Chiang Mai here we come

Tuesday 9th December 2008

After a couple of days around Bangkok its time to move on and we get the train to Chiang Mai...another distant journey, 14hrs they say but its more like 16+. It's a sleeper train and leaves at 10pm but very little seems to run to time here so they decide to depart about 10.45pm. We are in the first class cabin which actually turns out to be a bad choice...the air con is on constant and it almost feels like winter...jacket & Jeans come out of the bag pretty quick, still its hard to avoid the chill (for any of you that do this trip just take the second class carriage which has a fan instead of air con...much more comfortable). We arrive in Chiang Mai about 2.30pm and head for the Green Tulip Guesthouse. Its a nice place, not a whole lot of character but spotless! Its run by two ladies, Nine & Stella...both are as mad as each other!

For the following few days we book up a few trips etc to try and get a feel for things around Chiang Mai. First off is a combined trip of Hill Trekking (kind of), Water Rafting, Bamboo Rafting, Elephant Trekking, visiting the Karen Long Neck Tribe & Hill Tribe. I wasn't thinking Jane would like this but actually she was quite keen...well so she tells me. Its a pretty full day but very interesting. The Elephant Trekking & Hill tribe is all very touristy. When visiting the Hill tribe you almost feel you are imposing on them and its just one tourist group after another that calls in on them. They make their money either from the land or sell their hand craft to the visitors. The Elephant trekking is interesting but after a while its just the same old same old. By far the best part of it all was the White water rafting, for those of you into this then it probably wouldn't be quite up to the mark but for a first timer like myself it was great.
The following day we go on a cooking course run by a family in the area, Siam Rice. Really cool couple running it in their own house. There are about 8-9 of us doing the course and we meet a couple called Allan & Jennifer from Liverpool, really nice couple also on a round the world trip. The course starts at 9am and first of all they take us to the local market to introduce us to the typical ingredients of the Thai dishes ("Glass" noodles and all the sort of stuff ;-)). From here its on to their house to start cooking. There is a whole list of dishes you can choose from but my best choice of all has to be the Mango & Sweet Sticky Rice!!! Long story but if you are ever out in Thailand then you have to have it! The day itself is pretty much a day of eating...you go home stuffed! That night neither Jane or Myself can manage to eat any food but funny enough we squeeze in a few beers with Allan & Jen whom we'd met.
The following day I decide it would be good to hire out a couple of push bikes & fair play to Jane she agreed (although there was that feeling from her of...Are you really sure about this?). Anyway we get the bikes and decide to check out the town, of course been a man I've great directional sense so I lead the way. About 15 mins in I'm kind of feel we are lost but as ever sure I decide just keep going....5 mins later we are pretty much on a motor way! Time to turn back I think. Enough said about that...we eventually find our way back to the town but it doesn't get any easier...traffic is mad and the fumes from the cars and trucks are pretty bad to say the least....Time for food and...you know what I think we might ditch the bikes I say to Jane! Later that night we head for the Night Buzzer(Bazaar), an array of market stalls selling next to everything that a tourist could want...they all want you money so its...."Cheap cheap price for you Mr" & "Looking for free" is a lot of what you will hear. Jane manages to pick up a few lamp shades for the house (don't mention anything about the price she paid though...;-)) Later that night we stop for a Banana Pancake (Rotee) at a road stall, its our first time to try one and funny enough we get hooked! Its Banana Rotee all the way from here in.

On our last day in Chiang Mai we decide to have a Thai Massage & full body scrub, the cost of which is about £10...not bad. After the massage I'm feeling shattered, its hard to tell whether it takes it out of you or just makes you really sleepy...its a great way to finish our stay in Chiang Mai (Its a place well worth a visit) The following morning we have breakfast with Allan & Jennifer before departing for Phuket in the hope of making our way to Koh Phi Phi.