus some more, and then headed through town to the Chiang Mai zoo. At the zoo, I got to have 4 birds perch on me (one decided my finger was potentially a delectable morsel), I got to feed elephants, and got to see some lions and tigers and bears (oh my!) Apparently Dion is violently afraid of birds. We also saw an ostrich do its business. You should research how it works in ostriches. Very...weird.
From the zoo, we hopped a songthaew up the mountain to Doisuthep Temple. I got very carsick. We arrived near dusk, and climbed the 300 steps to the temple. From the outside, you get a panoramic view of the city of Chiang Mai (just gorgeous). From the inside, there is a stunning gold pagoda that glistens so brightly. We got blessings from a Buddhist monk (even though all four of us range from agnostic-Christian to Catholic), and walked around the temple for a bit. On the ride back down, my carsickness increased manyfold, and I had to sit down on the street when we got off the bus.
We tried to convince Mameow to come clubbing with us that night, but we finally agreed to meet up to do so on Thursday. Mameow bid farewell from a night market (not the main one - Dielle and Dion are there right now, and I chose not to go because shopping really isn't my thing), and the three of us walked around, trying all sorts of foods - crepes, deep friend corn fritters, shiu mai, fruits, sausages, dumplings, pastries, until we finally made it back to the main street. From there, we songthaewed over to a Burmese restaurant. My beef noodle soup was more like a curry, but it was delicious - always nice to try a new cuisine.
We went home, and vowed to find some nightlife. We started at Cafe Riva, where we had Tigers and played cards. Then we discovered there was a Jenga set, and whilst quite buzzed, managed to have an amazingly epic game of Jenga. Then, the two other bargoers next to us decided to join in for the next round. The game went so long, that Dielle actually lost on a turn where there were no possible moves that could end successfully. There are pictures to show just how epic the game truly was.
Once the bar shut down, we wandered over to a place with our new friends called Spirit. We were informed that it was known for being a frequent stop for hookers, as well as prone to the occasional fight. No matter, it had music and cheap drinks. Well, as soon as I walked in, a hooker tried to grab my leg. Uhhhh...no thanks. But we sat down and ordered drinks anyway. It was probably 1 AM. And then all of a sudden the club was hopping. And then many drinks and dances and songs and stories later...it was 5 AM and the club was closing.
We somehow ended up at McDonald's, and I regretably had fries. Aarrghh, BK and McD in the same week - what have I done?! I ended up falling asleep sometime after 6. What a fun day!
Today we weren't really capable of functioning until about 2. We literally stumbled over to a local restaurant that had all sorts of hangover cures - deep-fried spring rolls, pad thai, basil fried chicken. Delicious. And then we stumbled back to the hotel, really just wanting to sleep more. But we decided to not write off the whole day, and signed up last minute for a khantoke dinner.
Khantoke is a Thai dinner theater where you are served northern Thai dishes accompanied with music/dancing/performances by the hill tribes of the area. There was everything from fire twirling and knife twirling to candlelit dances. The food was great - and they kept refilling it! What's not to like? After the dinner show, we were treated to some more performances from tribespeople outside in a small ampitheater. There were some pretty unique performances, including some kids who would perfectly step through large bamboo sticks being pounded together (i.e., miss a step, and your foot is gonna feel some painnnn.
We picked up our laundry when we got back (a coin laundry place, and the owners had all our clothes folded and ready when we showed up!), and Dion and Dielle headed to the well-known night bazaar after procrastinating for two years, and finally productively booking a night for the 4 of us at the hostel we wanted to stay at on Monday for tomorrow. As for me, I'm turning in for bed now, at about 12:30 AM because tomorrow is going to be a long day. Supposedly the agenda is to meet up with Mameow at 10:30 to rent motorbikes and go to the Tiger Kingdom outside of town. Mameow has made me aware of the fact that I can go xorbing nearby. I may insist that we do this, as I have always wanted to xorb. Later in the day we will go to the CMU Scrabble club, and then we will check out Nimmanhaemin road, and hopefully go dancing. This will be followed by an early morning flight to Bangkok en route to the next stop on my adventure. Where are we headed? You'll just have to wait and find out...
It's becoming clear to me that trying to add photos to these blogs is going to be tough, but I'll still try.
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