Chiang Mai

Northern Thailand: a whole other world yet still a traveler's paradise of a slightly different sort. There are lots of hill tribes that can be visited on various treks, the usual plethora of wats and a range of outdoor activities, not to mention massage, cooking and meditation courses on offer. With so much to do, what would I choose to occupy my 3 days here with? Not long enough to really go on a proper trek and with adventurous activities awaiting in Laos with (hopefully) less tourists, I decide to enjoy the city and some of the surrounding area on the back of a scooter. And take advantage of cheap but quality dental care to have my teeth lightened by cold laser. Yes, I am now a health care tourist...

There are a few wats outside Chiang Mai, the most impressive being Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, perched on a hilltop quite far from the sweat and dust of the city. On the journey there I also took in Wat U Mong near Chiang Mai University. Set in woods, there must be a meditation school here as many of the oddly utilitarian-looking sparse concrete buildings are signed as “Men's Quarters”, “Women's Quarters” etc. However I didn't come here for spiritual enlightenment, goddammit, I came here to see the underground tunnels created so monks could wander around and find that elusive nirvana themselves without straying too far from the Wat.

Following a path of Buddhist sayings written on sturdy plastic and attached to trees (my favourite is shown above) I came to the tunnels. I'm not sure quite why I was expecting a developed, labyrinthine system of them but there were three. All leading to the same place (unless you count the cleaners' storage cubby-cave as a destination). Next stop – a waterfall! There is an odd fascination with waterfalls all over the world and I still have to get to the bottom of it. In some hotter countries I think some of the appeal must be this cool, clean (?) water coursing down into pools, not to mention its cleansing properties and the sheer power of it. This was quite a nice one, running over rocks and the whole thing was part of an outer city park, lots of Thais were there having picnics, children running around.

On the way out Edwin & I passed stalls selling S.E. Asian snack food: deep-fried insects. Having once chowed down on these Alienesque creatures at Montreal's Insectarium, I shoved a crispy worm-like one in my mouth. Oh yummy. I think the stall owner was quite happy that these falang wanted to try his wares and proceeded to hand me a silk-worm (tasted like cheese) then a...huge grasshopper. Fried to brown perfection its big head and long, bent legs were too much for me; although to his credit Edwin munched down and declared it to be “delicious”, “the best yet”. Big fat locusts and smaller beetley type delicacies glistened in their oily fried glory.

That night we reunited with Joe who had stayed in Bangkok and a bunch of us went out to eat, drink and celebrate Edwin's birthday. The buckets, literally a small bucket of alcohol, usually cocktails, abounded and the fun began. Until the next day, when I had to get yet another night bus, this time to Bangkok prior to flying out to Laos. Although I would have loved to have stayed longer with my traveling friends and see more of the area, I just have to think to myself that there will be a next time.