Bangkok and Chiang Mai

I should explain... Thailand wasn't part of our original plan, but the owner of Sweet Basil, Ana Thai and Sum Tom Thai is from Bangkok, and a frequent patron of the Black Cat, who insisted Chris must go there. Art arranged everything for us, and even though he didn't arrive to Bangkok until the 19th of Feb., he did make sure that his friends here in Thailand took care of us. It was beyond generous.

After a couple of days in Bangkok with Art's friends Tang and Vit, we moved on to Chiang Mai, which is the large Northern City in Thailand. We flew in and were picked up by the people of Insda Resort, just outside of the city. The resort was gorgeous, nestled in the Hills with a pool, private villas, and as it turns out, with just 2 visitors... us. The resort is in the final stages of its construction and we were lucky enough to be able to stay there while the finishing touches were being completed.


Sunrise from our balcony overlooking the hills


The pool view at Insda

The drive up was nice... calm, if you can believe it, and we almost considered renting some kind of transpo, but the roads are steep and curves are sharp. In the end, we didn't have to since someone from the resort was always willing to drive us wherever we wanted or needed to go.

They took us to all the sights. We went to the beautiful Royal Summer Palace (though the King is 91, ailing and has not visited in years). We went to the Golden Pagoda, a Hmong hilltribe village, some waterfalls, the highest peak in Thailand, more temples, a creepy cave with bats and bright green grasshoppers hiding in the stalactites... the list goes on.


Sari making in a White Karen Hill tribe village


Waterfalls on the way to the highest peak in Thailand


Orchids take the top, dangling from the trees upon the highest peak


Monks decending the steps from the twin Pagodas


Grasshoppers dangling from the crevices in the Taktan caves


Caves


These are the trees they dig from the forests and plant in urban landscapes. They are absolutely massive. I don't know how they do it...

When we weren't touring, we were lazing around by the pool or on our balcony. Chris helped them to develop a cocktail list (with a Thai twist of course), and we'll have yet to see if the Bloody Insda (a strange twist on the Canadian Caesar) becomes a favorite in Northern Thailand. We even did some Karaoke, though maybe we shouldn't have for the sake of all those around us...


Karaoke at Insda

After 6 nights and a truly memorable stay in Northern Thailand, we took the overnight train back to Bangkok. I really liked it, though Chris's opinion is somewhat different. We went 2nd class with no A/C, which was a bit hot, but I was just happy to lie down. Chris didn't sleep very well, and the train could have been better set up, but it's over now so I won't dwell upon it.

We got back to Bangkok and returned to meet Vit and Tang in the Chinese Business area we had stayed before, but they were called away on business. We stayed a night in that neighborhood. It's very modern, very organized, (yet eerily filled with massive massage parlors). It is a neighborhood meant really for people who know Bangkok and Thai, not poor low-budget tourists. We decided to spend a couple nights in the backpacker ghetto of Khao San road. We found a hostel with a pool and a sprawling terrace restaurant. You'd hardly know you were in the old part of busy Bangkok tucked away in there, though the pool are had a slightly pungeant sewage odor.


The hostel on Khao San Rd.

That night in Khao San, we met up with Vince Wienecke (another Gleber)who had been traveling Thailand for a month. We went out with him and it was nice to see a familiar face.

We went back to the original neighborhood when Art arrived in Bangkok to meet up with him there. We were taken out for wonderful meals and really shown around the town. We used the super efficient and magnificantly clean Bangkok subway system, and on our last night took a boat tour dinner around the old city. The guide was Thai, but Art, and Tang helped with the important translations.


Incredible bridge in North Bangkok

Thailand was a more expensive for the day to day items than Vietnam/Cambodia, though the convenience (Hello 7-11... how I've missed you!), organization and surprising calm of Bangkok make it worth it. Thailand is also stricter than it's poorer neighbors. It has very modern anti-smoking laws and controls alcohol sales at very strange times of day.

We also found there were fewer beggars and hawkers in Thailand... maybe it was the company we kept or the places we went, but it seemed that not everyone was looking to get your tourist $$. Even cabs wouldn't pick us up at times because it would take too long to get there.

All in all, our trip to Thailand was worth it beyond what I could have imagined. We didn't have the normal Thai experience that travelers on our budget would have. We saw and did so much more than we could have on our own. We saw things that aren't in the tour books and it was a really memorable experience.


Thanks Art!

Anyway, beep beep beep... we're back in Vietnam, where the traffic is insane again. It's cooler here in Hanoi (about 20C) which seems great to you polar bears at home, but it's very damp, which keeps you colder. It's nice to be back on our pre-planned trip, and out of the heat.

Hanoi is a nice city. It's busy, but not like Saigon. It's easier to navigate and people seem a little more private here, though tourists are harassed a bit. The men who fix shoes on the street seem absolutely incenced by the small rip in my heel and I've had my feet frantically poked at and even grabbed. I don't even know how they can all spot it! I can't way it's the friendliest place I've ever been to, but our hotel staff are helpful and we've gotten around a lot in just a couple days.

We're heading on the good overnight train to Sapa near the Chinese border tonight for a few days in the hills. Hopefully the weather will clear, as it is supposed to have magnificent vistas. Anyway, this was along post, so I'll end it here and update more as it happens...