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We wanted to travel north to Sukhothai. Up to this point we had usually gone to a bus station to book tickets or at least check times. However Bangkok was so large frankly none of us could be bothered. We had a time in our heads about when to leave and so we went off to find a metered taxi to get to the bus station. We had allowed about 30 minutes for this but nearly an hour later we arrived at the bus station. We were slightly shaken as was the poor taxi driver who had to negotiate the Bangkok traffic jams and crazy people darting in and out of cars. His handbreak emergency stop was particularly impressive! We happened to have picked a day to travel when anti-Government protests had led to several road closures.
After finding the right kiosk we had our tickets and were told to go to platform 2 for the 8.30 departure only when we went into the station we were faced with over 100 platforms and only 10 minutes to find the right one. The people at the station were kind though and pointed us to the correct bus and we made it, the bus however left 25 minutes late anyway. The journey itself was uneventful and we arrived seven hours later. The second we stepped off the bus we were bombarded by two people from a guest house insisting that we go with them (we had already researched this particular place and had chosen against it) they would not go away but a quiet gentleman stood behind them and whispered "guest house?" we nodded "wait at tuk tuk 123". We made random excuses and almost ran to get away from the crazy touts and met the guy at his tuk tuk. He then showed us his guesthouse photos which turned out to be the one we were going for anyway - a stroke of luck! He took us to the guesthouse for a reasonable price and it was perfect, we had our own en suite triple bungalow complete with aircon and cable TV for £12 a night (plus swimming pool).
We had managed to miss breakfast and lunch surviving off the Thai version of oreos "cream-o's" and substitute pringles. We therefore headed out for a very early dinner. We followed the Lonely planet's advice to try "dream cafe" and it was fantastic. It was based in what appeared to be an antique shop. The owner was keen to explain Thai eating etiquette and whilst waiting for our food we were encouraged to poke about the antiques in the building. We finished this off with a mini bar crawl (there are only 2 bars though in Sukhothai that we could find).
The next day we had an early start to beat the heat. On heading to the main street we walked through a bustling food market where there were numerous fruits and veg as well as the odd bucket of live eels. We had to get a local bus to travel the 10km to old Sukhothai which is the UNESCO world heritage site. It is the site of an old city state which pre-dates the Ayuthaya kingdom. It has been divided up into several sections each with its own entrance fee. The best way to see these is by bike which we hired for 60p for the day. The bikes were the old fashioned chopper bikes (the boys got red and I got a pink one). Crossing the road however was the first challenge for the day and we later saw tour guides for large groups simply cycle into the middle of the road, hold up a red flag and hope for the best.
We began in the central zone which was like a large park and so great to cycle around. There were specific bike racks at each important site and we had been given bike locks and so getting around was very easy. The sites were spectacular because they were so well preserved with nearly a dozen separate temples with various stone Buddhas. We cycled between temples all day, stopping for drinks and ice creams along the way. Graham and I sat slowly melting waiting for Dave who had disappeared off into a temple to find the perfect "sunset" shot. When he finally did re-surface we caught the local bus back to town for dinner.
The next day we headed back to the bus station by tuk tuk, only this one had the seats facing the front and so we sat facing the oncoming traffic and unsure if the driver could actually see it, however we did make the right turn across four lanes of heavy traffic. The bus to Chiang Mai was full and our large backpacks ended up in the toilet as the luggage locker was full (thankfully they were all fine at the other end)! We arrived about 2pm and shared a local red bus to the city centre with three Buddhist monks (one of which kept burping loudly during the journey...too much rice). As a woman I could not get on before them or sit next to them and so after some bus passenger tetris we were all onboard, our luggage however was slung onto the roof in a tiny cage without any straps. With every turn Graham stuck his head out of the window to check they were still there. However we arrived at the city gate all accounted for.
We eventually found a hostel after the first three were fully booked and it turned out to be perfect for us. It was along a small side street away from the main traffic and the rooms were based around a small courtyard with a coffee machine, computers and hammocks (although the numerous mosquitos stopped us using these). We had a lazy afternoon exploring the surrounding streets and bars.
The aim for the next day was to arrange some activities to do whilst in Chiang Mai, which took most of the day. In the evening we headed to the famous 'Saturday walking street' market. This is where a specific area of the town is shut off to traffic and street vendors set up food stalls, clothes, souvenirs etc. We walked through the moped car park and have never seen anything like it. The small exit the width of a moped was guarded by two policeman letting vehicles in and out. The market itself was rammed and although it was interesting we found it hard to stay in the crowds for long.
On Sunday we had booked to go on a Thai cooking course. We were picked up along with 7 other people and then drove to a food market just outside of Chiang Mai. Here our chef went through all of the different types of rice that they use and how they cook them as well as common sauces, curry paste and coconut milk. During this the three of us started to get wet and turned to see that a fishmonger had grabbed a large live pink fish out of the tank and was clubbing it to death and we were being sprayed with fishy water as it flapped on the board!
After the market we headed out to a farm which was the base for our cooking lesson. The aim of the day was to cook 6 different meals (and eat them all). Our chef was brilliant and kept telling us that Thai food would make us "slimmy slimmy" and was also "yummy yummy" but at times "freshy freshy". First up we made curry paste (between the three of us this covered green, red and yellow) this involved much banging of pestle and mortars during which, above the din, our chef kept shouting "harder, harder, faster, faster" but by now none us could pound any more. Next up was to make a soup and we all had a different one. I was sceptical looking into my saucepan at clear water and some floating veg about how this would taste nice. As part of the process we had added a small green chilli to float in the water. Once done we took our soup to the table and began to eat. With one slurp my mouth nearly exploded, who knew boiling a small chilli could be so effective? Dave and Graham had equally spicy soup and we thoroughly enjoyed the lot. No rest though it was back to make our curry and various chicken stir fry dishes for lunch. These went well and we had them with both boiled and sticky rice. Sticky rice is popular in Northern Thailand and is steamed rather than boiled. It is more glutinous and so sticks together. You therefore pull out a small ball from the pot to dip into sauce using your fingers. After eating all of this we were stuffed to the point of becoming uncomfortable but our chef was getting us up to cook dessert and another stir fry! For dessert we had either mango with sweet sticky rice or banana in coconut milk. Our noodle stir fries were packaged up for us to take away for dinner, though we were too full to even think of eating it. All in all it was a brilliant day.
Monday morning at home would normally mean going to work, here it meant going to Tiger Kingdom to meet tiger cubs! Situated just outside Chiang Mai, this is a slightly ethically dubious tiger zoo that keeps hand-reared tigers (admittedly all in very healthy and happy looking condition). Visitors pay various amounts to then go into the enclosure with the tigers and pet/hug/get photos taken with them. This includes the big ones, but I was too short to go in the cage with those anyway (fortunately). There was only one thing to do, go and play with the cubs! These are up to a few months old and about the size of your normal (large) housecat. You are allowed 10 minutes in with them. We were happy to sit near them or even stroke them if lying still or asleep, but the staff insisted on dragging them around the floor to more photogenic poses for visitors. I suppose they are a business after all.
For our final day in Chiang Mai we signed up to a cycle tour in the countryside around the city. We were with a local guide who spoke excellent English. Despite a slightly damp start the weather was good and we pedalled into the countryside. First stop was a local temple with an embalmed monk (he was so revered by the locals they wanted to keep his body on show to offer him prayers) where our guide explained a few things about Buddhism. Then we visited two local workshops making mango-wood carvings and a tin workshop making decorative tin ornaments. The scenery was beautiful, with Dave stopping to take pictures of the paddy fields. Then we actually cycled through one. This time of year is harvest time and local farmers were out harvesting the rice using hand scythes. Happily they invited us to try so Dave went into the field and had a go at rice harvesting! We also saw some farmers threshing the rice by hand, and then the rice sorting factory. After a stop at a local monastery for snacks in their peaceful garden we cycled on through fields and up some hills (hot!) to reach a hot spring. We had a late lunch here before looking at the spring itself, with geysers of boiling water and a not so nice sulphur smell. Locals take eggs and boil them in the spring for lunch! There is a stream where you can dip your feet in, the closer to the spring the hotter it is, so we didn't get too close. There was also a mineral/spring water swimming pool supplied by the spring, perfect for relaxing after our cycle ride.
Once back in Chiang Mai we all had different ideas about how to relax. Originally Dave and I were going to get a Thai massage but somehow I ended up going alone whilst the boys went for a "pub" massage. I decided that someone had to try it. The staff were lovely and began by scrubbing my feet with warm water and lime and then I had an hour long Thai massage or was that torture? Parts were nice and relaxing but when she started to dig her elbows in hard across my back to the point I couldn't fully breath I wasn't so sure. I made it though and afterwards felt slightly light-headed when walking to meet the boys in the bar. We then went out for dinner as it was our last night with Graham before he headed back to Bangkok for his flight home. We were lucky as Graham decided to take us out to a nice restaurant and we gorged on Thai appetisers and puddings (of the Italian variety).
The next morning it was time for us to say goodbye to Graham before leaving Chiang Mai ourselves on the bus for Chiang Rai and the Lao border, more of which in the next post...
Love David and Brenda xxx
- comments
Dad It sounds like you all ate your way through Chiang Mai with a bit of cycling on the side, not forgetting the cat nap, wonderful.
Elen Evans What a lovely trip. It sounds amazing. I hope Laos continues to be just as great. Work carries on here as always, and we're into winter now. Yesterday was a beautiful, crisp, clear and cold day for walking, but we were both working so enjoyed it from bed. German market plans on hold for tonight due to hurricaine like noises from outside! Holidays next week - first break since early August and very much needed! Big hug, E x