Sawa-dee krap! Lucy and I are coming to the end of our time in Chiang Mai. We have spent the last 10 days in and around Chiang Mai, Thailand's second city. Although it has 7.5 million less people than Bangkok, Chiang Mai is the heart and soul of Thailand. It is the cultural, artistic, and educational center of Thailand and the subsequent hipness is apparent at every corner. From the trend-setting co-eds crowding the streets near the national university to the galleries and boutiques of local artists and designers around every bend to the progressive conservationism of Elephant Nature Park, it is clear that Chiang Mai is a driving force in Thailand. Which is why it seems that it is every Thai's fantasy to move to Chiang Mai and follow their dreams. And for that matter, every ex-pat and tourist, many of the bars, resturants, book stores, etc are run by foreigners who dug the vibe so much they never left.
In keeping with the scene, Lucy and I have fluctuated between chilling out by the pool and casually taking in the atmosphere. We arrived on a sunday and were able to check out the Sunday Walking Street, which is a big street fair in the heart of the Old City. Alot like Artwalk in Olympia, this weekly happening is a showcase for the arts in Chiang Mai. Lots of streets are closed off to traffic and the whole town comes out to walk around and enjoy all the crafts, music and food that the city has to offer. It was a great introduction to the city! After a day or two of "taking it easy", we went for a self guided walking tour of many of the old Wats (temples) in the Old City. A good day of looking at monks and old statues of Buddha culminated with a Thai massage from some inmates at the local womens prison. As part of the rehabilitation process, inmates who are within 6 months of release are taught Thai massage and allowed to practice on the general population at the prison. While they are still under the watchful eye of the government, they are allowed to keep all the money they make and use it to restart their lives once they are released. We figured, hell, if we're going to get a massage while we're in Thailand why not get one from an inmate. I'm not sure if it was because it was my first Thai massage or if it was because I got it from a criminal, but I sure was sore and bruised the next day.
We spent a few more days just hanging out in town and decided we would move on to the next place on sunday. However, on saturday, we were having coffee next door to our hotel about to go get bus tickets to the next place, when we started reading about this place called the Elephant Nature Park. Lucy and I have never had any interest in doing any of the "tourist" activities and in Chiang Mai they are everywhere. There are dozens of places advertising "elephant treks" or "Elephant safaris" this place, however, seemed much different. The Elephant Nature Park is a place that was created by a local woman named "Lek" as a sanctuary for all of the long suffering elephants of Thailand. I won't go into the long history/tradition of elephant problems in Thailand but I will say this; Thailand had upwards of 100,000 elephants at the beginning of the 20th century, now they are down to about 5000, a decline of 95% in just over 100 years. Although a visit to this place was way out of our price range, we decided to go anyway since it allowed us a progressive, sustainable and totally unique way to experience Thailand's elephants. Not only were we able to feed, bathe, pet and otherwise play with elephants ranging from 75 year old Matriarchs to 3 1/2 month old babies, we were also given a thorough education on the plight of Thailand's elephants. This education included a documentary about the centuries old cruel practice of "phajaan", the ritualistic breaking of a young elephant. Although we were never inclined to, after watching the video we were really glad that we never took part in any of the other, much more prevalent, elephant actives available in Thailand. It was a terrible thing to watch but really drove home the motivation behind "Lek's" tireless work. The park and its mission for a symbiotic relationship between conservation and tourism, was a very inspiring look at the potential for conservation projects in Thailand and the rest of the world. At the end of our two days there Lucy and I were able to be with "Lek" one on one while she held a 3 month old baby and sang it "Que Cera Cera", coaxing it to lie down for a nap as if it were her own son. It was a fitting end to a very inspirational experience with elephants in Thailand. I highly recommend checking out their web site, http://www.elephantnaturepark.org
We're glad to have extended our stay in Chiang Mai in such a way but... Our Thai visa runs out on Oct 31st so we leave tomorrow on a night bus to Nong Khai and the Lao border. We will spend a day or two in Nong Khai then cross over the Mekong into Laos and its capital, Vientiane.
Till then...
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
The first of many
Welcome to our new blog! Thanks for following us over here...that applies for both cyberspace and Asia.
While I look forward to curling up with my journal every evening, blogging does not appear to have the same pull. It's been several weeks since Robby or I have written anything longer than a Facebook update. Perhaps blogging is like traveling in that the hardest part is simply getting started? The only other thing I have to get started this evening is packing my exploded backpack for the millionth time, so eating a package of Oreos and catching ya'll up on our time in Thailand seems like a pretty good option. I'd hate to lose you, my dear reader, with a lengthy post so I will skip the details with a promise to blog more frequently.
Robby and I made it to Ayutthaya via bus from Trat on the 13th. We spent a hot day pedaling around the ruins and enjoying a new night market. We took an east bound train on the 15th to Pak Chong to check out Khao Yai National Park. Back to Ayutthaya on the 17th to treat ourselves to a first class night train to Chiang Mai. Highlights of our week in Chiang Mai have included staying at a guesthouse with a pool, getting the rub down from female inmates, wrecking a scooter, and observing a fluent spanish speaking thai ladyboy tour guide.
I love Thailand.
--L
While I look forward to curling up with my journal every evening, blogging does not appear to have the same pull. It's been several weeks since Robby or I have written anything longer than a Facebook update. Perhaps blogging is like traveling in that the hardest part is simply getting started? The only other thing I have to get started this evening is packing my exploded backpack for the millionth time, so eating a package of Oreos and catching ya'll up on our time in Thailand seems like a pretty good option. I'd hate to lose you, my dear reader, with a lengthy post so I will skip the details with a promise to blog more frequently.
Robby and I made it to Ayutthaya via bus from Trat on the 13th. We spent a hot day pedaling around the ruins and enjoying a new night market. We took an east bound train on the 15th to Pak Chong to check out Khao Yai National Park. Back to Ayutthaya on the 17th to treat ourselves to a first class night train to Chiang Mai. Highlights of our week in Chiang Mai have included staying at a guesthouse with a pool, getting the rub down from female inmates, wrecking a scooter, and observing a fluent spanish speaking thai ladyboy tour guide.
I love Thailand.
--L
Friday, October 23, 2009
Night Markets
A quick word(s) about night markets. They rule! Best invention of all time? Yes. Reason enough to come to Thailand? Yes. Number of dishes eaten by Robby in one sitting? 4 (so far...) Number of unidentifiable foodstuffs on sticks? Too many to count.
Night markets are basically what Pike Place Market could/should be if it were open at night and was full of ridiculous things that came on sticks. It seems that most every town in Thailand worth shaking a squid at has one. Of course, some are better than others but all are better than any other dinner options. These outside markets contain rows and rows of stalls surrounding a a central area that has dozens of stands selling food. The stalls have on offer everything one could ever want to cook or eat, including many things that you never knew existed.
Lets start with stuff on sticks.
There is; chicken on a stick, chicken kidneys on a stick, pork balls on a stick, fish balls on a stick, whole fish on a stick, crab on a stick, prawns on a stick, squid (whole or sliced) on a stick, hotdogs(pork and chicken) on a stick, hotdogs wrapped up like eggrolls on a stick, dumplings full of unknown numbers of unknown things on a stick, various vegetables on a stick, various fruits on a stick... Oh you like fruit do you? In the non skewered options there is every fruit you can think of plus a whole host of ones that you never knew were out there. There are; Watermelons both red and yellow(?), cantaloupe, coconuts, apples, oranges, limes, pears, dragonfruit, mangoes, papayas, bananas, grapes, several varieties of mysterious spine covered fruits, several varieties of non-discript unknown fruits... Full assortment of vegetables? Check. Every possible cut of beef, pork and chicken(with or without head, with or without feet, or if you prefer, just the feet)? Check. Everything that has, does or ever will live in the ocean? Check. Live catfish? Check. Filleted catfish? Check. Live eel? Check. Loafs of bread with any number of different, hidden fillings? Check. Regular loaf of bread? Maybe. Doughnuts? Check. Little balls of fried dough with prawns, crab, ham, or anything else you can think of in them? Check. All kinds of esoteric and incredibly popular deserts that come in plastic bags? Check. Did I mention noodles? Noodle soup? Check. Noodles in gravy? Check. Noodles with any or all the above mentioned things? Check. Rice? Check. Am I forgetting anything? Probably. Everything less than $1? Check.
Then of course there are all of there non food related things for sale. Clothes, shoes, electronics, culinary tools, CDs, books, ect. Think of it as a Wal-Mart crossed with the Pike Place Market and its outside and at night.
Is it the best thing ever? CHECK!
-Robby
P.S. I LOVE THAILAND! Robby forgot to mention that night markets are that much better after paying less than $2 to swim in a swanky hotel's pool to work up a huge appetite for THINGS ON STICKS!--Lucy
P.P.S.
Tonight we found a stand that sells fireworks! I knew I was forgetting something!
Also, I ordered what I thought was a type of noodle dish. I ended up with a whole fried fish the size of a football! I LOVE NIGHT MARKETS!
-Robby
Night markets are basically what Pike Place Market could/should be if it were open at night and was full of ridiculous things that came on sticks. It seems that most every town in Thailand worth shaking a squid at has one. Of course, some are better than others but all are better than any other dinner options. These outside markets contain rows and rows of stalls surrounding a a central area that has dozens of stands selling food. The stalls have on offer everything one could ever want to cook or eat, including many things that you never knew existed.
Lets start with stuff on sticks.
There is; chicken on a stick, chicken kidneys on a stick, pork balls on a stick, fish balls on a stick, whole fish on a stick, crab on a stick, prawns on a stick, squid (whole or sliced) on a stick, hotdogs(pork and chicken) on a stick, hotdogs wrapped up like eggrolls on a stick, dumplings full of unknown numbers of unknown things on a stick, various vegetables on a stick, various fruits on a stick... Oh you like fruit do you? In the non skewered options there is every fruit you can think of plus a whole host of ones that you never knew were out there. There are; Watermelons both red and yellow(?), cantaloupe, coconuts, apples, oranges, limes, pears, dragonfruit, mangoes, papayas, bananas, grapes, several varieties of mysterious spine covered fruits, several varieties of non-discript unknown fruits... Full assortment of vegetables? Check. Every possible cut of beef, pork and chicken(with or without head, with or without feet, or if you prefer, just the feet)? Check. Everything that has, does or ever will live in the ocean? Check. Live catfish? Check. Filleted catfish? Check. Live eel? Check. Loafs of bread with any number of different, hidden fillings? Check. Regular loaf of bread? Maybe. Doughnuts? Check. Little balls of fried dough with prawns, crab, ham, or anything else you can think of in them? Check. All kinds of esoteric and incredibly popular deserts that come in plastic bags? Check. Did I mention noodles? Noodle soup? Check. Noodles in gravy? Check. Noodles with any or all the above mentioned things? Check. Rice? Check. Am I forgetting anything? Probably. Everything less than $1? Check.
Then of course there are all of there non food related things for sale. Clothes, shoes, electronics, culinary tools, CDs, books, ect. Think of it as a Wal-Mart crossed with the Pike Place Market and its outside and at night.
Is it the best thing ever? CHECK!
-Robby
P.S. I LOVE THAILAND! Robby forgot to mention that night markets are that much better after paying less than $2 to swim in a swanky hotel's pool to work up a huge appetite for THINGS ON STICKS!--Lucy
P.P.S.
Tonight we found a stand that sells fireworks! I knew I was forgetting something!
Also, I ordered what I thought was a type of noodle dish. I ended up with a whole fried fish the size of a football! I LOVE NIGHT MARKETS!
-Robby
YAY Thailand!!
Well, I am happy to report that this post will have a much more positive tone and be free of any four letter words. Such negativity and foul language are no longer necessary now that Robby and I are in THAILAND! We were successful in reserving seats on a Kolkata bound train for the morning after we arrived in Delhi (we were in dreadful Delhi for less than 24 hours. During which time we ate NOTHING that didn't come out of a bag. Hallelujah for cheap junk food.). Our train ride, like India itself, was full of surprises. Once we arrived at the station we realized we had been bumped up to first class. Score! A few stations down the line, the train was stopped due to protests which had caused damage to the track. Bummer! But waiting (for 6 hours!) is much less of a bummer when done in an air conditioned first class compartment. We were 12 hours late arriving in Kolkata and flew out the next morning to Bangkok (October 1st)! Robby and I knew things were looking up when we were offered complimentary cocktails while watching TV on the headsets in front of us. May I strongly suggest to those of you reading that you fly Kingfisher Airlines when ever traveling in Asia. Getting off the plane in Bangkok was like a breath of fresh air--literally! I had formulated a plan to get us from Bangkok to Trat (a small town 6 hours from Bangkok in SE Thailand) that involved several buses and a fairly tight time frame. Such a feat would have been impossible in India but went off without a hitch in Thailand and by midnight Robby and I were headed to bed in our larger-than-california-king-size bed at the guesthouse in Trat. We spent the following 2 days wandering around Trat, eating delicious food, and just being delighted by our first impressions of Thailand (and our second and third and fourth etc). After that, we left Trat via ferry for the island of Ko Chang. What would have be a lovely place to visit during the dry season was dampened (pun intended) by the constant downpour. We did get to spend one lovely half day during which there was sun playing in the warm, clear ocean. After 5 days of bungalow life in the rain we decided to head back to Trat to formulate our plan for the rest of our time in Thailand (our visa is up on Oct. 31st). Although I would be happy to spend weeks in Trat (I have really fallen for this little town), it's time to move on and tomorrow we take the bus to Ayuthaya in central Thailand. Ayuthaya was the capital of Siam from 1350-1767. It was a center of Asian trade during this time with merchants from as far away as France and Portugal marveling at this "Venice of the East", and it is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. A bit larger of a town, it is a kind of "island" in that 3 rivers converge to form a sort of moat around the main part of Ayuthaya. It is full of temples/ruins and Robby and I are looking forward to renting bikes and seeing the sights. Weather reports claim the weather is better more in land and it will be fun to play outside without getting soaked. I love Thailand! -Lucy
Delhi Again? FUCK!
Never, in the history of the world, has one city so completely soured such an enchanting (supposedly) country more than Delhi has soured India. Upon arriving we all quickly learned that it was best to get out of Delhi and experience "real" India. So, we headed for the hills and had a wonderful two weeks in Kashmir and Ladakh. While thoroughly enjoying our time in northern India, Lucy and I felt that the magic of India was somehow lost on us. It was as if India were hiding herself from us behind a veil of pollution, noise, and crowds of pushy people. While we may not have given India as much of a chance as we could/should have, it has became apparent in our three weeks here that India just hasn't captured our imagination the way we expected. The scenery of Kashmir was amazing and the warmth and hospitality of the Ladakhi people was the warmest either of have ever experienced and we know that there must be many more equally incredible things that India has to offer in her extensive crown of jewels. However, as our time here went on we couldn't help feeling that there was something that was clouding (literally) our desire to continue on exploring this massively diverse country. Upon returning from the beautiful mountain city of Leh in "Little Tibet", we realized what was impeading our desire to continue on in India...Delhi! They say smell is the closest sense related to memory, and man does Delhi smell! The smells of this city permeate everything so much so that I dont know that I can eat anything remotely Indian without thinking of the hot, steamy, sour smell of Delhi. Everytime I go for food all I can think of is how much I could go for some noodles, or Pho, or anything other than dahl and rice. As goes your belly, goes your mind, so naturally our thoughts turned to further down our itinerary to Southeast Asia and its plentiful noodles and strong culinary tradition. To say nothing of the beaches of Thailand which sound like polar opposites of Delhi's shit (literally) filled streets.
So... we are off tomorrow morning on the 7am train to Calcutta to catch a flight to Bangkok. If beaches and noodles aren't the cure for every ailment, I dont know what is. To India; sorry we couldn't be more patient so as to let you unfold your beauty before us. To Denny; im sure you will have a great time seeing as much of India as you can. Solo traveling is the best way to travel, you'll have a great time. See you in SE Asia. To Delhi; fuck off, we'll see you in hell!
-Robby
So... we are off tomorrow morning on the 7am train to Calcutta to catch a flight to Bangkok. If beaches and noodles aren't the cure for every ailment, I dont know what is. To India; sorry we couldn't be more patient so as to let you unfold your beauty before us. To Denny; im sure you will have a great time seeing as much of India as you can. Solo traveling is the best way to travel, you'll have a great time. See you in SE Asia. To Delhi; fuck off, we'll see you in hell!
-Robby
Khardong-La, 18,380ft
Yesterday we rented mountain bikes and caught a jeep ride up to Khardong-La. At 18,380ft it is the worlds highest motorable pass. For those of you keeping score, that's almost 4000ft higher than Mt Rainier. At the top it was vain to try to breath/not faint, headaches were unavoidable but being the the highest point we will probably ever be, it was well worth it. We took in amazing views back down to the upper Indus valley and our town of Leh and on the other side of the pass to the Nubra valley, the Karakorum Range and Pakistan. After a about 15mins of taking photos at the top we got on our bikes and burned down the 35km back to town. OooWee, it was sweet! -Robby
Monsoonal Wanderings...
Spent the day wandering/getting lost on our first full day in India.
Walked in random directions till the fitful rain soaked through. The traffic, the smells, the cows, Oh My! After waving off all rickshaws that saw us, we decided to take refuge in the first three wheeled, canopied rickshaw the came our way. Wait time... 3.4sec. Asked driver to please take us somewhere that we could recognize on the map, as our wanderings took us to none. 10mins later we landed in the "Center" of town, Connaught Place. Expecting a Times Square type place, instead found what Times Square will surely look like 50 years after humans go extinct. All of the enormous/ornate facades deteriorated to their cores. But at least there are still McDonald's, VanHeusen shops, and Papa John delivery scooters to remind us that the end times are not quite upon us yet.
-Robby
Walked in random directions till the fitful rain soaked through. The traffic, the smells, the cows, Oh My! After waving off all rickshaws that saw us, we decided to take refuge in the first three wheeled, canopied rickshaw the came our way. Wait time... 3.4sec. Asked driver to please take us somewhere that we could recognize on the map, as our wanderings took us to none. 10mins later we landed in the "Center" of town, Connaught Place. Expecting a Times Square type place, instead found what Times Square will surely look like 50 years after humans go extinct. All of the enormous/ornate facades deteriorated to their cores. But at least there are still McDonald's, VanHeusen shops, and Papa John delivery scooters to remind us that the end times are not quite upon us yet.
-Robby
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