Chiang Mai Afternoon

This is a long one. Brace yourself.

So we went biking today all over the old part of the city. I'll talk all about it but first, I'll tell you about our day yesterday in Bangkok.

So yesterday we were actually not planning on doing much since we THOUGHT our flight was at like 4pm but then Nicole actually figured out that it was at 8:30pm. When she first figured this out she kinda freaked out which made me freak out even more since I thougth she was freaking out because the flight was at 8:30AM and we had missed it but thankfully that wasn't the case. We had another nice breakfast at the hostel and started on our way.

Our original intent was to walk to Chinatown and check that out but we got very sidetracked on the way. We ended up at Wat Ratchanatdaram Worawihan for a good long time. I think it ended up being both my and Nicole's favorite place in Bangkok. It has beautiful architecture a little unlike anything I've ever seen... unlike the other temples around Thailand anyway. Also, have I mentioned the animals in this city? Well, the animals in Chiang Mai as well. There are dogs and cats that are just kind of chilling all over the place. Some of them are strays but others seem to be not-quite-strays and people seem to semi-care for them. Anyway, I am assuming because it is so nice and warm all the time, these animals are just passed out all over the place. Sleeping anywhere. And people don't really bother them. In the wat I saw a sleeping dog in a hallway. He lifed up his head and then scratched himself when I passed by but in general he didn't care much about me. The cats are the same. One of them hopped up onto the seat next to me on Monday and just plopped down. When I went to pet him he just rolled over and let me do it, clearly loving it. This is in stark contrast to the stray cats that lived around my area back in Seoul. Those cats looked rather mangy and were skiddish around people. They lead much tougher lives, by the cold alone. The cats and dogs in Thailand seem pretty okay with life.

I also saw a group of about four or five kittns all passed out on the second story of this wat. They were asleap on a couch left for readers and shelves with religious books were all over the place as well as dozens of gold and black Buddhas.

I saw a woman on Monday, I forgot to mention, coaxing a couple of squirrles down a tree with an offering of nuts. She clapped at them and they came down, somewhat timidly, but still with a clear intention to get all the way to the nuts. People just watched her.

Anyway, the wat I was mentioning. Apparently it was only one of three temples built in the certain manner. The other two of the same style having been entirely or mostly destroyed centuries ago. The information told us that there were thirty seven spires to signify the thirty-seven important qualities to gain enlightment. I'm sorry, the information at the temple said it in much more elegant words. There were also 100 rooms compromising five floors with a spiral staircase in the center. Apparently, monks studied on each floor depending on their rank, with the most respected monks on the top floor. The building is close to 200 years old but it was left incomplete for over 100 years until efforts to complete it restarted and finally finished in 2007.

I haven't mentioned yet how you're supposed to take off your shoes in Buddhist temples. I actually really like the practice. It allows some respite for my tired shoes to walk around of the cool, usually marble, tiled, or carpeted floors of the temples.

At the very top of the temple, the top floor which also happens to be the smallest floor, Nicole and I became partially trapped when a HUGE group of Thai school children all came up at once, blocking pretty much all the walkways. They were cute though.

After the wat we walked on and finally managed to get to Chinatown, although we enjoyed the detour. I feel like in every city, the purpose of the resident Chinatown is to provide a huge selection of cheaply-priced goods and Chinese food. Bangkok's Chinatown was no exception and we spent most of our time there walking through a huge, but also very cramped market selling everything from hair accessories to kids toys to bags to clothing to Chinese spices to meat.

After Chinatown we took a TukTuk to a marked that Nicole wanted to visit.

Up until now I forgot to mention transportation in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. In both cities, a large percentage of people seem to get around using motorbikes although there are a TON of cars and also a bus system which we didn't really venture to try (except the bus from the Airport) and a subway system. We, as tourists, mainly walked but we also sometiems took TukTuks which are small vehicles with one seat in the front for the driver and a bench seat in the back for passengers. They work the same way as a taxi (we also took a few texis) except there is no meter and we would bargin the price for a ride to a certain destination before we began (or to be more honest, Nicole would bargin the price). There are TukTuks in Chiang Mai as well but not nearly as many as in Bangkok. Here, the main form of transportation seems to be small truck-looking vehicles called songtaews with two bench seats in the back. Travelers hail the trucks and then pay a fare for them to take them places. They don't really have regular routes but do take multiple people at once who are going in the same direction. It's very interesting. But since we rented bikes today, we haven't tried it yet.

Anyway, after Chinatown we went to a market. It was generally like other markets I have been to selling all sorts of vegetables, meats, spices, etc. Nicole was enthralled until she ran into the meat section where live animals were housed in crates nearby their deceased, cleaned, and packaged counterparts. She was upset as well by the fish, some of which were still alive and kicking (in the way fish can kick anyway) as they sat in shallow water or on ice. We left the market, picked up our bags at the hostel, and left for the airport. As I mentioned in my last post, I was asleap before the plane even started to move. I crashed last night and slept for a long time.

Chiang Mai is very different from Bangkok. Where Bangkok seems very busy and very congested both with people and traffic as well as pollution, Chiang Mai is much quieter and laid back. That might be because we are close to the older part of the city and not the new, downtown, area which apparently sports all the hip hangouts and shopping.

Today we took it VERY easy. After leaving the hostel we checked out a couple temples which were within walking distance of where we're staying. When we ran into the first bike rental place we saw we rented bikes and started riding around town. At first we just rode aimlessly. We stopped for lunch and I had really excellent curry and rice. While at lunch we decided what we wanted to see.

Chiang Mai, at least the "old" area of town, which I am also quite sure is rather geared at tourists, is very relaxing and quaint. There are a lot of little shops and coffee places and just places with people chilling around. I mentioned that in Bangkok plants are everywhere, that is more so the case in Chiang Mai where not only are there plants and trees on the streets but also in pots hanging from the ceilings and on walls and all over establishments. Everything seems to be open-air, even more so than in Bangkok, and the air is cleaner giving everything a very natural feel.

I was interested in visiting the art exposition center attached to Chiang Mai University which houses the art produced by the art students there. So we biked to the univeristy. In my opinion, it was one of the better decisions I have made on this trip. Nicole said she liked some of the pieces but I was enthralled with the entire exhibit. Apparently, the exhibit we saw showcased the theses of some art students. It was amazing. It was very interesting to see art produced by young people from an entirely different culture. Similar themes approached from slightly different viewpoints, because of culture, but still very accessible since young people are still young people everywhere, especially these days. One thing I noticed were that the canvases of the paintings were huge, as were the sculptures. The smallest canvas was maybe four or five feet and most were much larger. The smallest sculpture was maybe three or four feet high. Everything was larger than life. There was a lot of bright color and a lot of intricate detail. It reminded me, in many ways, of the art in the temple. I took pictures until my camera battery went dead. Outside young art students sat and talked. Three of them pushed materials in a cart from one place to another. They had long hair and were all piereced up. Art students are the same everywhere.

(Note: The remainder of this post was added at 9:00pm.)

Afterwards we biked to the Chiang Mai Arts and Culture Center which has a historical museum showcasing some of the history of the city. I learned a lot about the relationship with European countries and the area. A friend told me that Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia that has never been colonized. Apparently, according to him, it was used as a buffer zone during colonization between French Vietnam and British Burma. Nicole and I talked later about the influences of colonizing countries on the areas they colonize. The conversation stemmed from our realization that many (though by no means close to all) of the tourists here are British or French. Nicole tells me that people have a tendency to go on vacation to countries that their home country previously colonized. Perhaps having something to do with lasting effects of their own culture still remaining in the old colonies. I also learned about the hill tribes in Northern Thailand which still live, to some extent, within their indigenous cultures.

After the culture center we returned our bikes. Another note on Thai transportation that I forgot: they drive on the left side here. This was something that I did not know about Thailand until I got here. Driving on the opposite side is not really something you ate much note of, as a tourist, until you are forced to pilot a vehicle of your own. It took me a while to get used to the cars zipping past me on the side I'm not used to. It also didn't help that I haven't ridden a bike in months. I ran smack into a parked car. Enough said.

After returning, briefly to the hostel, we went out for dinner. I had another delicious dinner, this time what is apparently a regional specialty, a curry soup with noodles and vegetables. Nicole and I also split a papaya salad. I forgot how much I love some vegetables, fruits, herbs, and spices that I have missed in Korea. Especially herbs like basil and tropical fruits like mango and papaya. These things are difficult or impossible to find in Korea which - I'll be the first to say it - simply doesn't have very much fruit and vegetables variety in their supermarkets.

On the way home we took one of the songtaews. It was pretty simple and straightforward considering we had no idea how to tell the driver where our hostel was and just kind of pointed him the way. He was pretty nice about it. We were lucky that there weren't any other people in the songtaew who wanted to actually get somewhere.

Tomorrow we wake up early for the trek. We'll be there all day tomorrow, the night, and then the next day so I won't be online for a while. After that we spend another night in Chiang Mai and then head out the next day for Chiang Rai, spend the night there and then wake up early Sunday morning to cross the border into Laos.

Very excited for tomorrow. I've never been in a jungle. :D

I'm sorry about no new pictures. The computers at this hostel don't seem to want to recognize my flash drive.

Side Notes

People who asked for postcards: I just bought some postcards today and I am planning to send them out probably Friday after we get back from our trek or Saturday if the post offices are open.

Anna-Rae: Yes, we were near Khaosan Road but not on it, thank goodness. We didn't spend much time there except for one dinner. It was overwhelming and, at times, rather creepy (purely because of some of the foreigners, not any of the Thais). Sorry but we aren't going back through Bangkok. I didn't realize you were there... for some reason I thought you were in a small town elsewhere. I feel really bad now, I should have messaged you. :/

Mom: Yeah I think that the rash is because of sweat clogging my pores. I'm basically just breaking out hardcore all over my back. It's pretty gross. I shower about as often as I can but you know how my skin's pretty sensitive. Sorry for anyone else who read that and was grossed out.