The Hippy Hubs

After leaving Bangkok, the plan was to gradually make our way North towards the Laos border, and hit up some of the popular backpackers' spots along the way.

Tiger Kingdom, Chiang Mai

We started off with just a couple nights in a town called Sukhothai. At the end of our stay in Bangkok, I came down with a bit of a fever, so I wasn't up for much, meaning that unfortunately my time in the North hasn't been quite as lively as I would've liked. Sukhothai is a fairly small town in the middle of Thailand. There isn't really too much there, but it is the old capital, so it definitely has some history. On our one full day there, we rented bikes and went around the ruins that are considered the 'Old City'. Turns out that apparently Sukhothai probably hasn't been the capital in, like, 1000 years... (this is a bit of a joke, I actually have no idea when it was the capital last, but if the Old City is any testament, it may have very well been 1000 years). I think I've talked in my blog about those surreal moments that hit you from time to time when you're traveling, those moments where you think "How the hell did I get here?". Well, biking on an old fifties-style bike with a basket going around ancient ruins was one of those moments. After a leisurely day, we had a laidback evening, as I tried to recover from whatever illness I had incurred (the girls were BEYOND nice enough to give me the private room with my own double bed). The next day we biked around the town for a bit getting lost as usual, until it was time to head on our next busride to Chiang Mai.

long neck Karen tribe woman

 I had unbelievably high hopes for Chiang Mai, since everyone I've met, both at home and on this trip, has raved about it, saying what a great, relaxed town it is. I honestly think that perhaps my expectations had gone beyond what they should have - not that I didn't like Chiang Mai, but it was just different than what I expected. We had decided to stay in Chiang Mai for six nights since we'd been moving around so much. I took this as a prime opportunity to rest up and get rid of whatever I'd had (after I'd thought I'd recovered, I was constantly getting lightheaded and had acquired some lovely heat rash on my legs). On our first day, we realised that we had no choice but to buy into some of the tourist traps, as that is just what Chiang Mai had to offer, other than numerous night markets. We started off with a visit to the Tiger Kingdom. Now I didn't even realise that this type of thing existed, but apparently there's one place in Northern Thailand where you can go into a cage with a bunch of tigers and pet them or play with them, whatever you want. Somehow, through growing up around people and being trained, these giant tigers are safe to openly be around (though apparently the baby tigers tend to get nippy). We chose to go in with the adult tigers, and the only thing between you and them is a trainer with a tiny piece of bamboo to knock them on the nose when they get out of line. Awesome. I of course took this as an excellent photo-opp. Obviously though, I had to have a bit of fun and pose with the tiger along with Rachel and Jo.

view of Mae Hong Son

 I almost forgot to mention this one little restaurant that we came across called the Funky Dog Cafe (appropriately named after the owner's goofy looking little dog). It was very cute - when we first went in, we all ordered the same curry with all different kinds of meat. The owner then proceeded to say "Oh no, this curry is much better with just chicken, you should all just order that." We knew he just didn't want to make it three different ways, so we went along with it. We then ordered different drinks and he said, "Oh no, Sprite is much better, good for you." We had a little laugh and went with it. After looking around the walls at the different sayings, poems, and artwork, we found that this was quite a little hippy joint. You couldn't help though but love the little old man - who told every table afterward to have the same curry with chicken - who seemed so cheery and at peace with himself and with life. You don't find that with all the locals, but there is a definite vibe - especially among ex-pats who've ended up here - of tranquility and a go-with-the-flow mentality: HIPPY TOWN! After a day of rest for me, and a day of walking for the others (they also met up with the Argentinian we'd met in Bangkok), it was Rachel's birthday, so we decided to take a Thai cooking class. At home, my mother among others can tell you I am a horrible cook, and a messy one at that. After a visit to the local market and a mini-lesson on different herbs, I successfully made spring rolls, curry paste and massaman curry, sweet and sour vegetables, pad thai, and fried bananas with ice cream - all from scratch! Honestly, it wasn't that challenging and they guided you along the way, but it definitely upped my confidence in my ability to try some new dishes...and it also confirmed that, yes, I am indeed a very messy cook. After surprising Rachel with a birthday cake - I forgot to mention that we also met up with Julia in Chiang Mai at this point - we went out for a small dinner and drinks. I decided to take it easy (surprising I know), and headed home after a few drinks, but the others went full force, and reverted back to our island routine. This of course meant that the next day was a hangover day. On our last day, we rented bikes again and, for some reason, headed to the mall. We decided to pay another amazing visit to the cinema to see a movie, and welcomed the free AC. In short, Chiang Mai flew by. I don't know that I really experienced it fully, but what I did experience was good and fun, but not mind-blowing. Though I will say that the night markets were pretty awesome, and lived up to what I would've expected.
 Our next stop was in Pai, which is where I now find myself. Pai is a small town about four hours Northwest of Chiang Mai. If someone were to go to Chiang Mai, and not really find it to be a hippy town, then Pai is the place to go. This is THE hippy town. On our first full day here, we did a day trip to Mae Hong Son and the surrounding area. We started at 4am and went to a lake for the sunrise, followed by a Chinese style village for breakfast. We then went to a mud spa where you could get mud facials or body scrubs. Being on a budget though, we went for the 'el cheapo' foot bath. We then went and saw a village of Burmese refugees where the women have stretched necks. It actually gave me an overwhelming remeniscence of Peru and the indigenous villages in the Sacred Valley. Our last stops were to a temple on a hill overlooking the town of Mae Hong Son and to a fish cave - basically a park with a river swarming with giant fish. After heading back to Pai, we wandered the streets, indulging in sugary doughnuts. It's funny how alive Thailand becomes after dark. It seems to be that way everywhere in Thailand. A town might seem deserted and dead, and then when the sun goes down, it'll turn into a bustling market full of music and vendors. Today we rented bikes again (this seems to be a trend of this part of the trip). The girls wanted to head to the hot springs, but being lazy and slow, I opted to just go to the local swimming pool, and chilled out for the day. They, on the other hand, biked fourteen kilometres, and visited the local hot springs. Tomorrow we head out for our last stop in Thailand, Chiang Rai. It is strategically located next to the Laos border. On a positive note, I began my research of Laos last night with a wikitravel search, and found that there are definitely some regular spots for backpackers. In two and a half weeks, I'm splitting off from the girls, and heading to Vietnam and Cambodia on my own. While I probably should be nervous about traveling on my own, I have to say that I'm actually quite comfortable with the idea. As much as I love traveling with other people, I think it might be nice to beat to my own drum for a bit, and really focus on my photography portfolio. Anyway, today marks two months of my trip down and three to go! Here's to the next few months!