Escape From Bangkok

This weekend I had a long weekend so Hannah and I escaped from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok to Northern Thailand. As we were jetting down in Chiang Mai I realized how easy it had been for me to forget that I was in such a gorgeous country. Bangkok is full of dirt, traffic, pollution, and way too many cars and people. Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand is a far cry from that lifestyle. There were trees everywhere, millions of rice patties, parks, gardens, and mountains. Even in the city of Chiang Mai we could walk everywhere safely, the air was cleaner, the sky was bluer, we weren't jostled by strangers with every step. It truly was a breath of fresh air in every sense of the word and we made the most of it.

We woke up at 4am on Friday and by 8:30am we were checked into our guest house in Chiang Mai. We wasted no time getting ready and headed out the door to start our adventure. Luckily we got an early start because it was seriously hot up there. It was cooler than Bangkok at night, but during the day was just as hot and humid. We entered the Old City through the Thae Pae Gate and our first stop was at a massage parlor that came highly recommended by a fellow traveller. We had the most incredible one hour massage for just 150 baht (around $5), which was a great way to start the day.

We walked around the Old City and visited several of the wats there. My favorite was Wat Phantao, which was made entirely of wood and absolutely stunning.

Hannah and I also released a few birds outside the temple for good luck.

One of the other more impressive wats within the Old City was Wat Chedi Luang, which has a gorgeous newer temple at the front of the property.

In the back is the ruins of the pyramid shaped original Wat Chedi Luang that was destroyed by an earthquake in the 1500s. The long staircase is partially in tact, and while you aren't allowed to climb it, the Buddha that was housed at the top of the tower is still visible from the ground. These pictures don't really do it justice but the entire complex was really beautiful and interesting.

After an amazing lunch at a delicious and seriously cheap vegetarian restaurant (Chiang Mai is known for the abundance of vegetarian and health-conscious restaurants so that was a nice treat), we headed up the mountain to Wat Doi Suthep, a very famous pilgrimage sight in Thailand. Besides driving 30 minutes up the mountain in the back of a wagon truck type car, there was also a cable car ride up to the Wat itself. We had every intention of walking up the 300 stairs, but when we arrived at 1pm in the heat of the day we just couldn't do it. We did walk down them though :)

Everything about the temple was amazing, from the views to the details it was just incredible. One of my favorite things about Thailand is that even though many of these temples are popular tourist destinations, they are also a part of everyday life for local Thais. Several of the most impressive temples are on regular city streets next to modern buildings, and Buddhism is just part of the culture here so people stop by on their lunch breaks, after work, and on family vacations. It's really a nice mix to see. It's also a treat when the monks are at the temples. I've become very enchanted by the monks here and I could literally listen to them chant for hours.

On Saturday we had another incredibly early morning and embarked on an almost 14 hour tour of the area outside of Chiang Mai. We visited a hot spring and drove through the town of Chiang Rai in the morning, ending up at a place called the White Temple.

To call this place stunning would be an understatement. It was truly overwhelming. This is actually a new temple that has been being built over the past 10-15 years. While it is not complete, the main temple and some smaller statues are still able to have visitors. The artwork inside the temple is like nothing I have ever seen or could imagine being in a temple. It is very post-Modern and provocative. Of course they did not allow photography inside the temple. Overall just walking around the place was simply serene.

After leaving the White Temple we drove a few more hours to the Golden Triangle where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet. There, we took a boat tour on the Mekong River, saw across to Myanmar even though we weren't allowed to actually go there, and then went over to the shores of Laos and were able to walk around for a bit.

After our boat tour we went to lunch and headed to the Myanmar boarder to the most Northern part of Thailand. Unfortunately we weren't actually allowed to cross over because of the cost, safety concerns, and the fact that getting a Myanmar stamp in our passport would automatically make our Thai visas expire in 15 days. Definitely not worth it. I settled for this fun makeshift passport stamp/supplement:

 

On the very long drive home we drove through some rural areas of Thailand known for their abundance of hill tribes. We visited the home of the Karen tribe, which had both Long Neck and Big Ear Karens, as well as the Akha tribe. To be honest I felt a little uncomfortable being there and thus didn't take many pictures. I certainly didn't pose with any of the women as some other tourists did. While I know these tribes have a long, rich history, I couldn't help feeling like they were putting on a show. Part of the price of our tour goes to the village so at least they are being compensated for having us come through there with our cameras as if they are aliens or something. Something about the experience just felt unauthentic, but it was interesting to see. Of course I bought some of their goods to help appease my guilt even though I didn't actually want them.



We arrived home late Saturday, had another great dinner at the vegetarian restaurant up the street, had one drink and fell into bed. We woke up Sunday to a scorching hot day in Chiang Mai. We got a fruit shake, had another amazing massage, walked through the Sunday market, and visited one last Wat that is home to the largest jade Buddha in Thailand.

We then met a friend of a friend who works at an orphanage and school in Chiang Mai, as well as starting his own non-profit aiding villagers in rural areas in Northern Thailand and bringing children from these villages to the city for careers and education. To learn more about Stuart and his life here please visit http://stuandthekids.org/ and feel free to donate if you see fit.

We had a very Thai-style experience, riding all 3 of us on his scooter in search of my first street food experience. Thai ice cream sandwiches are literally that. Two thinly sliced pieces of white bread filled with coconut and vanilla ice cream, topped with chopped peanuts and strawberry sauce.

We left Chiang Mai in style, taking a tuk tuk to the airport...