Chiang Mai, Part II - Muay Thai and Bamboo Tattoos

We wake up super early and hop on our scooter around 7AM, hoping to make the most of our 24hour rental...and avoid the early morning traffic. We fill the tank, pound Nescafe coffee drinks in a can (on vacation we eat/drink things we never do at home!) and ascend the mountain once again.  Past Doi Suthep, we climb farther above the city and further into the jungle.  Our destination: a small Hmong village and the finest, freshest coffee straight from the source. The roads narrow and the hills steepen.  It's a little more than our 100cc bike can manage with two passengers and I have to jump off and walk on a few of the steep climbs.  But down one-lane roads with two-way traffic and muddy, rutted turns lies the cutest little coffee shop I've ever seen.  An open-air platform of raw wood beams and a few tables nestled into a hillside and surrounded by a valley of coffee plants and banana trees.  An old woman offers us coffee or tea--we take two cups of coffee and a seat after our long ride.  The coffee is tasty, invigorating and relieving after our journey.  We even buy some beans to take home with us. 

The view from our coffee paradise.

After our coffee the old woman points us up the road to  the main part of the village.  We bike a few hundred meters further to a sleepy collection of ramshackle homes, a shop or two selling snacks and fresh fruit and the most unusual gasoline-dispensing contraption I've ever seen.  Well, since empty whiskey bottles.  The town is a weave of hard-packed clay/dirt roads, we pass an old woman sorting through rice grains in a wide basket on her stoop and a young boy feeding a few caged birds.  We wander about for a few more minutes but soon begin our journey back to the city.  On the way we stop to see the gardens at Phuphing Palace, a winter residence for the royal family when they visit Northern Thailand. The gardens are quite beautiful and varied, but we walk the grounds for only about an hour so we can return our bike on time. 

After a tasty lunch at the Blue Diamond (massive portions and a mostly veggie menu) we check out a few tattoo shops, eager to find someplace to get traditional bamboo tattoos.  Instead of a tattoo machine, traditional bamboo tattoos are done with 4-5 needles fastened to a bamboo handle.  The ink is then pressed into the skin with the needles by hand.  It began as a practice undertaken by Buddhist monks who imprinted traditional religious symbols into their skin centuries ago.  We've been toying with idea for some time, but we needed to find a good, clean shop and come up with a good idea. Seems like a great way to commemorate our trip!

The second shop we visit, Deja Vu Tattoo seems deserted at first.  Then suddenly a lively woman comes bouncing over from the internet cafe next door.  We discuss our idea and size/location for the tattoo.  She's very helpful, and on the phone with the tattoo artist to figure out the artwork immediately.  She asks if we can wait to see the design and get the work done tomorrow, and since we're enjoying Chiang Mai so far we decide to stay another day. We agree to email her a photo of our idea and set up an appointment for 4PM the following day.

With a few hours to kill before the Muay Thai fights that night, we grab a couple beers on a rooftop bar and a quick dinner at the night bazaar.  Then it's off to the fights!

What a crazy scene.  Let me see if I can summarize: The ring sits in what is more or less a roofed-in courtyard, encircled with a few dozen tables and chairs. Beyond that the whole thing is surrounded by 7-8 different bars.  Most interesting is the self-proclaimed Lady Boy Bar.  Want to know more about lady boys, or Kathoey? Read here. Anyway, the lady boy's may have been the most interesting part of the night--between fights they lip-synced and preformed choreographed dance numbers to various 70's hits. Eventually they were topless, with tourists dancing along! It was quite a sight...


As for the fights, they were also quite entertaining. There were 6 or 7 bouts, starting with young, 12-14 year old boys and working their way up in weight and skill level. Some fights were quick and brutal, while others were slow and prodding battles.  Almost all were called by the ref due to one of the fighters being unable to go on.  In the finale, an international bout, a Thai fighter is beaten by a lanky, pale English kid in 5 rounds. All in all, quite a night.

The next day we rise for another round of iced coffees and our first laundry of the trip.  We make use of the sidewalk laundromat just across from our guesthouse--literally a few coin-operated washers and dryers on the street--and then grab a quick snack before heading over to check out the artwork for our tattoo.  Unfortunately it's not ready yet, but the woman promises if we return at 6PM she will have the artwork and the artist ready to go.  A bit concerned, but with no other option, we hang out in a few used bookstores and check out a recommended vegetarian restaurant before returning to the shop.  


To our surprise we return to the shop to find the tattoo artist and a great, very detailed sketch of our idea, which I've obviously been keeping a secret so far.  So here's how it turned out: 
 

It's a little tough to see, but the design is based on the roots of the trees that we had been seeing all around Thailand--unlike most trees back home, their root systems seem to sit much more above the ground.  We think they are Indian rubber trees, but we're not entirely sure.  Here's the picture the artwork is based on:

We decide to get the same design on opposite calves (mine on my right, Sadrah's on her left) to symbolize the roots that we have grown together...awwwww...ok, shut up! The work costs about 6000B each for 2 hours, or about $200 including a pretty decent tip by Thai standards.  The detail in the artwork came out great (unfortunately you can't really see it in the picture) so for the time and level of work we're both very happy.  Bamboo tattoos don't generally bleed or scab up like machine tattoos since the needles don't go as deep.  However they last just as long and are fully healed within 3-4 days.  You can even get them wet 3-4 hours after the work is done, which means we can take a full-on shower that night. A nice bonus in this sticky climate. 

Our awesome artist and his partner

It's pretty late by the time we finish up with the tattoos, so we say our thank yous and goodbyes and head back to our guesthouse.  After a quick celebratory beer at the bar downstairs we crash into our bed, for another day of travel lies ahead. Tomorrow we really get off the pancake trail...

Chiang Mai

Our journey north to Chiang Mai starts typically: we arrive at the bus station @ 9:30AM, hurried along to buy tickets that seem a bit expensive and rushed to a bus that is about to just about to arrive.  Turns out it's the wrong bus, and we end up waiting until 11AM. What a perfect time to grab a snack and get some ready done, right? Eventually we board a double-decker with a bit of AC going and 5 hours later we roll into Chiang Mai.  The biggest city in Northern Thailand, Chiang Mai is definitely more manageable and less overwhelming than Bangkok.  Over the next few days we'll come to find that it's definitely the cooler, more progressive big city in Thailand.

From the bus station we share a sawngthaew across the moat that encircles the old city with a few other European travelers from the bus.  We arrive in a central location and proceed to the guesthouse where we reserved a room the night before.  Unfortunately, it's a bit of a dump with ants all over the floor of the room and windows that wont open, so we politely decline the room and set out on foot to find a more suitable spot.  On our 2nd try we find Rama Guesthouse--nothing flashy but for 300B a night it will do for now.  The rest of the day includes our first non-Thai food of the trip (burritos and falafel) and a bit of wandering just to get our bearings.

The next morning we roll out of bed a bit later than normal and stroll down the street for some great iced coffee and a chocolate croissant.  Not bad for $3. We intend on taking it slow today, but after about an hour of pouring over maps and guidebooks we come up with a plan for the afternoon instead.  We rent a scooter for 200B for 24hrs. (about $6.60) and Sadrah pilot's us up to Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, a Buddhist temple that sits in the mountains overlooking Chiang Mai.  It's a tough ride at first with tight, steep curves and various trucks, buses and other scooters flying by.  Thais can be wild drivers--crossing over into opposite lanes of traffic on tight turns and passing in your lane--so you need to stay alert.  Not to mention that it was Sadrah's first time with a passenger, and my first time on a scooter EVER! There are a few wobbly moments, but eventually we get the hang of it.

The temple sits partway up the mountain with beautiful views of the city below.  We hang out for a while, grab some food and wait out a passing rainstorm. Before descending back into the city we procure some gasoline from a very peculiar source: at the back of the market a guy is selling empty whiskey bottles full of fuel for 50B.  Way overpriced (30B at the pump), but when the gauge is on E it's better than nothing.  We dump a liter into the tank and hit the road.   

The view from Doi Suthep

Every Sunday evening in Chiang Mai there is the Sunday Walking Street, a massive market that starts at Thapae Gate and runs along the length of Ratchadamnoen Road through the heart of the Old City.  We spend nearly five hours in the market, wandering and munching on all manner of strange foodstuffs and browsing all types of clothing, trinkets and handicrafts. We manage to buy a few small things and finish the night off with a 1/2 hour foot massage for $2 each.  We shuffle off to our bed content with our first full day in lovely Chiang Mai.

Black bean ice cream!

Sunday Walking Street

The Ancient City of Sukhothai.

Early the next morning we headed downstairs and ate breakfast at the restaurant.  Our guest house offered a free transfer to the pick-up truck public transport to the old city and we took advantage of the 9am run.  The shuttle dropped us off in front of 7/11, which are absolutely everywhere in Thailand and we immediately jumped on the back of a sawngthaew which was loaded up with passengers as well as sacks of potatoes and peanuts to be dropped off along the way.

After hopping off the sawngthaew we headed across the road to rent a couple of bicycles for 30 baht a piece (roughly $1). 

We spent the day coasting around the Sukhothai Historical Park checking out the remains left from an ancient kingdom of the 13th and 14th centuries. The park, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is over 70 square kilometers but we saw only a fraction of it, concentrating the majority of our time in the center of the old city which contained giant Buddhas and many temples all surrounded by a moat.

We heard later from someone that moats used to surround ancient cities in order to protect the temples from termites. I don't know if this holds any truth but after seeing some of the damage a termite can cause it wouldn't surprise me.

 Somewhere along our exploration we heard some loud thunder and and noticed  menacing clouds rolling in.  We sought the nearest shelter and managed only to get hit by a few raindrops before it really came pouring down. 

Mike waiting out the storm.

The rain provided a really nice relief from the heat and about a 30 minute delay.  We waited under a little roadside hut for the raindrops to slow before heading on to another section of the ruins that contained a huge Buddha with famously photographed long golden fingers.

I'm always impressed with the symmetry in ancient ruins.

This contraption makes the ride we took the other night look as safe as a Volvo.

Wet and worn from the day we hitched a ride back to the 7/11 where the guest house shuttle took us back.  We cleaned ourselves up anticipating to use one of the free guest house bicycles to ride to town for some dinner. When we inquired at the front desk, the look on the woman's face said it all. She cautioned us on the state of the roads due to the recent flooding and we opted instead for another mediocre meal at the guest house, some cards, a beer Chang, and an early night to bed before a long travel day to come.

Travel daze

After some exciting and relaxing days in Kanchanaburi we push northward to the historic city of Sukhothai.  But not before a very, very long day of travel.  The speed, consistency and lack of predictability when it comes to traveling outside of the Western world definitely takes some getting used to.  It took me most of my two weeks in Peru to get the hang of it. There may be prices or schedules posted at your guesthouse, but don't expect what you see in the guidebook or on the web to be the reality at the train/bus station.  Things do not always run on time and prices can change without notice.  You may start to feel like everybody's screwing with you, but just try to go with the flow and be prepared to wait a while or jump at a moment's notice and you'll be fine. So far I think the system has actually worked in our benefit, as there always seems to be a bus leaving to where we're headed just as we arrive to the station. 

Our journey begins early.  After a quick breakfast we board and 8AM fan (no AC) bus to Suphanburi. Two hours later we arrive in Suphanburi to the usual ruckus of tuk-tuk drivers and "travel agents" attempting to herd us onto this bus or that.  I just remind myself that they're only trying to make a buck, just like everybody else.  The normal response seems to be to just ignore them, and be on your way.  So we keep our eyes averted and stop for a minute to collect ourselves and our things.  After a bit of language barrier confusion, we board the cheaper  fan bus (and not the AC mini-bus) to Ayutthaya.  We arrive about 2.5 hours later (1 hour waiting in the bus at the station, 1.5 travel time) but not really at any sort of bus station.  Eventually we figure out that we're not at the long distance bus station and remedy the situation with a short ride on a miniature version of the sawngthaew's we see all over Thailand. We make the 3PM air-con bus to Sukhothai and settle in.

Six hours later we arrive in Sukhothai to do the ol' transport dance once again.  We board a rickety motorcycle cart contraption--half motorbike in the back and 2-3 seater cart in the front, with steering partially controlled by the feet of our driver--and finally arrive at our accommodation, Sila Resort.  This area of the north has received a lot of rain over the past few weeks and the river running through town is extremely high.  It nearly touches up to the bottom of the bridge we cross on the way to our guesthouse, and roads are flooded out completely in some places.  We spot water trickling through (and nearly over) the sandbags piled high along the banks and cross our fingers for no more rain.  Or at least that our room is on the 2nd floor!

Exhausted from our day of travel we grab a quick dinner at the restaurant downstairs and head for bed. 

Slowing down, kicking back.

We were both a bit worse for wear after four hectic days in Bangkok.  The combination of heat, jet lag, poor air quality, nasal congestion and poison ivy all added up to a dizzying experience.  So, anxious to get out of the city we board an ancient but colorful, funhouse-mirrored bus and rolled slowly toward Kanchanaburi. The bus putters along, spitting black exhaust and making frequent stops, but eventually we arrive.  This small town on the River Kwai sits about 2 hours west of Bangkok.  It's most well known as the home of the famous Bridge on the River Kwai, but there are a few other worthy sites and a generally more relaxed atmosphere that enticed us. 

Having my Iphone with us has been a real lifesaver so far. I don't have any cell phone service, but we can jump on free wifi whenever we find it, which is most any restaurant, coffee shop or guesthouse in Thailand so far.  So, once at the bus station in Kanchanaburi we dodge the nagging tuk-tuk drivers and use the free wifi at a coffeeshop nearby to call our guest house and get them to pick us up for free.  We spend the rest of our first day just relaxing and settling in.  We track down cheap vegetarian fare on the main drag, we lounge by the pool, we nap in our AC room.  We shake the flashing lights of Bangkok.

The infamous bridge

The next morning we're ready to go--we rent bikes for 50baht a piece (about $1.50), scarf down some breakfast and head over to one of several WWII cemeteries in town.  There's also a great museum next door that tells the story of the Death Railway (which the Bridge over the River Kwai is a part of) and the men who built it. During WWII, the Japanese put hundreds of thousands of POW's to work building a railroad from Burma to Bangkok to help transport precious resources for their war effort.  It was treacherous terrain, and thousands of POW's died from exhaustion, malnutrition and disease.  It's a compelling story that I'd never heard before.  After the museum we biked it down to the infamous bridge--not all that compelling, but worth a look nonetheless.

Cave Buddha

The heat is still brutal, so we take a pool/lunch break and then head off toward Wat Tham Khao Pun a few kilometers out of town.  The Wat (Buddhist temple) boasts a series of caves with various Buddha statues and images.  We get our first real taste of adventure, biking through small villages and trying to navigate our way to the Wat with a poor excuse for a map.  We cross paths with a herd of goats and several Brahma cows. Most signs don't have any English, so we take a couple guess turns and arrive eventually--out of breath and drenched in sweat but exhilarated.  The caves feel like a bit of a tourist trap, but the journey makes it worth it.  Plus, seeing Sadrah yelp and run from bats swooping overhead is worth every minute of pedaling. 

We decide to spend an extra day in Kanchanaburi.  400baht for an air-conditioned room and a pool--why not?! Besides, we'd developed quite a friendly relationship with the little lizards that decorated the walls outside our room after nightfall.  The next morning we board a bus to Erawan National Park to check out the 7-tiered Erawan waterfalls.  It's a beautiful spot with light jade-toned water surrounded by thick jungle.  Each swimming pond is brimming with little fish that swim up and attach to your skin and begin sucking/nibbling the minute you get into the water and stop moving.  It takes a little getting used to--actually we never really got used to it. But if you swim out into the deep water and tread water they leave you alone. We explore the first 5 tiers before having to rush back down and catch the bus back to town. 

And by the way, whenever you see a sign that reads "Beware Fierce Monkeys" you best take it seriously.  We had a monkey with baby in tow rip open a plastic bag filled with our picnic lunch supplies and steal off with our 7-11 cupcakes.  One of the park workers tried to get them back with a slingshot to no avail.  Later we saw another monkey go after a family and their bag of treats.  These are serious monkeys.

We finish our day with our first (of hopefully many) Thai massages at Suan Nanachaat, a relaxing spa/cafe about 10 minutes outside of town. We both change into loose fitting clothes and are lead up to a loft space and asked to lay down on floor mats.  Two small, but very strong Thai women then proceed to press, bend twist, and pound us into all sorts of wild positions for the next hour or so.  Thai massage is very different from what most of us are used to in the states.  The owner of the spa refers to it as 'passive Yoga' and the description is very fitting.  You're definitely not going to fall asleep during this massage.  By the end of it we are both worn out but also quite invigorated. The combination of yoga stretching and intense massage really works to loosen up the body and the mind.  It was a bit pricey for our budget  (16.50/person for 1.5 hours), but definitely worth the splurge to get away from the sleazy, sidewalk massage parlors in town. We return to Kanchanaburi proper for a late dinner, revived and ready to continue our journey north through Thailand.

First Stop Bangkok

Greetings from Thailand.  We're survived our first week here and between the 24 hours of air and land travel to get here and the dizzying pace of Bangkok once we arrived, it feels like it's been much longer.  Our flight landed in the middle of the night and we quickly discovered that Bangkok is the true city that never sleeps. 
We found our way into a taxi (w/ a wild-eyed Israeli/Swede?) from the airport and arrived at the hostel we would stay at over the next few days.  A simple, small room with a fan and a double bed with a shared bathroom down the hall.  As is Thai custom we removed our footwear before entering the living area which kept things clean and comfortable after a long day of traveling.  Bare feet in a foreign, semi-public restroom took a little more adjusting. 

We felt rested after our first night and woke up early enough to have our included breakfast: toast with butter and jam, fresh fruit, and coffee/tea.  Ever ambitious we fought through our jet lag and set out to explore the city. A short taxi ride dropped us off at a pier where we picked up a cheap and relatively fast medium sized boat down a canal to the Grand Palace - the former Royal Residence.  Bangkok is said to be the Venice of the East, but with its brown, sewage-scented water and overwhelming air pollution I think the comparison falls a little short.

We found that nothing stops here--the traffic is never ending, the buildings expand further than the eye can see, and while you are here you can't seem to stop either. It's all a bit overwheming. Any brief hesitation to take in our surroundings or catch our breath in the smoldering heat was an open invitation to be approached about a tuk-tuk ride to where ever we were (or weren't) heading for a much inflated price over the cost of a metered taxi. When we arrived at our destination pier outside the Grand Palace we found ourselves among an open air food market selling all kinds of identifyable and unidentifyable goods. It smelled of diesel and fried foods.  We bought some fresh watermelon and pineapple and began to assess our situation. 

We were on the opposite side of the street from the Grand Palace with about 4 lanes of never ending traffic between us.  Crossing the street is a particular challenge.  It flows from a different direction than we're used (look right!) and is filled not only with cars, but innumberable scooters and tuk-tuks. Real pros bravely step into traffic and cross little by little, one lane at a time.  Stopping and staring down the onslaught of motorscooters, trucks, buses, and cars and hoping that the timing works out in their favor.  This is still very daunting at this point so we chose to wait until someone else was venturing across and just kind of piggy-back along with them.  Eventually we reached the Grand Palace but not before ignoring several touts trying to convince us that the destination we were trying to see was currently closed for one reason or another and in the meantime we should take a ride in a tuk-tuk to see some other glorious sights the city has to offer.  All this despite the fact that hordes of 'farang' or foreigners, are entering a exiting the Palace right before our eyes.  We dodge them all and eventually get inside to explore the intricately designed temples and statues inside the Palace walls.

Our 4 days in Bangkok left us dizzy.  Literally.  Breating carbon monoxide all day from the overwhelming amount of vehicles and riding in small boats in canals getting misted with sewer water is not worth all the hype.  We did manage to make the best of it though and picked out some relaxing sights within a chaotic city.  We very much looked forward to the overstimulation of sound, sight and space letting up as we headed out of the city towards Kanachanburi.


What we've learned/done so far:

-  The inability to speak/read the language turns out to be a bit of a hindrance
-  Beware of the Crazy Bird Lady of Bangkok
-  Ladyboys are everywhere
-  Ping Pong shows really do exist
-  Thai food so far is not as spicy as I imagined
-  Geckos make the walls dance
-  We've been attacked by monkeys, nibbled by flesh eating fish, and pounded on by Thai massuers and taken many forms of very sketchy transportation...and it's only week 1.