Two Weeks in Northern Thailand

First Three Nights in Chiang Mai 

Although I was sad to leave Laos I was looking forward to going back to Thailand. The first month in the southern islands was amazing but I didn't feel like I got a true taste of authentic Thai culture-- I was hoping to get this in Northern Thailand.  The first and main destination was Chiang Mai, the second largest city in Thailand.  The commute from Laos to Chiang Mai was one of the longest and most frustrating yet.  We had to wait at the border for about 5 hours and didn't get to the city until around midnight.  Luckily, we called a guesthouse earlier in the day to reserve a room and they were nice enough to not give it away. 

We started our first full day back in Thailand with one of the most delicious meals I've had yet.  We stumbled into a small restaurant that served only two dishes so we knew they had to be good.  It was a noodle soup with marinated pork that melted in your mouth. We went back to this spot several times. We spent most of the day exploring by walking around the perimeter of old city, venturing into a few of the city's numerous Buddhist temples and shopping outside of old city.  Since it was our first day back in Thailand we couldn't resist getting a cheap Thai massage in the afternoon :)

Our food tour was such a success in Vietnam that we decided to start our Northern Thailand experience the same way.  Learning about the street food and traditional cuisine really does enhance my experience.  The food and the guide were not as exceptional as our Hanoi food tour but it was still well worth the money (only $20).   We went to two street food markets and tried over 10 dishes.  Once again we were in a food coma and called it an early night

The next day we changed hotels, had our delicious pork dish for breakfast and rented a motorbike.  Taking advantage of having the motorbike, we rode to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, a main attraction in Chiang Mai that is on top of a mountain about 45 minutes away from the city center.  Almost more interesting than the temple was the ride up the mountain.  There were several view points where you could see all of Chiang Mai.

That night we left the old city and went to the night bazaar for food and some shopping (we gave up on the shopping).  Right near the market was a Muay Thai boxing match, an event that Andrew and I had been wanting to see while in Thailand.  I have zero interest in normal boxing and usual dislike watching it on TV but i surprisingly LOVED watching the Muay Thai boxing matches.  We saw about 5 matches and somehow were seated in the first row.  It was such a fun night.

The next day we woke up and prepared to  motorbike to a small town a but up North called Pai. About 20 minutes into our journey we passed a place called "Tiger Kingdom", a place where you can observe, pet and take pictures with tigers. The tigers are magnificent and there is really nothing like seeing one up close in person.  I am really happy we did this but had some mixed feelings about the operation since we saw many lions cooped up in small cages and it is rumored that they sedate the lions to keep them calm.  Got some great pictures though!

 

A few days in Pai 

I'd like to think that at this point in our trip we have had a decent amount of experience motorbiking but this was by far the most difficult ride yet.  Although the ride to Pai is very well paved, it is extremely hilly and irrationally windy.  The road sometimes seemed like it was curving 360 degrees and the hills were especially tough with two people and a heavy backpack on the bike. The views were really nice though and we got to stop at a beautiful waterfall on the way.

Pai is very different than anywhere I've been so far in Southeast Asia.  It doesn't even feel like it is Thailand. It is a mix of bohemian-hip and kitschy.  There are tons of organic yummy restaurants, tea shops and white people with dreadlocks walking around but also large tacky signs for coffee shops and Thai tourists taking pictures of everything (apparently there was a popular movie called "Pai in Love" that was filmed here which brings in the tourists).  It is a very relaxed place where you can find yourself spending hours just sitting at a restaurant on cushions reading a book.  The night life is also pretty chill with some live music and hippie moms dancing with their "free spirited" children.   We had some great burgers from a place called "Burger Queen", had some delicious street food (my favorite was the grilled corn) and drank lots of green tea.  We stayed at really cute bungalow near the river and we spent part of one day swimming pool at a nearby hotel.  Overall a very relaxing place to hangout and people watch.  The surrounding areas of Pai were very beautiful with farmland and rolling mountains.

 

 

 

Mini trip to Mae Hong Son (The Cave Lodge)
We split up out stay in pai with a trip to Mae Hong son.  After two nights in Pai we learned that a Bhuddist holiday the next two days which meant that you could not buy alcohol and all of the bars were closed-- naturally we decided to leave Pai and head up North to a more rural setting.  We heard of this place called the Cave Lodge which people use as a home base for Tham Lod cave. What makes this case different from the many caves we'd already seen is the phenomena that happens every night at sunset-- 30,000 swifts fly into the cave to join the thousands of bats that are already occupying the cave.  It was impossible to catch on camera but it was a really cool site. The next morning we used a map that the lodge gave us and went on our own trek in the surrounding areas.  We spent three hours creating our own path through bushes, streams and fields (we were somewhat lost).  I was convinced that we were miles away from the lodge but eventually learned we were never far off the whole time.  It was still a fun adventure :)  We then headed back to Pai.

 

Last Few Days in Pai and Chiang Mai... Sick :(

Mae Hong Son

We spent another relaxing day in Pai but I started to feel under the weather that night. I felt feverish tired and achy and got very worried that I contracted Dengue Fever from a mosquito (since i get bitten more than the average person).  The next day I went the hospital in Pai which was surprisingly efficient and tested negative for Dengue.  We rode back to Chiang Mai the next day and I started feeling worse and worse-- my stomach was also starting to bother me . I was planning to hit the town that night since I was turning 24 at midnight but I was asleep in bed by 9 pm.  The day of my birthday I spent most of the day in the room but made it out for some bagels (which I have been dreaming of) and spent some time walking around the infamous weekend night market.  I wasn't feeling any better so the next day I went to the Chiang Mai hospital to get tested for Dengue again and to find out what could be causing my high fever and upset stomach (the Pai hospital told me I may have gotten the first blood test too early).  I found out that I had a gastro-bacterial infection and was prescribed antibiotics that started working immediately.  I was feeling much better by the time we took the night train from Chiang Mai back to Bankok.  Andrew was so helpful during this whole ordeal and still managed to make my birthday feel special.  I felt bad that he had to spend some of his last days traveling taking care of me.

Two days in Bangkok

Andrew was leaving in two days so we spent a little extra money on a hotel room in a different part of Bangkok. We went back to Koh San road to buy some souvenirs for his family and had a belated birthday celebration dinner at a delicious sushi restaurant. I miss sushi almost as much as cheese. We tried to see some more of Bangkok and ended up at some very high end shopping malls and walked through the red light district of Bangkok-- I lost track of how many times people tried to get us to go to a ping pong show.  We got a really good Thai massage and made sure that Andrew had some great Thai street food as his last meal. 

It was really sad to say goodbye but we both know how lucky we are to have had this experience.  We were so lucky to get along so well and it is evident we wanted the same things out of this trip. It felt like yesterday that we were packing up our backpacks for the first time and heading to the JFK airport.  Andrew going home felt like an end of a chapter of my trip and I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous for the next part.

LAOS RECAP

4000 Islands (Don Det)--> Thakek Loop--> Vientiane--> Vang Vieng--> Luang Probang--> Nong Khiaw--> Luang Namtha

People have been asking me what my favorite country has been and Laos is the first place that pops into my head. When they ask me why I can't really think of an explanation-- there isn't one specific aspect or trait that makes this country so amazing.  I will do my best to try to explain however I think just looking at the pictures is explanation in itself (although the pictures do not do it justice):

The natural landscape is breathtaking; the people are so relaxed (which made me relaxed); there are plenty opportunities for adventure; there are plenty opportunities to party; there are plenty of opportunities to just relax and enjoy the moment; the country feels a little more "untouched" than some of the others; and we met some really great people, both travelers and locals. I also knew very little about Laos and therefore had very few expectation which made everything that more exciting.

The only negative I can think of is that food took FOREVER, and was usual mediocre and overpriced. But if that's the worst thing I can think of than I'd say Laos is a pretty spectacular place. 

One Week in Northern Laos

We original planned to only stay in Laos for two weeks, but we loved the country so much that we decided to stay longer and explore the North.  The one thing that we felt we had not truly experienced yet in Laos was the rural communities and environment.  After traveling throughout Laos it was evident that the majority of the population lives in the country side rather than the cities-- we therefore decided to try to get off the beaten track a bit.

Two Nights in Nong Khiaw
Nong Khiaw is a lazy river town and exactly what we needed after the touristy cities of Vang Vieng and Luang Probang. Although there isn't that much to do in this town, the amazing landscape and views are worth the visit.  There are bungalows and guesthouses lining the river with huge limestone cliffs in the background.  When we first arrived there were very few tourists (although the next day a huge busload arrived) and we just walked around, relaxed on our bungalow's porch and admired the views. 

The next day we signed up for a one day trek which began with a slow boat down the river to a minority village. The trek was pretty interesting because we went from walking through rice fields to walking through corn fields and then with a blink of the eye we were hiking through dense jungle. The trek wasn't too difficult (there were leeches but they don't bother me as much) but it started raining pretty hard which made it slippery.  We ended at a waterfall where we swam and had lunch.  We then trekked back to the village and kayaked for two hours back to town.

We got back from the trek midday so we decided to rent bikes and bike around the area.  Although I am becoming a much more confident bike rider, I overestimated the shape I am in and had some difficulty with riding up the hills.  Nonetheless the scenery made it very worthwhile.  We built up an appetite and had a delicious Indian meal and then headed to the "only bar in town" which was basically empty.

The next morning we hopped on a pickup truck with some locals and a French couple who did the trek with us and began our 8 hour journey to our next destination, Luang Namtha.  After an hour or two we were transferred  into a minivan which was a bit more comfortable although the roads were far from paved.

Four Nights in Luang Namtha
Luang Namtha is a small town that is mostly used as a home base for treks since it is right next to the Nam Ha national park.  We arrived at night and headed straight to the night market which I must say is probably my favorite food market that I've been to thus far. The market was not too big but had a variety of options.  I didn't think I liked Laos food until this market.  We had amazing soup and roasted duck and sticky rice. We ended up eating here 3 of our 4 nights.

Instead of jumping right into a trek we decided to spend our first full day exploring the region on motorbike.  We drove for about 2 and a half hours on a windy paved road driving past small minority villages growing peanuts, rice and other crops. Our destination was a small town with not much to see but we stumbled upon a small restaurant with an amazing view and a friendly owner who gave us a Korean style grill and heaps of vegetables, noodles and meat to cook.  He noticed that we were clueless how to use it so helped us with the cooking.  It was one of the best meals I've had and we got on back on our bikes uncomfortably full (although we of course ate a large dinner at the night market).

The next day we set off for a two day one night trek through the national park. It is really hard for me to describe how amazing this experience was--I know I say this alot but I think it is one of the best things I've done so far.  We got very lucky because we picked an amazing tour, had an wonderful guide and the 6 other people who signed up for the trek were awesome.  We started the day stopping at the market and buying all of the ingredients for our meals for the next two days. We spent the rest of the day hiking through jungle, learning about the plants and wildlife around us and watching our guide pick herbs and plants (that we would later be eating).  Our guide was so knowledgeable and the people in our group were very nice and had awesome attitudes which enhanced the whole experience.

The highlight of the trek was the minority village that we spent the night with.  This particular minority group lives on the top of the mountains which really isolates them from other villages and towns.  Their village looked like it was out of a movie or national geographic.  The views of the mountains were breathtaking, the houses were so simple, and there was very few signs of westernization.  They had no tvs and actually had a few solar panels which helped provide some light at night.

These people speak their own tribal language dso the only way we could communicate with them was through their village chief who spoke Laos to our guide.  When we first got there, the people were quite shy and looked at us strangely but soon enough Andrew and a few other guys were playing a sport called speak takraw (basically volleyball with your feet and head).  We had a home cooked  candlelit dinner with the village chief and we asked him tons of questions while he happily poured us rice wine.

The next morning we woke up to a magnificent site-- the clouds were hovering over the mountains but it was clear enough so you could just see the tips.  We ate breakfast while watching the sky clear up. We also were invited into one of the families' houses where they passed around  a bamboo bong full tobacco (I respectfully declines).

A girl in our group had a brilliant idea to bring balloons to give to the children.  Before we left, we handed out the balloons and watched both the young and the old see balloons for the first time in their life.  I will never forget the eagerness of the women to try to blow up the balloons, the stunned faces on the children faces and smiles on the older men. I have too many amazing pictures but pictures also doesn't do it justice.  (For more pictures see this link: https://plus.google.com/photos/112830737109470306884/albums/5915281022243711857?authkey=CIeQgKSqkuCQQg)

The trek back was long and rainy but we were still euphoric from the past 12 hours and our guide continuously fed us knowledge.  We got back into town, had a hot shower and then met our new group of friends for one last meal at the night market.  The next morning we got on a bus and said goodbye to Laos.