I love trains, always have. Something about the sound, the rush of scenery, the anticipation of arrival. Their history and lore in books and films. But I knew the 15-hour night train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai would not be like the Some Like It Hot train scene, with lots of upper bunk lower bunk fun, and Marilyn Monroe playing the ukulele.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the funky blue plastic curtains to pull for privacy, along our nice enough beds with their crisp white sheets and a baby pillows. We choose a second class ride with AC and bottom berths for their windows. And I read the reviews, so was fully prepared with sweaters for the chill and tasty food for supper. And it felt like camping, sharing our pineapple-on-a-stick desserts, crosslegged on my bed as hurtled forth into darkness. (Go below video for more.)
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But the best part was waking up to a lush landscape. I even liked the way the dirty window played with the sun. (Go below video for more.)
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We arrived at a busy time, the festival of Loi Krathong, which takes place on the full moon of the 12th month each year. Thousands of lanterns are set off into the night sky by an raucous international crowd, all of us sharing the child-like thrill, watching them ascend, climbing higher until they became stars in the sky.
As part of the festival mini floats are set out into the Ping River. (What Tommy calls the Mighty Ping.) From a varied selection, we chose a circle of orchids atop a slice from a banana tree, with a candle lit in its center.
An old Thai men stood in the river, knee deep, extinguishing some of the candles, then sending the floats back to shore. We’re not sure why, but he left ours free to travel down the Ping, jubilating.
Maybe it was the festival crowds, but my first reaction to Chiang Mia we OH NO. (That was not the case with Tom, who is a big fan of cities.) Even though I was warned, the volume of tourists, mostly Chinese, overwhelmed me, especially during the festival. In an out of the old city, there’s a constant roar of traffic, especially motor bikes. The streets are lined with low-lying guest houses, souvenir shops and bars, several with wiggling prostitutes out front. Even the sweet alleyways are dependent on tourism, a jumble of guest houses and tiny restaurants, intermingled with storefronts with sandwich boards listing tours galore.
But one evening, after the rush, I was crossing the Iron bridge next to my hotel, and the town won me over. In the rare quiet I embraced this low lying city in its totality, with its canals, old wats, endless markets and food stands. And I felt the grace of the Thai people, their gentle welcome and their passion for food, our shared passion.
Chiang Mai is not exactly my kinda city, but everything you need is here, and that’s a lot. We’ve ultimately enjoyed our stay. And Tommy adored the town for its early morning, late night calm vibe, and its massages, of course. He’s savored walking, sketching and walking some more. (More Chiang Mai posts coming.)
Sawatee Ka…The greeting and farewell the Thai people give each other, embodies their gracious culture. Palms pressed together in front of their heart for humans and the head for Buddha. (Sawatee ka is used by women, Sawatee khap by men.) With rare exception, the Thai have been cheerful and soft spoken. They are usually astoundingly patient with farangs (foreigners aka gringos) like us. And even with bawdy ones. (More on Chiang Mai below this video.)
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In our travels we often seem to get swept up in parades. Above was part of the Loi Krathong festival. It started to rain so the video lost its mojo. But it has a wonderful Siamese feel to it.
Massage storefronts dot the roadside everywhere, all with shoes out front, as none are worn inside. The gentleness and strength of the Thai people is evident in the massage shop I’ve gone to frequently for my foot (and leg). An hour-long massage for just under $6.It wasn’t fancy, but spotless, friendly and kind. And besides, it was right next to my guesthouse.
It gets busy after work, so I preferred to go in the late morning, well before the rush. There were much fancier places with chants playing and private rooms, but I became fond of this joint with its softly playing Thai radio and a pig tailed toddler, who occasionally appeared behind the silky blue flowered curtain to play peek-a-boo with me. I liked to watch the masseurs come in, greet their co-workers with their hands pressed together in front of them, then stand for a minute in front of the simple Buddhist shrine in a soft, almost silent prayer.
The hands of both the men and women are firm, as they massage deeply, but they are not stern. So that when I open my eyes occasionally, the masseuse andI catch a mutual smile. This is the 21st century and the free wifi password is pasted on the wall. Although I can’t imagine using it, Tommy received a full body massage next to a Chinese woman talking on her cell while someone worked her back.
And they worked hard, into pressure points in my feet in unknown spots, and into the tendons in my calves, so sore from walking. We finished with a green tea, served in a glass cup. And a tune is rambling through my brain as a walk away. (It’s Happy Feet by the Italian Leonard Cohen, Paolo Conte.)
You can visit blind practitioners, who are said to have increased sensitivity. Tommy received quite a few full very professional massages from rehabilitating criminals. He said they were top notch, and have helped him recover from both a sprained back and a broken foot. (Thai massage is an ancient technique, about 4500 years old).
Plastic, Yes, I have to say one thing about plastic. I have never seen so much plastic used as in Thailand, and I’m guessing Asia. (The world?) Everything is plastic wrapped, from all the books in the used book store, to the many kinds of vegetables in the market. The volume of plastic used here makes our recycling efforts in the states seem feeble. I’m not saying to stop, but just saying…
The Practical Stuff is below….
Guest Houses — There is a wide range, from backpackers places for $10 a night to luxury joints. We paid 1000 baht ($28) for a nice room with AC, a very middle class, with small pool and simple breakfast, sweet grounds. TV, fridge, balcony overlooking a garden, and extremely helpful staff that went beyond the call of duty. They really evaluated our needs, steering us in the right direction, both in and out of town for the last leg of our trip. They offered to write down the names of places we googled and wanted to visit in Thai script for taxi drivers, so they could understand where we wanted to go. (Try copying Thai.)
The only draw back? The place is not for you if you mind walking the 20-30 minutes into the old city where most of the action is, or if you don’t like taking simple door-to- door transport ($1.70). Otherwise, I can’t recommended the Riverside Guest House enough.
Excursions/Tours — There are tours galore in Chiang Mai, because it’s the jump off city to all Thailand’s northern delights. Think elephant preserves, cooking classes, tea plantation tours, excursions of any kind. So shop around and read on-line comments if you decide to take one. You can tour yourself to death here if you want. But walking around town, stepping into alleys, visiting the superb markets, getting massages and checking out all the wats (temples) felt better to us. (With the exception of a few cooking classes and the visit to the Elephant Nature Park.) More later on food and wats!
Shopping — We’re not shoppers. (See stuff.) In part it’s because we’re traveling for 7 months with two small suitcases and a light day pack. In part it’s because we have no serious home to return to. But mostly, it’s because we don’t like it much. But plenty of stuff to buy here. On the negative side, there are ugly souvenirs and tee shirts galore. But there are also gorgeous fabrics, and a plethora of tailors who can make you everything, including an Armani style suit, and more, for shocking low prices.
Healthcare — Lots of folks seem to come to Thailand for dental work and plastic surgery. (And doubtless more.) We got our teeth cleaned at Elite Dental, which was fine, although they charged me 1000 ($27) and Tom 800 ($22) baht. He also got a toothbrush and they told him they loved his name Tom Powers. The office was modern and fully equipped with a molded bright pink dental chair. The cleaning was good enough, but not as thorough as Tom’s Mexican cleaning. (Mexico’s a country were everything is done by hand, and over a much longer period.) Still, the price was right.
Getting around — We have been walking almost everywhere in Chiang Mai, but as it gets hot hot midday we occasionally take a red truck or a tuk-tuk (see photo below). I’m told the red trucks are owned by the Thai mafia. But they’re the cheapest. They run efficiently, picking up people who hail them down until the truck is full, and dropping them off at their desired destination. Using either the red trucks or tuk-tuks, we asked the price before we got in. And to get a general idea of their prices, we asked the hotel when we arrived.
