I was in luck on this visit to Thailand because I have a Thai friend back in the US who happened to be in Thailand at the same that I was! Together we flew from Bangkok to his home town of Khon Kaen, in the northeast Isan region of Thailand. It is not a place where tourists go, so it was really special to spend a couple days here where I was the only non-Thai person around!
We went out into the countryside and enjoyed a picnic. It was very pastoral and the food was not anything I had ever enjoyed on a picnic before!
Rural farm in Isan Trendy Isan picnic food A bird flying off a water buffalo
I'm making my own fun...
We also drove to a monkey sanctuary where we didn't even need to leave the parking lot and before we knew it they had climbed all over the car! They'd hang down from the roof, hang off the antenna, and just show their curiosity and playfulness. Fortunately they scampered off as we drove on, I wasn't sure if they'd try to stick with us...
We returned to Khon Kaen where my friend's mother prepared us some tea. It was not just a matter of pouring water in with tea leaves but a whole ritual that took place in a beautiful garden. We poured tea on several miniature dragon figurines so that they might bless us with various attributes like wisdom, knowledge, and eloquence. We were not in a hurry, and reclined on triangular shaped pillows that are uniquely Thai.
Preparing the tea The figures that each represent a virtue
The following day, we visited a temple in the town center, which had an impressive tiered (almost pyramid) shape and views of the city. They had a relic of the Buddha, and also some rituals that were believed to bring good fortune. Below you can see the middle picture of the golden elephant with a handle that I had to pick up and place next to me. Then shake this cup of sticks and the first stick to fall out, read the number written on it and match it to a fortune. As you can see, the fortune is incredibly positive but a little too much to be something I could expect to come true!
A view of Khon Kaen from the top level of the temple
After a brief visit to Khon Kaen with some amazing hospitality from my friend and his family, I headed to the airport and flew to my final destination in Thailand, Chiang Mai. At the airport I was surprised to see a seating area at the gate that is reserved for monks! As a country with a strong Buddhist tradition, monks are revered. And monks need not take their role permanently - people can become monks for a short period of time before returning to their former life. A period of meditation where you can leave your possessions behind - I'm sure that would be a powerful experience that can teach some important life lessons we can all benefit from.
Chaing Mai is Thailand's second largest city and is located in the north of the country, among mountains. It is also a walled city. There are activities in the mountains, and the city center has good food and several Buddhist shrines.
My first mountain activity was to play with elephants! There are several places one can go to feed and play with elephants. While this is a tourist activity, the $50/pp we pay helps pay for the massive amount of food that elephants consume each day. Now if you're like me, you may be thinking, "Elephants have lived for thousands of years without the need for humans to spend lots of money feeding them. Why don't we let them go in nature?" to which the sad and somewhat pathetic answer is that elephants in the wild will be captured and forced to work in manual
labor or in a riding camp, where people pay to ride on their backs (which is not comfortable for the elephant). Loss of habitat probably plays a role too. So because of human activity, elephants require more human activity to rescue and care for them. Can't we all just leave the elephants alone??
In the back of a songthaew heading to the
elephant sanctuary
I also did a mountain biking excursion. We traveled high up and rode on a dirt track through some great scenery (i.e. coffee plantations) before arriving back in town. I am an avid cyclist, but a ROAD cyclist. I foolishly believed that I'd be a decent DOWNHILL MOUNTAIN BIKE cyclist, but in reality this requires different skills. So when they asked us if we wanted to take the "basic" or "intermediate" route, I assumed that basic would be too easy. Boy, was I wrong! It was pretty scary, steep downhill through the jungle and I probably would have enjoyed the basic route a bit better. Lesson learned!
Suited up with protection and ready to go! Scenery we rode past.
Northern Thailand has some dishes that are unique to them and differ from the most standard "Bangkok" Thai food that most U.S. restaurants carry. Two dishes that stand out for me are khao soi, a noodle dish with chicken and coconut curry, and sai oua, a spicy sausage. I visited the Cowboy Hat Lady, made famous by Anthony Bourdain when he visited her on his TV show. and Also an AMAZING Burmese restaurant called The Swan. Have you ever had Burmese food before? Because I hadn't, but I went here and fell in love. And I struck up conversation with a couple Americans who invited me to join them, so we shared and sampled several dishes and each one was great! Unfortunately I don't have photos from The Swan.
Cowboy Hat Lady Khao Soi Sai Oua
Like everywhere in Thailand, I visited the night market. At 6pm, an interesting thing happened: A loudspeaker played the national anthem, and everyone stopped what they were doing and stood at attention until the anthem finished. Then they continued about their business like nothing happened. Ever see a "Mannequin Challenge"? Picture that, but every day in public! Here's what I mean:
The night market snakes around Night market This tickled more than anything!
I felt bad for these beautiful parrots, who were literally chained to this vendor's cart!
Chiang Mai also has several Buddhist shrines and temples, which looked especially cool when lit up at night. Here's a sampling:
The partially ruined These long-fingernailed women
Wat Chedi Luang were performing a dance
Even Ronald McDonald says
"Sawasdee-krop!" (while wearing a black ribbon to show mourning for the late king)