Living the Dream on Xenia

We were up early and off to the train station. We arrived early so sat and people watched - what a mixture of both locals and tourists. Vendors were walking along the tracks selling food and drinks but we declined as you really need to see where your food is coming from. The train finally rolled into the station and we were off. Now the trains in Thailand are not to North American standard. We did have airline type seats which reclined and adequate leg room but that is where it ends. It took us an hour to get out of Bangkok and then we were off through the countryside. The first meal we were served was a taro filled bun and coffee or water. Pat took one bite and almost spit it out. I didn’t think it was that bad. However, it didn’t get any better. Lunch was mackerel in chili sauce and sweet chicken which looked and tasted like it had been cooked a year ago. At least there was rice. As we travelled along, we saw miles and miles of rice fields. The land is very flat so much easier to grow rice than in Bali. We could also see lots of large equipment to help with the harvesting. What we found disappointing was the amount of derelict railway cars, ties and rails along the existing track. Some of the rail cars where at least 20 years old and the old rail ties were rotting in piles. We also saw in Bangkok the railway yard and it looked like they just let the oil drain right on the tracks rather than collect it and dispose of it properly. The damage Thailand is doing to the environment in an hour is more than Canada does in a month. We travelled along the flat lands for about 8 hours before we started climbing into the mountains. We had a quick stop at a small town and were able to get some snacks and drinks as there was no dinner served on the train which is probably a good thing. We finally arrived after 11 hours of travel, found a cab and were dropped off at our hotel. We got checked in and headed to the local market for some dinner.

Greater Chiang Mai has a population of about 1 million people and the city itself has a population of about 160,00 and is one of the oldest cities in Thailand. Our hotel is located within the moat of old town and most people don’t stay here because of the noise but we have found our hotel to be quite quiet. Being in old town makes for easy access to all the markets.

The next morning after breakfast, we went out to explore the old city. We only got a couple of blocks down the road when a local asked us if we needed any help finding where we wanted to go as we were trying to read a map. Pat started talking with him and the next thing we know we are in his car driving to the wholesale arts and crafts district as he said he was going to buy his wife a bauble. We drove for about 20 minutes and arrived at the Gem Factory. We were greeted by a sales person who gave us a tour of the factory and then into the showroom. Again, very overwhelming as it was huge and full of tourists. We asked to see some pendants but found the gold ones too expensive. We did find a silver elephant with my birthstone that was reasonable so Pat bought it for me. Singh (our new tour guide) then took us to a leather factory, a textile factory and a laqueur factory. The only thing we bought was a jeweled pillow cover made from old Thai wedding dresses. We were then on our way back to town when Singh asked us to put some gas in his car. This is the point when we realized he had no intention of buying anything for his wife, if he even had one, and was just wanting some money. It only cost us about $18 and he drove us around for a couple of hours so no hard feelings. He was a very funny guy but swore a lot and made lots of sexual jokes. Good thing I was sitting in the back seat and ignored most of it. He did say he was a boxing and kick boxing champion in the 1970’s and currently teaches martial arts. He dropped us off back where we started and we found a restaurant for some lunch and then back to the hotel for a rest before heading out to the famous Sunday Night Market.

There are no words to describe the magnitude of the Sunday Night Market. Take the Sidney market and multiply it by about 1000 times. They block off the streets and there are three rows of booths along the roads as well as booths hidden in courtyards all along the road. There are street food stalls, clothing stalls, jewellery stalls and pretty much anything else you could want to buy. Only problem is, a lot of the stuff comes from China and is just junk so you really have to watch what you are buying. We did manage to find some bowls made from mango wood and some cute stuff made in Thailand. Hope we don’t have to buy another suitcase to get our stuff home!! After three hours of wandering around and a stop for a beer and some satay skewers, spring rolls and bbq ribs, we headed back to the hotel as Pat’s leg was really bothering him.

We woke up late – 8:00 am which is very late for us. Breakfast is included at the hotel and you order your breakfast the day before. So far the breakfasts have been very good and there is unlimited amounts of juice and coffee. While the coffee is very strong it makes great lattes!! We decided to have a pool day so after breakfast went for a walk in town and did some shopping and then back to the hotel. While the pool is in the sun in the morning, it is in full shade during the afternoon. Only problem is, it isn’t heated. I managed to get in up to my waist a couple of times, but Pat didn’t even try. Had some drinks, watched Netflix, read and just had a nice relaxing day.

The next day we were picked up at our hotel at about 8:30 am by Sammy, our cooking school instructor. We drove to the local market and then to his farm where 17 of us learned how to cook green, red and yellow curry, Tom Yum and Chicken Coconut Soup, Chicken with Cashews, Papaya Salad, Spring Rolls, Phad Thai and Sticky Rice with Mangos. It was a whole day affair in a very tranquil setting. Sammy is very funny and both he and his wife are very accommodating. We made the curry paste from scratch with ingredients from his farm and learned the secret to the sauces used in Thailand. It is not complicated cooking, but all about the flavours of the ingredients. We were so full from eating all day we skipped dinner when we got back but did go for a walk and stopped for a drink.

You can’t visit Thailand without going to see the elephants. We choose a half day tour so were picked up at the hotel around 2:00 pm and we made the 45 minute trip to the Sanctuary. They currently have 4 mature female elephants all between 50 and 60 years old, one mature male elephant who is 56 years old and three smaller female elephants between 5 and 7 years old which they just received. Thai elephants originated from India and are smaller than their African counterparts. All of the elephants have come from working environments and some have injuries as a result. We were given uniforms to wear but they were pretty small so only the pants fit me. We then went out into the field and mingled with the elephants for a while, got some pictures and were able to touch them. We then got to feed them. The female elephants eat about 400 pounds of food a day and are vegetarians. We washed and fed them bananas which they were eager to get. They are very gentle and a little 2 year old in our group could be heard laughing when the elephant took the banana from him. Then it was spa time. First is the mud bath. This is the only way for the elephants to cool off as they do not sweat through their skin. They got into the mud pit and let us scrub them with the mud. Of course the guides made sure we were covered too. After about half an hour of slopping around, we took them to the river to wash them off. There was water flying everywhere and all of us in the river were soaked!! We then got showered and were fed dinner before the 45 minute drive back to the city. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would recommend it to anyone coming to Chiang Mai.

We were up early the next morning and off to our river rafting and water trekking adventure. It was a 1 ½ hour ride to the river and we had one pit stop along the way. Once there, we were fitted with life jackets and helmets and given a safety briefing. Because the river was low, we were put into inflatable kayaks instead of the larger boats so Pat and I were together with a guide. All I can say is what a blast. At first we thought it was rather boring as there were no rapids but that quickly changed and through the rocks we went. Weren’t sure what to expect at first but once we got the hang of it all we could do was laugh. As you went along you rubbed over and around the rocks sometimes hitting them quite hard. Only got stuck twice where our guide had to get out and push us off. Many times our kayak would fill with water and it was like being in a bathtub. We were on the water for a couple of hours and then back to the camp for lunch. After lunch we started our walk up to the waterfall. We knew it wasn’t going to be very much of a hike and more of a walk but we had hoped to get info on the flora and fauna which didn’t happen. Our guide was very young and didn’t seem to know much about the environment when we asked him questions. We arrived at the waterfall which was rather small compared to what we have at home and what we saw in New Zealand, but I went for a swim anyway. We then walked back down and were dropped off at a swimming hole. This is where they jump off the rocks and swim down the rapids. The only taker in our group was Phil, a 32 year from the UK. His mum and Pat and I just sat on the sidelines and watched them jump from about 8 meters into the pools. Oh to be young and crazy!! Once back at the hotel we had much needed showers, dropped off some laundry and out for a steak dinner. We were in bed early as we were exhausted…..

Today is our last day so we are not doing much. Went for a walk in the morning, had a Thai massage in the afternoon and then hung around the hotel. We are up and out at 5:45 am tomorrow for our next stop – Cambodia.