It’s hard to believe we are on our last
week here in Thailand. We just got back to Bangkok after spending the past two
weeks in the northern cities of Pai and Chiang Mai. Both were great but Ashley
and I agree that Chiang Mai was our favorite, mainly because it’s a larger city
with more to do and a wider selection of food. Pai was certainly relaxing but
there is only so much relaxing we wanted to do and 4 days was sufficient. I do,
however, miss the scooter.
On both trips to Chiang Mai we stayed
inside the 14th century walls of the old city. This time around we visited
the mountain temple of Doi Suthep, Wat Prah Sing, the bustling Wararot Market,
and the Chiang Mai cultural museum. We also went out to the Walking Streets
(street bazaars/festivals) and discovered all kinds of interesting street food.
Compared to Bangkok and Pai, Chiang Mai
is a foodie's dream town. Most food here is locally grown without pesticides,
prepared fresh right in front of you and surprisingly sanitary.
I’ll claim the title of being most adventurous
when it comes to meat from a street vendor but that's probably because I will
eat any kind of meat or anything that resembles meat, smells like meat, might
be meat, etc. For Ashley, if it can't be identified then it's a no-go. And to
be honest, sometimes I couldn't identify it even after eating a few bites.
Chicken? Pork? Fish? Maybe it's a potato...who knows but it's pretty darn good.
I have to admit, however, Ashley did
discover some tasty items I would never have tried but was glad I did. In
particular, ginger, shallot, lime, peanuts, and roasted coconut encased in
betel leaves served on a skewer were excellent.
I’m sure they had a name, but we just called them the “betel wraps.” She
also found what looked like a dessert taco filled with meringue. The shell
tasted like a crunchy caramelized coconut crepe; needless to say we went back
for a 2nd round.
Other Observations:
From a Western perspective, traffic
appears to be crazy but I have seen exactly zero accidents and people don't
honk other than to say "hi, just making sure you see me, friend."
There seems to be no such thing as "my lane," here it's "our
lane," which actually works in favor of all traffic. After pedestrians (and
monks), scooters have right-of-way in all situations, also good for traffic
flow. Scooters can fit a family of 5, are used to transport propane tanks
bungeed to the back seat, can have a side car with a food cart attached, and my
personal favorite - children as young as 3 stand on the front and hold onto the
mirrors. Dogs also ride on the back with no restraints.
Check
out the most recent batch of photos and let us know what you think. Lots of
love from Thailand!
-
Zak
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