Week 12 – 07/11/09 Chiang Mai
We arrive at Chiang Mai early morning at a petrol stations of all places. The so called VIP death trap from Ayuthaya which we boarded actually on the motorway looked glamorous enough on the pictures in the hostel, but in reality it was an old bus with a flashy paint job and they had stuffed in as many recliner seats as physically possible. However, seeing as we didn’t sleep much on the bus to Bangkok and after a days non stop sight seeing in Ayuthaya, our bodies would eventually give in to leg cramp and pass out.
We arrive at Chiang Mai early morning at a petrol stations of all places. The so called VIP death trap from Ayuthaya which we boarded actually on the motorway looked glamorous enough on the pictures in the hostel, but in reality it was an old bus with a flashy paint job and they had stuffed in as many recliner seats as physically possible. However, seeing as we didn’t sleep much on the bus to Bangkok and after a days non stop sight seeing in Ayuthaya, our bodies would eventually give in to leg cramp and pass out.
So, we are no standing in a petrol station on the outskirts of Chiang Mai wondering what the hell happens next. Then like clockwork a squadron of taxi vans sawngthaew turn up to take us into the centre. We arrived at a mysterious guesthouse and we asked for directions but the owners did not want to tell us anything and just offered us coffee. This is a common trick to try and get you to either stay in their guesthouse or enrol on a trekking trip. I cleared the wool from eyes and started heading for the street since I was not prepared to listen to that twaddle for one moment. Mariana was quite annoyed since I had absolutely no idea where I was going, which was true. However, I would rather find my own way rather than wait around for these tricksters to offer us a bargain. After 30 minutes and lots of tantrums we found our guesthouse. Perhaps a bit early at 7am but they were open for breakfast and we feasted like cannibals. After check in we went for a venture around Wat city, temples and Buddhist monks everywhere, I’m surprise Tesco doesn’t start selling cheap copies…
That night we decided to go budget after pigging out in Jeruselum Falafel restaurant, so hit the street markets for a few snacks. After our noodles I was still hungry so went for a touch of sushi, how stupid I was. Looking back, eating raw fish off a market stall is not the best travelling advice I would give. The next day I became very ill with stomach cramps, performed an exorcism in the bathroom and continued to wail in agony on the bed. Mariana decided to look up the local hospitals and mortuaries just in case I got a little worse. After about 5 hours of continuous moaning and complaining all the stomach bug had been evicted from my body.
The following day we went for our first meditation lesson with a local monk. He was really cool and you sensed that he knew something about you without ever meeting you before. We turned up late as ever, and they were in full hum by then, which was quite embarrassing to say the least. Even so, really worth it since I sleep so much better now.
The following day we went for our first meditation lesson with a local monk. He was really cool and you sensed that he knew something about you without ever meeting you before. We turned up late as ever, and they were in full hum by then, which was quite embarrassing to say the least. Even so, really worth it since I sleep so much better now.
The next few days were really lazy and we didn’t do much at all other than cycling around the city visiting Bhuddist Wats, hospitals and coffee bars. Chiang Mai is a great place to do absolutely nothing, we were champions at this.
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