Chiang Mai Part I
Landed in Chiang Mai and got through immigration very quickly. Having no luggage to collect makes things so much easier. Got a sangtheuw into the old town and as Claire was still not well we grabbed the first guesthouse we saw.
The place had a swimming pool and air conditioning but a bit of a whiff and very scatty staff. Had some crap pasta at the guesthouse and went to bed.
I decided we should move guesthouse as for half the price you can get a decent place. Packed all our stuff up and made the move. Claire thankfully liked the new guesthouse more.
Played doctor again and went on a reconnasance of the old town. It's seemed a really nice and bustling town. Lots of street vendors, smiling faces and generally just a good vibe.
The next day Claire was feeling a bit better so we ventured out and visited some wats. Had a delicious lunch in a cute little cafe which had hummingbirds nesting in one of the trees. Took many photos of the chicks getting fed spiders and the like. Note to self, must upload photos! Walked around the vast Sunday market and got Claire a t-shirt. I tried some local grub but it wasn't too good.
Got back to our neck of the woods and realised the men's wimbledon final was on so watched a bit of that before going back to our guesthouse. A couple of guys were watching it there so I had a few beers with them. Claire had relapsed a bit so went to bed.
After a few whiskey and cokes with Dave and Tom, they asked if I wanted to go out to a Thai disco with them and Eva, the owner of our guesthouse. I succumbed to peer pressure and off we went.
The disco was more a live music venue and the Thai rock band were actually pretty decent. Can't remember their name though. The weirdest thing was paying a visit to the bog. Whilst washing my hands, four Thai guys who work there give you a seriously brutal massage, clicking my shoulders, neck, etc. I had been warned but it was still a bit of a shock. Felt really loosened up afterwards. Maybe Thai massages aint so bad after all.
Got home at about 3am and spoke to Dave for ages before heading to bed. Claire was awake, a bit worried about where I was. Oops.
Had some breakfast at a sushi place and had some awful tempura vegetables including tempura oven chips, undercooked. Got a tuk tuk to the bus station and boarded the minibus up to a place called Pai.
Pai
The road from Chiang Mai to Pai is extremely steep and relentlessly windy. It took four hours to get there. I was starving so we went to a restaurant called the Witching Well. It was delicious food and Claire got a pot of herbal tea which was also good.
Had some beers at Yellow Sun Reggae bar and met Nelson the barman. He was cool as were the other staff who worked there and two kids called Malay and Ban. We spent most evenings here.
Met a couple of Belgian girls and got chatting about doing a trek. Had a bit of a bar crawl with them (Lio and Lena) and spoke to a photographer selling his prints in the street. There are many arty types in Pai. It's hard to walk ten yards without stopping to look at something arty.
Claire arranged with the girls to go to yoga the next morning. I watched James Bond on tv. Much more fun. Whilst Claire was at yoga I hired a moped and drove way out of town to a fishing lake that had big piranhas in it. Got a bit lost on the way but found it eventually and spoke to another Dave, the owner.
Headed back to Pai and picked up Claire so we could go fishing. Had great fun fishing and it was so cute when Claire caught her first fish. Big smile on her face. We caught about seven fish in total.
Claire was hooked (so to speak) and we went fishing at the same place a further two times. Both times Claire kicked my ass and caught loads including a two pound snakehead fish. Ugly thing with teeth.
That night we booked a trek with the enigmatic Mr Chart. The guy is nuts but after reading good reviews decided this trek sounded more interesting than the others. We would live in the jungle for two days and learn survival tricks. We would sleep next to a huge waterfall in a bamboo shelter built that very day. Persuaded Lio and Lena to come too. Got an early night in preparation for the trek.
Met early the next morning and Mr Chart was wearing some crazy clobber but seemed in very good spirits (homemade rice whiskey no doubt). The trek was very long and hard. We walked, climbed, swam, fell, visited ethnic tribes (and their angry dogs) all day long over massive mountains and in the searing heat before finally reaching camp. Such a relief to rest!
We went swimming in the waterfall to cool off before making dinner and playing drinking games with the two other guides and Mr Chart. Had many shots of whiskey from bamboo shot glasses and just chatted until the small hours.
The guides went out hunting (yes, they were armed and dangerous) and in the pitch black of the jungle night we all jumped as a single shot rang out. Soon later we saw the kill. A flying fox. Claire not happy. We ate it for breakfast before another tough trek through the mountains to our lift back to civilisation.
It was an epic trek, hard but ultimately rewarding. I had many cuts and bruises to show for my efforts but more importantly a sincere sense of achievement.
Spent another three nights in Pai (the longest we have stayed in one place for our entire trip). On the last day we went elephant trekking. This was great fun but so painful after a few hours on their backs. We had read reviews on Thom's Elephant farm to make sure the beasts are treated kindly. Some other places are a bit mean but this one was top class. We didn't want to ride them using a seat on their back as this apparently hurts them so bareback it was. Their skin is like sandpaper!
We rode through some jungle to a river and then, still on the back of Taddao (our 19 year old and biggest of the lot elephant) waded out into the water. A few commands from our mahout later and we were thrown off into the water and hosed down by her trunk. Played in the water with the elephants for a while then rode back to the camp for a dip in the hot springs.
Got some elephant hugs and waved goodbye. It was such a fun day and a real joy to ride an elephant. They are magnificent creatures. Our money will go on to help the elephants so it was for a good cause too.
Pai was great. One of my favourite places we visited. There is lots to do and the vibe here is special. It's like Glastonbury really. Could have stayed forever!
Chiang Mai Part II
Did the windy journey in reverse and arrived back into Chiang Mai at about 5pm. Went to the train station to get our tickets for the night train which we would catch to Bangkok the day after.
On the way back to the old town Claire found a place that sold cider so we had a couple before going back to the guesthouse we had stayed at the first time around. Fully booked! Bollocks! No worries as we found an even nicer room opposite.
Went for dinner at a mexican place and got tickets to the Muay Thai boxing. This was fun. Watched seven fights and enjoyed them all, especially a skinny French guy versus a huge American guy. This ended in a draw.
The next day we wandered around town heading for the train station. Stopped at a cafe opposite the station for a few changs in the rain then at 4pm boarded the southbound train.
Chiang Mai is a great place. It's busy but not horribly busy. There is lots to do, it's really cheap and there is a good feeling about the place. Much nicer than Luang Prabang.
Next up, Ko Chang, our final beach.
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