Our Ramblings in Chang Mai - Thailand

We arrived weary after our 30hrs of travel by train from the island of Koh Tao to Chang Mai in the North of Thailand. We were ready to take it easy and enjoy what we had hoped would be a relaxing northern city. However, we found Chang Mai to still be very much on the tourist path - even during low season it is filled with tourists and savvy Thai's who know how to cater to Westerners. Due to the these circumstances, we opted to spend only a couple days here doing a self-guided walking tour of the city's wats (i.e., Buddhist temples) and markets, and spending one day taking a Thai cooking class before heading on to more isolated hills near the Burmese border.

While exploring the city of Chang Mai, we were struck by the many friendly people we encountered...

Wat Thung Yu: at this wat we ran into an architect, or rather he went out of his way to meet us. This guy was so friendly and stereotypically kind, as we have experienced with so many Thais in the north. He explained that his father had helped design pieces of the wat and that it was his responsibility to check up on it to make sure everything was functioning properly. He was extremely excited to talk to us about the US and was quick to mention that he had many American acquaintances which he was working with to try and expand his business. Meeting and chatting with this guy, along with many others, has been a blessing for us and made our time in Thailand so much the better for getting to talk with some of the local people appreciate their kind and friendly culture.

While at the same wat, we also had the privilege to spend some time with a monk who was closing down the temple. We talked with him in broken English about his life and where he was from. He was not as outgoing as the architect, but was shy, yet playful at the same time. He, unlike many monks you see in Thailand, has dedicated his life to the belief and service of Buddhism. Many Thai men will spend 21+ days during their childhood as a young monk (almost a right of passage), but will resume normal life after that period. The monk we met had been a practicing monk for the last 11 years (must have joined in his early teens).

Walking the streets: While cruising around Chang Mai, taking in the local flavor and enjoying people watching, we were approached by a businessman from the South of Thailand who was in Chang Mai shopping with his daughter, who goes to school in Sweden. This gentleman was helpful in giving us the lay of the land and was extremely excited to hear that we were from California (we have grown accustomed to answering the "Where are you from?" question with California instead of the US because it typically differentiates us from the rest of Americans. Most Thais know people from the US, but not necessarily California so it gives us a chance to tell them about where we live). Funny enough, the man had a good friend who moved to Santa Cruz and opened up a Chinese restaurant called "Charlie Hong Kong's" - small world...this is a place I know.

Wat Chiang Man: Outside this wat, Mariah struck up a conversation with another Thai man as we were putting our shoes back on (you must remove your shoes before entering a temple). He was in Chang Mai visiting his sister and was extremely helpful in discussing the Northern Thai region and the local Chang Mai area.

Night Bazaar: After a long day exploring the wats, we were excited to get to the Night Bazaar and get some food and checkout all the fun handicrafts that we couldn't buy (because our backpacks are way too full). While taking in some Pad Thai from a local vendor, we sat down next to a French Canadian guy who was definitely a little wound up. We started talking and he explained that we were the first people he had talked to in the last 21 days. After arriving in Thailand, he went up to Wat Doi Suthep for a 21 day silent meditation retreat. We thought this was very cool, even though we knew we would never be able to survive the thought of being silent for so long. The guy, Jean Francois, was a yoga teacher near Quebec and was traveling around Asia taking in different meditation styles to mix and match to find his own style of Yoga. We talked for over an hour about traveling life, companions and getting to interact with the locals on our travels. He also had a very interesting thought about pollution. Not just environmental pollution, but also the noise and touching pollution you constantly experience while traveling, especially in the big cities. He helped us to identify in words some of what we have felt along the way and thus better understand the reasons we sometimes get home sick and get fed up with some of the cultural idiosyncrasies. Now, we are at the point of trying to find places where we can escape the pollution (of all types) and set aside some quiet time to let our thoughts run free. We've realized this is totally necessary to enjoy the travel experience and to not get burned out. Jean Francois was heading next to Tibet to study a form of Kung Fu and Thai Chi and was invited to work in Bali as a Yoga instructor during the winter months.

Cooking Class: Once again, Mariah and I picked up our aprons and tried our hands at cooking. Unlike Chinese food, I do believe I could have Thai food every day of my life and not get sick of it. I'm excited to try cooking some Thai curries (red is my favorite, Mariah prefers green) and some desserts when we get home. We were joined by a number of other international couples and singles for the all day cooking course at "The Best Thai Cooking School" put on by a hilarious Thai guy who has been teaching Westerners to cook for far too long.

The best part of the day was learning to "adventure cook" with our woks...while cooking sweet and sour vegetables (Mariah) and spicy cashew chicken (Eric), we had the chance to singe our eyebrows practicing making fireballs with our perspective dishes:

All in all, the cooking class was a hit...we will soon add an easy red curry recipe for you to try at home (our recipe books is currently in our backpack being stored at the bus station).

Thanks to everyone for keeping in touch...we will keep you abreast of our travels and thoughts.

Eric