Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Cha-Chiang Mai- A New Kind of Thailand..For US.


After a lifetime on a train we got into Chiang Mai around 8:30 and took a pickup truck a.k.a Saeng Teaow to a street called Moon Huang were we found our first digs at a place called the "Top Nort Guesthouse", I am guessing the "H" was stolen. 

We stayed in and relaxed, after that hellish train ride, it was totally necessary. 


The next morning I realized I immediately loved Chiang Mai. It is not as humid here as it is in Bangkok, It's not NEARLY as polluted or noisy. Congestion is definitely far more bearable here than in Bangkok. We figured the roads here were as good for learning to drive a motorbike (scooter). So I learned after my first 15 minutes of driving in between businesses and homes in the back alleys. After I felt comfortable enough, we headed for the mountains. 



NOTE: Helmets.


After an ass numbing 45 minute ride up the windy mountain roads we arrived at Wat Phrae Suthep, a wat tucked in the mountains with maybe the most spectacular view I have ever seen in my life. First of all we had to hike up a dragon lined set of at least 500 steps to reach the wat, very Kung Fuish. 



We removed our shoes and paced the wat. It was very beautiful, kids were putting on a show out front, musicians played ancient Thai instruments, then we turned the corner to the best view I have ever seen. 


That's clouds in the distance. Felt like heaven.


I went out later that night with a pair of Seattle-ites we met in the pick-up truck on the way to our guesthouse, they stayed at the same place we did. Really nice guys- so anyhow the two guys and I go to a Muay Thai kickboxing match. It was awesome! It had the feel of an underground bloodsport type thing from a Van-Damme movie, but it wasn't trashy or sketchy, you could tell there was a sense of respect for the fighters and the sport- HOWEVER we were betting. I always bet the underdog and lost 300 baht in 3 fights (roughly 9 dollars), but the last bet I made was a good one and I won my money back and left on a good note. 


Woke up this morning a bit hungover, but shortly after waking, found the best cure for a hangover is a motorbike ride through the mountains. 


They have every kind of food you can imagine, right now we are eating french fries, this morning we have the best banana pancakes I have ever had in my life and this afternoon we ate in a small village/square in the mountains on the back patio of an old womans house, pad thai and stir fry veggies. 





This is what I had for lunch yesterday. 30 baht, thats like 80 cents and I bet it tastes better than anything any of you people ate yesterday MUAHAHAHA, sorry. 


So Chiang Mai is awesome. I love it here. So much so that I am done blogging. Laa Gawng!

_Brock
Posted by BrockTalkinThai at 5:54 PM

2 comments:

  1. Aunt JoAugust 13, 2009 at 8:11 PM

    Brock,
    I just love your blog! You are a very good writer. Hey, I found two of your CDs from the fireworks party. Do you want me to send them to you? Tell Maris I said hello! Be careful and have lots more fun!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousAugust 15, 2009 at 7:29 AM

    Looks fantastic!!!!!!!! Have fun and be safe. Love you babe.
    Mom

    ReplyDelete

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The Beginning

The Beginning

I am a 25 year old, southern Gent. I've been bothered by the fact that I've not traveled the world or even left the country, sans a trip to Cancun when I was in High School, but that was so muddled with tequila and strip clubs (sorry mom), that It doesn't REALLY count- that I have decided to take a adventure across the globe with the love of my life.

All I needed was a motivator, I needed someone to push me to travel and tell me, "Now's the time to do this, and we should totally do it". She came, she said those magic words and now we've got our bags packed, watching the calendar.
 
I had intentions on moving to New York City with my girlfriend. We are both really big into music and both have a spot in our hearts for the city. The opportunity escaped us after having our hopes deflated by the freaky rent prices there. We kind of ditched the New York idea immediately following a trip there and the mention of Thailand. 

We had always tossed around the idea of traveling together. I knew I wanted to travel with her. The first place she mentioned was Thailand, and after 20 minutes on Craigslist, checking out places and prices, we were sold (prob not the best way to chose where you want to spend your life, but that's just how it happened, and this is my story). Thailand it was.

So here we are 6 months later, a ticket for Bangkok dated August 4th in our hands. When people ask us how long we will be in Thailand, we say "Indefinitely". We are ready for a life change, something that might coax us into never coming back.

I have been dreaming of the sand and the crystal beaches since we mentioned the move, I have also had nightmares of being locked up and having to deal with a girlfriend who has been kidnapped by some crazy python handler, but those are just dreams.

The truth is, I have never been so excited and nervous at the same time for anything in my life. Right, now as I sit on my couch in South Knoxville looking out the window at the homemade bird feeders we made, on a hot Sunday afternoon, it blows my mind to think that in a little under two months, I might be laying in the sand with the tide riding up my mini bathing suit, with some concoction of a random Thai's design to sip in one hand, watching long-tailed boats float over the horizon, holding the love of my life in the other.

I expect to be shocked, excited, impressed, disappointed, lost, scared, found, happy, comfortable, uncomfortable, drunk, frightened, enlightened, ready to come home, ready to stay forever- all at different times on this journey.  

But one thing that will never change will be when I am an old man, maybe back in South Knoxville, sitting on my porch in a rocking chair with my old wife, widdling some crazy little thing old men on porches widdle, I will be able to look over to my wife and ask, "Remember that time we went into that local bar in Thailand and we saw that Thai Prostitute perform that "Ping-Pong show?" I am glad we shared that moment together."  

And she will say, "Brock that's disgusting" and then smile a little bit.


_Brock