After a few days in Bangkok, I'm in Chiang Mai. Whilst I planned on taking the sleeper train the other night I ended up taking the bus. What a huge mistake that was, as I ended up getting almost no sleep. The silver lining was that I could keep my phone charged and was given a food voucher. At a rest stop I ended up with a slab of pork so loaded with fat that I ended up throwing out more than half of it. At the bus terminal I was early, bleary-eyed. Shirley, my CS host, is not at all versed with GoogleMaps and therefore was confused when I sent a screenshot to ensure I was heading the right way. Uber doesn't operate in Thailand; Grab is its equivalent, and I had to walk out of the bus terminal to make a booking. Having been so exhausted yesterday I didn't do a substantial amount: a long rest followed by a walk with some geocaching, temples, and pad thai from a street stall far, far, far off the tourist circuit.
Yesterday was a day of rest but today I was ready to take a bigger bite out of Chiang Mai. First I wanted to get a dental cleaning, so Shirley recommended going to the dental clinic at the university where she's an instructor. First I set up an appointment but I had to return in an hour so that gave me an opportunity to grab a few geocaches. I couldn't grab a bite to eat because I didn't have any Thai baht until I could exchange more. A cleaning cost only about $33 and I opted to get some fillings later. From there I walked straight to the heart of town. Founded in 1296, Chiang Mai was the capital of the Lanna Empire. A moat surrounded the city to protect it from the encroaching Burmese Army. These days, Chiang Mai is a town full of expats of all sorts. Some of them have been doing visa runs to Myanmar for many years, whilst many of them teach English or yoga, and are attracted to the somewhat laid-back lifestyle. Seemingly every other building in Chiang Mai is a temple. First I opted to walk around the upper edge of the moat in search of numerous geocaches. I plan to take geocaching by storm in Thailand! In doing so I came upon one of the most spectacular temples I've seen in Thailand so far.
It would be the first time I'd chat to a monk.
Many temples in Chiang Mai offer monk chat. Due to their beliefs women are not to touch the monks, shake their hands, or pass anything directly to them. There seem to be so many temples in Chiang Mai that I would go to two or three of them every day for a year and still not see them all.
As I signed another geocache I heard a loud bang...and then watched as a girl bounced off the pavement like a basketball as her motor scooter went crashing to the ground. Immediately myself and a few locals went to her aid. Her pants were ripped up and her hands were bleeding, so a passerby pulled out his phone and called a friend for her. Thailand has one of the highest rates of auto accidents in the world per capita, though outlets continue to hire out motor scooters to foreigners even without proof of a licence. Even though I know how to drive I'd rather walk or use the Grab app. Better safe than sorry. After finally swapping some currency I sat down for some pad thai, spring rolls, and the best Thai iced tea I've ever had!
After a delicious meal, I wasn't finished yet. I opted for a massage. After a long walk, I needed one. From there it was time to head back to the dentist where I got two fillings. I've mentioned my friend Sara Wall many times, but she used to live here in Chiang Mai and still has nothing but high praise for this city. My first day in the heart of Chiang Mai I did a lot today, and I can see why so many foreigners enjoy living here. I had my fill of teeth (pun intended), temples, walking, great food, and geocaching, of which I found 17 caches in 19 attempts. A Grab would whisk me back home, but I got home rather late. I was just gonna get something light for dinner but it was past 10 PM. Despite being Chiang Mai, it was rather chilly this evening as I walked to grab a beer. Thailand is one country where you likely won't need a jumper unless you're in the highlands during the cooler months.
Temples galore today! And it shall be temples galore tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after...
