Chiang Mai revisited - Xmas, 2013

Time to blog again.  Life has been busy.  Moving from Hong Kong, travelling in the Antipodes, and resettling in Canada hasn't left much time for writing (or reading).

Jeff and I love Chiang Mai.  It's warm, but dry.  Lively and crowded, but charming.  The food is wonderful.  And it's a relatively inexpensive place to visit.

I made an "executive decision" to stay at a swanky resort this time (i.e. not inexpensive).  Tamarind Village got great reviews on TripAdvisor (our travel Bible).  By the time we booked, the only room available was a suite.  Very comfortable and beautiful, however, there was no door between the bathroom and the dressing area ... and no windows or fan in that part of the suite!  We were very well located - inside the moat (one of my favourite features of CM!), walking distance to almost everywhere (foreshadowing ...).

In Buddhist countries there aren't many visible signs of Christmas, but the reindeer and tree at our hotel were so cute!  Nice to escape Hong Kong's overly-commercial Christmas hype.

There's an enormous tamarind tree on the grounds, and the pool area with the restaurant beyond is stunning.  The restaurant's name is Ruen, befitting our not-so-excellent dinner.  Good live jazz, but cold, tasteless food, and non-existent service.  I dissed it on TripAdvisor.




On our previous visit to Chiang Mai a few years ago, we visited the major Buddhist wats (temples).  There are over 300, most within the one-mile-square moat.  We are rather "templed out" after all of our Asian travels, so our plan was to see what else CM had to offer, and to have a relaxing, chilled-out vacation.

The morning after arrival, Thursday, we were picked up at 8:30 by the Thai Farm Cooking School.  A dozen of us huddled in the songtao - a small truck with two benches behind the cab.  First stop, a local market, where we feasted our eyes on all the gorgeous, fresh local produce.

Sign of the day!

We were very impressed by this cooking school; not only its physical surroundings, but also its professional and entertaining approach.  We all donned big aprons and large sun hats, and marched out to the organic vegetable garden to pick some of our ingredients - kaffir limes, herbs, long beans, chillies, etc.

Before we got to work, we chose our individual menus.  The chef was very impressed with Jeff - he selected the hottest dishes available - curries and soups extra hot, extra spicy.  He wowed all of us with his chopping skills, honed by the Food TV network!  I took a slightly less adventurous road, preferring red curry to Jeff's green.

We prepared six dishes and then feasted outside on the terrace.  Topped off by my all-time favourite dessert - mango sticky rice.

A fun day all around (and a positive review on TripAdvisor!).  And not a temple in sight.

Dinner later that night at the Rachamankha Hotel.  Upscale, al-fresco dining, better than Ruen, but not as good as our cooking school meal.  Entertainment by a lone musician who played traditional Thai instruments.

On Friday morning, a tuktuk driver fetched us at our hotel.  Our destination was the Scorpion Tailed River Cruise.  Hmmm ... we were the only passengers on board.  After half an hour, I realized why this outing is not very popular, even during the Christmas holidays when Chiang Mai is crowded with tourists.  The boatman/owner of the business droned on about the not-so-mighty Ping River and its history.  He showed us some interesting historic photos as we glided along, and pointed out the ruins of a pedestrian bridge that collapsed during the floods of 2011.  This river used to be the main communication route between Bangkok and CM - the 1,000 km journey took months to navigate! Yes, there were some pretty houses and buildings along the banks, but for the most part, there was a boring sameness to it all.  We stopped along the way to have a snack (mango sticky rice and tea) at the company's garden.  Interesting to see the collection of old radios and televisions!  Reminded me of summers in Trout Lake.

The river cruise only lasted a couple of hours (although it felt like more), leaving us plenty of time to shop at our favourite place in CM - Sop Moei Arts.  This non-profit shop sells limited edition baskets, woven wall-hangings, and other craft items made by the Pwo Karen tribe who live on the Thai-Burmese border.  Much nicer (and therefore pricier) than anything we could find in the local markets.  We bought a large basket (to pair with the smaller one we bought on our last trip), as well as a wall-hanging.  The shop delivered our purchases to our hotel.  The basket was nicely wrapped inside a large box - we wrote "fragile" all over it, and luckily it wasn't damaged at all en route to Hong Kong.

Walking back to our hotel (stopping for lunch at Huen Phen, a favourite local restaurant), we were drawn into the courtyard of a temple by the chanting of the monks.  A typical mid-day scene in this peaceful place.  No red-shirt protests in Chiang Mai.

Sign of the day!  

We thought slavery had been abolished!

While I was having a foot massage at Lila, a chain of spas that trains and employs women who have been released from the CM Women's Prison, Jeff visited the National Museum to soak up on Northern Thailand history and artefacts.  (The basket on the right is similar to the one we had purchased earlier in the day).  Next door to the Museum stands the Three Kings Monument which commemorates the founding of Chiang Mai.

We were looking forward to our dinner that evening at the Riverside.  The fish we ate there on our previous trip was superb, and our second visit was just as excellent.  How lovely to sit outside under the lanterns, watching boats drift by, eating delicious food!





On Saturday morning, armed with directions from our hotel's staff, we set out on foot to find the Arts and Cultural Centre.  According to the hotel, the walk should have taken us fifteen minutes.  Forty-five minutes later we were far away from the city centre in the middle of an unfamiliar area, with no taxis or tuktuks in sight.  And, needless to say, no Arts Centre either!  We finally found what we assumed was the right location, only to discover that the Arts Centre had moved two years earlier to a site far out-of-town!  Not a totally lost morning, though, since we realized that the Thai Massage school was nearby.  Talk about inflation!!  The price of a one-hour massage had tripled since our last visit, with signs posted that the rates were going up again in the new year.  Not to worry - the cost was still under $10CDN.  I decided that this was the last Thai massage I will ever have.  It's just too awkward and painful to go through, even though I felt great afterwards.  By the way, my third massage (normal style) was at the Peak Spa, upscale and wonderful.

Jeff and I find old cemeteries very interesting and so informative about the history of the places we visit.  The Foreign Cemetery in Chiang Mai is no exception.  Missionaries, as well as soldiers, teachers, and children, from several European countries and the U.S. are buried there.

Before our visit, we were unaware of the pivotal battles that were fought in Northern Thailand during WWII.  Claire Chennault and his Flying Tigers scored major victories near Chiang Mai.

On our way back to the hotel, we walked through Chiang Mai's "Jewish neighbourhood".  There are about half a dozen shops with Hebrew signs.  CM is a popular destination for Israelis, and these stores cater to them, offering travel services, kosher food, and spiritual guidance (Chabad).

Every Sunday, our hotel offers a short walking tour of the old town.  We passed a large plaza which was being prepared for a major festival  Our guide explained that during the prayers, each person clutches a string which is in turn attached to all other strings and people.  Everyone is literally connected!  We also brought offerings (fruit, water) to the monk on the left.  We sat at his feet while he prayed for us.

Later that day, our driver picked us up and took us on a shopping excursion to celadon and pottery factories.  Laden with all our purchases, we returned to Hong Kong with fond memories of a relaxing holiday.