After a week in Laos, including 3 days living in the jungle, I've experienced reverse culture shock upon re-entry to Thailand. On my "take it easy" day after getting back from the jungle I decided to go see a movie...at the mall. The Chiang Mai mall is similar to any western mall you've seen except there are a lot more Asian people. Not so exciting, really, unless you're really into malls :)
In Laos I learned a few key phrases - hello, thank you, how are you, etc. In Thailand I don't need to or have any inclination to learn them because everyone speaks English. In Lao it seems that tourism is still relatively so new that they haven't completely shifted over to English as they have here where tourists are a dime a dozen. There are definitely pros and cons to both situations.
Sunday in Chiang Mai there is a special night market called, fittingly, the Sunday Market. I attended, walking for 3 hrs without seeing everything. I did stop for some performances of little girls made up and dressed up Star Search style. Some of the dances were a bit risque for 6 year olds. Made me think of Jon Benet Ramsey and sketched me out...so I left. Still not really sure what it was.
On day 2 in Chiang Mai I took a cooking course. It was held at a fancy kitchen setup at someone's home in the 'burbs. I like to think of it as my very own "kitchen stadium" (for those of you who watch Iron Chef). We each (3 of us) picked the 6 courses we wanted to cook - yes, 6!! - and went to the market for ingredients before digging in. Pounding curry paste and boiling pumpkin balls was a lot of fun and I was STUFFED at the end of the afternoon. I came away with a recipe book full of authentic thai recipes. I can't wait to get started in my tiny dorm kitchen!
I found out that Ildi (my Sapa, Hanoi friend) was in town so met up with her in the evening to go to the night market. Totally overcommercialized, but still a lot of fun.
The highlight of Chiang Mai was white water rafting on the last day! Level 3ish rapids (I think). I was in a boat with an Aussie guy and a German couple with a riot of a guide. We rafted for about 2 hours, which included a lot of "fighting" with the other boats and significant time in the water. We stayed in for all the rapids though! Go team! Unfortunately I have no photos of it since we couldn't take cameras. I stood next to the raft at the end in my dry clothes and took a photo to prove I was there :)
Today I flew to Krabi in the south of Thailand. Tomorrow I boat over to Ko Phi Phi, which is my last stop.l I can't believe it! Met a Canadian girl, Charlotte, on the way into town and I think we may hang out on the beach together. Yay tan!
***Photo notice!!! Luang Prabang and the spectacular, but doesn't-do-it-justice Gibbon Experience photos are up! LP:http://picasaweb.google.com/stephaniepwilson/SoutheastAsiaLuangPrabang
GibbonX: http://picasaweb.google.com/stephaniepwilson/SoutheastAsiaTheGibbonExperience
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4 comments:
you made "curry paste and boiling pumpkin balls"? Now I know what you can make us when you come for Thanksgiving!
Wow, so much fun! I'm trying to get better at cooking (lots of room for growth, obviously). Maybe we can make a Thai dish (minus peanut sauce) together when you get back. Can't wait to see you!!
that zipline thing looks badass
Great update. Hope to talk to you Sunday.
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