Being a tourist city has its benefits and its downsides. Some benefits are how ready taxis and tuk-tuks are available, how fun the shopping is, how delicious the food is and how many people speak English. Some downsides, however have been that we are more surrounded by tourists rather than locals, people involved in the tourism industry here are more pushy than the kind Thais we've come in contact with elsewhere and there seem to be more tourist traps.
Our first night, we found a recommended restaurant that served traditional northern Thai foods. We both enjoyed the food, that though similar to some we had tried elsewhere, had its own flair and flavor. Then, we wandered down to the Night Bazaar, one of the most popular things to do here. It was a lot of fun, and like the market we visited in Bangkok, it seemed endless with booth after booth of trinkets, souvenirs, food, and yes, more elephant pants. We sat with a drink for a while, listening to a band in an outdoor market setting, with fairy lights and umbrellas to add to the atmosphere.
For breakfast the next morning, we wandered until we found a crepe cart. I saw banana and peanut butter in the cart, so I sort of pointed to those. She smiled at me and said, "no, mango and chocolate." Although I could have easily told her cheeky smile no, I accepted the suggestion and was very thankful I did. The mango here is fresh and readily available, and I've enjoyed eating it.
Our first stop of the day was a cultural museum. It was a very well-done museum about the culture of the Northern Thai people with a focus on religion and customs. There were signs in Thai, English and Mandarin that gave good explanations as we walked around the life-size dioramas and artifacts. Unfortunately, what I believe I learned most was how little I truly know and understand about Buddhism, and it is a way of thinking that I do want to know more about.
Our next destination was one of the many wats (temples) in Chiang Mai. Since we had seen some incredible ones in Bangkok and some ancient ones in Sukhothai, we had little desire to see each wat in the city, and instead chose to visit the largest one and then move on to other things. The wat, as they all have been, was golden, ornate and brightly colored. What we saw here that we had not seen before was Buddhist monks meditating. Their stoic, quiet, angelic figures astounded me. At first glance, I thought they were statues because of how still they were and how long they stayed in that position. But, there remained on their faces a slight smile, giving way to their kind nature. We've encountered a few monks on our travels so far and have been overwhelmed by their kind, jovial spirits.
For much of the afternoon, Jessica and I went to a place that could not have been more perfect for us. Art in Paradise is a sort of interactive art museum where scenes are painted to appear 3D, allowing you to join in on the fun. The place was not crowded at all, so Jessica and I spent several hours taking photos of one another in bizarre situations.
Our last stop for the afternoon was something I had said I wanted to do while in Asia: a fish pedicure. You've seen them before, people stick their feet into small, aquarium type vats of water and little fish come and eat the dead skin off your feet. Sometimes, when swimming in the lake at home, little fish come to nibble on my feet and ankles, typically going after freckles or anything with a shimmer to it. These guys looked quite like piranhas as they swarmed at the first sight of a foot entering, but their gentle nibbles felt more like bubbles or vibrations. There were certainly squeals as they nibbled away, but it was very fun, my feet did feel softer afterward, and I'd happily do it again.
For our evening, we signed up for a Street Food Tour and were very thankful we did. The street food looks and smells amazing, but we've been a bit intimidated by it, not knowing what to order or exactly how to. So, this tour was perfect for us. We had one local guide and one fellow traveler, a lady from Birmingham (England, of course)! Our guide would help us find spots to sit at small stools and tables behind food carts, then go pick out things for us to try. At the first place, we tried sticky rice with a meat "salad" concoction similar to the duck salad we made in our cooking class. The biggest difference was how we ate it: with our hands! We took the sticky rice, formed it into a ball and then dipped it into the meat salad, grabbing both and tossing back the flavorful mixture. A refreshing papaya salad was next followed by a soup, very similar to the one we made in our class. I did learn something important, though. The lemongrass is not to be eaten in large chunks like we put in our soup, but it is there just for flavor (thank heavens because it was very chewy).
We walked a few stalls down and tried a new round of flavors, ginger tea and Thai donuts. The ginger tea was strong, but would be wonderful when you're fighting off a cold. The donuts tasted more like funnel cake as we dipped them into a sauce made of condensed sweetened milk and something green that I'm not positive of. However, after doing some Googling, it may have been soybean leaf that gave it its color and extra flavor.
The tour continued at several more stops where we tried tender pork knuckle, a fresh noodle bowl with lots of greens, a new favorite fruit of a mangosteen, some durian, other fruits I cannot name, some gelatin-type desserts in a variety of flavors, a Thai pancake with banana, egg and chocolate, and coconut rice dumplings. My stomach nearly burst by the end of the evening and my mouth was on fire with a multitude of flavors, but it was all so delicious. I would gladly eat any of it again, minus the gelatins as they were not my favorite. I'm so glad that we did this tour, though as it helped us to try a wide variety of food.
It seems many people who come to Chiang Mai escape the city (and don't worry, we'll do that, too!), but we made quite a fun day in the city, and certainly enjoyed eating our way through Chiang Mai!
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