Rachel and Me w/our flowers that received upon arrival in Thailand.
With the smell of Kansai-style okonomiyaki still on my sleeve, I found myself on a 2.5 hour Shinkansen ride to Fukuoka. I made my way to the Hakata Green Hotel and met with my amazing travel buddy, Rachel. (I met Rachel at Tokyo orientation in August and we immediately clicked. She’s a JET in Hagi, Yamaguchi…far away on the west coast of the Guch.) We toured the streets of Fukuoka that afternoon and noticed that NOTHING was open. Finally it came to our attention that it was Jan 1, oshogatsu…New Years Day. It’s like the Christmas Day of Hawaii. The Superbowl Sunday of America. The Tour de France of…France? After aimless walking, we headed back to our hotel and picked up some food from the neighboring market.
5 hours and 1 chicken bento later…it happened.
No sleep for me…as I was awakened every hour with a pain in my stomach, matched with a trip to the toilet. (This would be the only time on our trip that I would have food poisoning, despite the spicy foods and lower health codes in Thailand. Go Japan!)
We woke up bright and early the next morning and headed for Fukuoka Airport. We stuffed all our winter clothes into a locker there and got set for our departure. 6 hours, 1 junk movie, 2 hours of Bejeweled, and 1 connecting flight later, we were met with beautiful and warm weather in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We didn’t need a jacket! No boots or socks required! Only T-shirts and shorts!!! A MIRACLE HAD HAPPENED! :)
Mama, Me, Rachel, and Top hanging out in the lobby.
The sun had already begun to set, and we found our way to our hostel, Bed and Terrace Guesthouse Chiang Mai. It’s a cozy little hostel in the heart of Chiang Mai and managed by the sweetest family (“Mama” and her son Top helped us in every way they could.) The location was great too…being only a 5 min walk to the infamous Night Bazaar. (We even paid the extra $3 a night and got the SUPERIOR twin private ensuite. I know…I’m fancy.) We had dinner at this restaurant called John’s Place. That’s when I had my first Thai meal (I had never had Thai food before in my life!) It was called Pad Thai, a combination of stir-fried noodles, chicken, egg, and a whole bunch of other stuff. I also had a side of roti (unleavened flatbread). Hard as a rock, but DELICIOUS!
Rach and Me about to partake in some delicious tropical drinks.
Thumbs up for Thai food!!!
We then headed for the Night Bazaar, Chiang Mai’s most AMAZING shopping square, full of street vendors ready to bargain prices with you. There were all kinds of goods, from silk ties and T-shirts to fake Tiff&Co and Gucci bags. After conquering only 1 side of the bazaar, we called it a night and headed back for the hostel.
Me, Suwan, and Rach enjoying the warmth and relaxation of Chiang Mai.
On Sun (1/3), we were chauffeured around by Mama’s cousin, Suwan. He was the sweetest man ever, and would call us his “Japanese daughters.” Suwan used to be a Thai boxer, but hung up his boxing gloves to become a private driver. He took us to meet the Longneck tribe of Chiang Mai. When we got there, we were asked to pay 500 baht (36 baht = 100 yen = about $1.11) to see them. Thinking they were playing us as fools, we left to find Suwan and asked for his opinion. It turns out that that really was the admission to get in, and we did the walk of shame to the village.
It really was like walking into an episode of National Geographic. There were huts stretched out amongst the trees and foliage. Each hut was maintained by a tribe member and filled with handmade goods such as silk scarves, jewelry, and toys. I found the situation to be quite sad. Long ago, this tribe was capable of caring for themselves and living off of sufficient resources, while preserving their sacred customs and rituals. Now, it seemed as though they were on show for the public, relying on tourist to buy their goods and take their pictures. I don’t judge them for doing so, as I understand how the world has changed, in both financial and ecological fields. I, too, can empathize with them, being from Hawaii—one of the top locations for tourism.
I learned that the brass rings they wear actually distort the growth of their collarbones and collapse the vertebrae, making it appear as though their necks are unnaturally long.
This lady wanted us to buy these hats...but we opted not to :P
We said our goodbyes and then headed for the next prominent activity in Thailand: elephant riding. At Maesa Elephant Camp, we got the chance to ride an elephant for 30 min through the Thai forests. It was an amazing experience. Once we began to descend down the mountain, Rachel’s water bottle dropped on the ground. The elephant was so smart that it picked it up with its trunk and proceeded to hand it to his trainer. He threw it into the trees, as it was covered in elephant poop.
Our elephant was the coolest one in the park. He was strong. He was cool. And he was quite the showman :)
The elephants looked happy and healthy (as much as captive elephants can be), and we even watched them take baths in the river during lunchtime. Then there was a talent show put on by the elephants, which included their painting, dancing, kazoo-ing, and soccer playing skills.
We left for a lunch buffet (200 baht = about $5!) at a nearby tiger park. I felt sorry for the tigers because they looked drugged up and just walked around like zombies as tourist took pictures with them. Yeah, easy to look cocky when the tiger you’re with is all drugged up, I thought to myself as I ate my DELICIOUS Thai food.
My favorite Thai food EVER...ladies and gentlemen, the amazing Kao Soi.
That night we hit up the Sunday market and the Night Bazaar (yet again!), returning to our hostel with bags full of souvenirs and goods. We jumped on a tuk-tuk (open-air moped-like vehicle) and had a crazy ride back…I think our driver was trying to show-off ;)
The next morning, we met up with Suwan who took us on a tour of…I’m not kidding about this…the sweatshops of Chiang Mai. We saw everything from fake purse shops and silk clothes to big paper umbrellas and woodcarvings. It felt weird having salespeople follow me around and being constantly barraded with questions like “Do you like that one?” and “How much will you pay?” It was funny when we went to the silk sweatshop because they took us on a tour of the silk-making process. We saw the entire lifecycle of a silkworm, from larvae to cocoons. I asked, “What happens to the silkworm when you need its cocoon for the silk?” The reply: “We boil them in water.” My response, “But won’t that kil…oh, I see. So they go into their cocoons and never see the light of day ever again. How sad.”
This man paints umbrellas for a living. I'd say he's quite good at his craft. I hope it doesn't rain.
After the long day of shopping, we took Suwan to another Thai buffet and engaged in good conversation over delicious food. Then we proceeded to a beautiful golden temple high in the mountains of Chiang Mai. Finally, the time had come to say goodbye to Suwan, who had become more of a father (maybe uncle?) to us. He surprised us with some small souvenirs to take home. I was really touched by his generosity because, given his circumstances, he could have used that money to take care of his family. I learned that everyone in the area loves Suwan because of his generous and caring nature. We went got some breakfast at a small eatery near the hostel and then visited the Night Bazaar ONE LAST TIME so I could grab some last minute souvenirs, said our final goodbyes to Mama and Top, and then left for Bangkok. Little did I know that I was in for the bus ride of my life…
We decided to fly around a bit before getting on the night bus ;)
Next on Tiff Goes to Thailand: The Soviet Union Bus Stop; Clubbing with Couches; Don’t Wake the Buddha; and Storms & Trash Bag Shoes: The Search for Le Lys.
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