Chiang Mai - Cool Town and Mother Fucking Zipline (and Tiger)

Pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bruensk/sets/72157626906000418/

Went out into the woods (jungle) yesterday for some "adventure" activities. First on the list? Zip line. Yeah, so I did that. We hit this really neat place where they have platforms on trees all through the trees connected by zip lines ranging from 100 to 400 meters (a quarter mile), the longer ones which take you over the infamous Mekong River, (see Vietnam War or any of the Vietnam War films of note).

Then we went white water rafting. One of the guides (who ended up on our boat) was excited to know we were English speakers as we rode in the back of the pick up truck with him on the way to the "embarkation" (patch of mud). He clearly had saved up some words he needed translated and began to see if we could help build his vocabulary. Oddly however, one after another, they all ended up being mythical creatures. First, he asked about what is half fish and half lady. Easy, Mermaid. I also pointed out that there were Mermen, which he through was a pretty funny idea. Then half horse half man. Okay, Centaur. This went on to some stranger beasts that he was either making up or were from some Aztec culture not in the Anglo educational canon. (bird faces, man legs, wings and arms...) Good times.

Rafting was a blast, and I for one would like to do more in the near future. (Although I think I hurt my ankle. It was starting to swell a bit later in the night, but luckily mom has a ton of medical stuff with her - including an ace bandage. Which is why you always bring a doctor on the Oregon Trail. We are taking Typhoid pills too.)

I then forced everyone to go to Tiger Kingdom, by far the most touristy of all these "adventure activities." (They were all clearly geared toward tourists if you didn't guess that. We asked about who was coming an it's mainly Northern Europeans and Americans but also quite a few Chinese as well as many Israelis - of whom I've noticed a lot myself).



So, yes, I met a couple of tigers in a very locked down environment, but it was still pretty nuts to be that close and to touch them. Their fur was a lot thinner than I had thought, but I guess that makes sense being that they are Indo-Chinese Tigers after all, (did I mention it's hot here?)

The weather is cooling down as Monsoon season approaches. We are having some rain, but it is sporadic, and short lived when it comes. Mostly it's keeping it an almost perfect temperature for bare skin and no sweating.

Took a rest after all that "adventure" and then headed out to the Chiang Mai Night Market - which is incredibly every night. It's the biggest/coolest/latest at night market I have ever seen. Tons of cool stuff, a laid back environment and did I mention its huge and everynight? All this embedded in bars and restaurants that are equally laid back. Too much for one night, will return this evening. I'm jealous of a climate that keeps everyone outdoors like this all night.

Incident on a Bangkok Bus

On Saturday, we rode a bus from near the Ratchathewi Sky Train stop in Bangkok to the Khao San Road district. At one stop, two Thai men carrying large ruck sacks filled with the lurid and unknown got on the bus and proceeded to begin a campaign of leering and harassment against us. It was clear that my sister was the target and I was simply an obstacle. But what's remarkable is that after a time, a number of Thai women on the bus came to my sister's defense. They shouted at the men and helped us get off in peace at a stop near the Democracy Monument.

Bangkok Nightlife and off to Chiang Mai

Let's see, where to begin?

Day 2 in Thailand, Robbie and I set off into Bangkok to check out some of the neighborhoods we had heard/read about, most of which were notable for their nightlife. We were setting off fairly late in the day (slept in and waited out the rain a bit), so that was no problem. (Also please note the lack of images, on account of the lack of light on a 5.6)

We took the light rail into the city toward Khao San Road, which was easily noted by everyone as the "backpackers' district." Not being entirely sure what that meant, we were all the more intrigued. The light rail in Bangkok is new and modern and a pleasure to use. It's even ahead of SF public transport if only in only in light of the flat screen TVs with round the clock commercial advertising that adorn each train car. I had a moment watching it where I got confused because the program wasn't coming back on, only to remember that there would be no program. Won't be long until we have the pleasure. From the light rail stop closest to Khao San we jumped on a bus to get further west and jumped off at the Democracy Monument, a notable landmark to orient ourselves with our map.

Walking the few blocks over to Khao San was more difficult than we thought. The Thai people are notably friendly and very helpful and today was no exception. We got stopped by locals 5 times along the way (before we started keeping our head down and map out of sight) who wanted to inform us of what we should really be doing with the next hour. Apparently that day was the day to go to the Temple of the Smiling Buddha to get luck, so much so they weren't charging entry. On top of that a Tuk Tuk ride was 10 bhat a person to the Temple of the Smiling Buddha (subsidized by the government), so it would only be 20 bhat for us to go and get some major luck for the year. We tried to explain that we wanted to walk around which was easily lost in translation, one because of the language itself and two because, what "were we crazy not to go do this right now, it's only open for one more hour!"

Backpacking district delivered as promised. Hostels, bars and restaurants catering to and filled with travelers from all over the world. Robbie and I stopped for a bite and some beer, and still thinking like travelers in a exotic country, we ordered the exotic sounding "Tower" of beer, only to find, its the same tower that party people all over the world order to posture their commitment to drink, and keep said drink cool. Oops. As night fell the street really became alive but we wanted to see what was going on with Thai kids at this hour.

Off to Ratchathewi a neighborhood containing the university, might be just that. We grabbed a Tuk Tuk for a wild ride back east toward this district (also a major light rail stop), and made it there in no time. Immediately noticed the markings of college life. The malls were just closing (although fascinating in their own right) and we headed into a block that housed half a dozen open air "restaurants" (which by the way can range from what we know as a restaurant to a cart or permanent kitchen stand and tables). Accidentally ordered the spiciest beef salad known to man, accompanied by more Sing Ha. Wandered a bit more toward neighboring Phaya Thai distinct and jumped a light rail home.

Next day headed to airport to catch a flight to Chiang Mai. Arrived to meet a very helpful taxi driver and tons of day trip options for getting out into the jungle and culture. Caught a traditional dance dinner show at the cultural center (will post video of Robbie getting dragged up on stage asap) which was very interesting. Made it an early night to head out this morning to a full day white water rafting and meeting a tiger.

Day One Notes on Food

-I got to taste a rose apple, which I imagine is what a celery becomes if it decides that it wants to be a sweet fruit.

-Genuine Pad Thai is a flavorful mess rather than the standard issue assembly line meal with too much soy sauce that features at Thai Basil and so many other Bay Area Thai joints.

-Dragonfruit tastes delicious, like what a poppyseed muffin would be if it decided that it wanted to be a sweet fruit (sorry, I only have like two metaphors).

-Food is so cheap here that I eat until I explode. I must learn to be limited by something other than price.

The Chao Phraya River

The central organizing principle for my first proper day in Bangkok was the Chao Phraya River. The river bisects the city and feeds the many canals that cut through neighborhoods like so many veins and arteries. Before yesterday, I had no idea that Bangkok shared canals in common with Amsterdam and Venice. I learned about the canals after getting on a long tail boat with my sister, my mom, my uncle and his wife. We sped down the river taking in views of the city. It's a truly splendorous way to travel.

Our first stop was Wat Arun. An ornate Buddhist temple with considerable Hindu influence (lots of statues of cows and Gods from their pantheon), Wat Arun dares you to take a tumble on its pyramidal step formations. Near the end of our explorations of the vertiginous structure, I glimpsed a Buddhist monk working as a clerk behind the counter of the Wat Arun gift shop. This image inhabited me with a bemused sense of sweaty irony. I find it fatuously unsettling how easily Buddhism has taken to the highly commercial culture of modernity.

The long tail boat than took us into a labyrinthine latticework of canals enervating Thai neighborhoods that alternate seemingly at random between wooden shantytowns and opulent villas. Both types of domicile had Spirit Houses outside - small shrines that house the spirits that haunt our lives - because no one wants bad spirits to sleep in bed with them. We stopped at a large Orchid Farm populated by gorgeous airborne flowers. I looked up at the opal sky, overcome by delicate blossoms with the mouths of insects. This far off land of astonishment holds too many gifts to unwrap on a single two-week trip.

Bangkok: Boats, Temples and Pad Thai

We took a cab into the city to the central pier and hired a boat to take us down the Chao Phraya to a couple of spots: The Temple of Dawn and the an Orchid farm.

Both were fascinating, as would be expected, but the trip itself was an awesome way to see Bangkok. The river is a transportation thoroughfare, which has its own public transportation up and down the river. It even has an express boat for commuters. Bangkok also has a series of canals and we took one deeper west into the neighborhoods there. The peoples houses range from expensive newer houses in classic or updated classic Thai style made of beautiful wood or sometimes stone, to shacks created from whatever materials could be found, especially corrugated tin. Income differences are expected to be found everywhere, however what was interesting was the way they could be such a mix from house to house.

The more ramshackle places seemed to be habitated by people more or less living much like they did before the 20th century, still living a water culture of living off the land (or water i should say) and selling what they could find (fruit and fish) out of boats.

Saw the "sleeping Buddha" and ate some real deal pad thai. mmmmmm....

I took a lot of photos, a few are here but the rest are on here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bruensk/sets/72157626755399887/
- check them out! Didn't have much time to sort/crop so it is what it is - keep in mind - i was on a boat when i took most of these.

Bangkok Delicious

About nine or ten hours ago, I ate deep fried mu intestines shortly after getting somewhat lost at the Bangkok International Airport. Mu is Thai for pork, so the deep fried intestines I ate used to be inside of a pig. I devoured all the late night hot and spicy food that I could - pork, seafood, lots of vegetables - as it was a welcome respite from 24 hours of airline crap and a great way to start my Thai adventure. They kept refilling my beer like it was a glass of water. That helped with the spicy food and got me ready for bed after sleeping too much on the plane.

My uncle lives on the outskirts of Bangkok. I slept the hot, humid night away without a blanket. When I woke up, I went outside into the morning drizzle. While I observed the orchids, the drizzle turned into a downpour. I sat on the covered porch to watch the hard rain drench the tropical plants. A few peals of thunder anointed the day.

A shirtless Thai man ran down the street in the rain. He got into a van and revved the engine for several minutes. The sound of gunshot echoed through the neighborhood. The van had backfired. Just then, the rain stopped, as suddenly as it started.