I spent a majority of my time there catching up on errands and walking through some of the longest stretches of marketplace I have ever seen. I also had a chance to get my hair cut... finally. The barber did a good job, the only thing we said to one another was "short", and later she had to ask me to scoot down in the chair because I was too tall, but well worth the $2. We had fun taking tuk-tuks, taxis and water ferries around town. We also had more great meals, especially after 7pm since the food carts multiply after the sun goes down.
Thailand's recent unrest continues and demonstrations threw us off course several times as we obviously chose to stay away. The gathering place was surprisingly close to where we had stayed, but there really is no threat of violence. A bomb did go off and several people were killed while we were in Bangkok. However, it was in the far north of the city and was caused by an antique dealer cutting into a 500lb WWII bomb. There were protests scheduled for Saturday so we booked tickets on a train north to Chiang Mai on Friday evening.
Train travel is pretty great. The train was full, mostly with travelers but some locals as well. We chatted with some other backpackers and it felt like one big traveling slumber party. Erin and I played cards and ate dinner before the steward flipped our seats and bunk down to make us each a bed. I took the wider lower birth and Erin climbed up top into the smaller bunk. Shortly after waking up, coffee was available and I enjoyed a few cups as I watched the sun rise over the mountains.
A few hours later we had arrived in Chiang Mai. It was notably cooler and we were actually quite comfortably lugging our packs into town. We passed many unique cafés, restaurants and guesthouses as we found a place to stay. Chiang Mai is much slower and a bit more affluent than Bangkok, so it has a bigger arts culture (based on what we have heard and seen, both cities are too big to see). We walked around exploring before our good Colorado friend Ella Sweeney showed up with her parents Doug & Joslyn. Ella has been teaching in Vietnam, her and her parents had come to Chiang Mai for a week of vacation. It was great having dinner, drinks and catching up.
The next 2 days Erin and I walked through town and took a cooking course. For the cooking class we were taken to a market, shown how to shop, then to a farm. We toured the garden and made our way to cooking stations in a larger wooden barn. Our teacher M.B. was pretty hilarious and would not stop laughing, dancing, rapping and making jokes. After cooking, eating, cooking, then eating, cooking more and eating more, we went and picked coconuts. I got pretty dirty and M.B. offered to rinse me off with a hose. I quickly realized it was just a trick to soak me with water. She and I got into a full on water fight before others joined in, dumping cups and pitchers on each other. It turned into quite a battle between farm staff and students. By the time we left everyone was soaked and exhausted.
Yesterday we drove a moped 170km to the tiny town of Pai where we will stay before returning to Chiang Mai for Songkran, the worlds largest waterfight, this weekend. We are planning to stay in the north for another 3-4 weeks, which is great due to the fact that it's cooler and more laid back than the south. There is lots to do and see, should have no problem staying busy! I finally had my first cheeseburger and sure miss home, looking forward to some Fire on the Mountain or Snarf's when we are back, some craft beer would greatly appreciated right now too. But it'll have to wait as we are still expecting to travel for a few months.
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