This weekend Anne, Kelsey, and I went to Chiang Mai. Jamie and Tristen went also, but we met them there. They left a day earlier than we did. We were gone for 48 hours and 31 of those hours were spent on a van, bus, or train.
Van to Bangkok, 2 ways – 6 hours total
Bus to Chiang Mai – 10 hours total
Train back to Bangkok – 15 hours total
For the 17 hours we were not traveling, we were going to wats, going to the flower festival, and walking walking walking. The 10 hour bus ride was fine. No problem. The train back was awful. Terrible. If it weren’t for the crazy party happening on the train among some friendly, drunk thai athletes, it would have been 100 times worse.
Chiang Mai is in northern Thailand. Very northern. Right by the border. It is beautiful there. The Webster campus should be located there instead of Hua Hin. The air is cleaner, cooler. There’s more to do and see. More culture. Better temples. More monks.
We called the boys when we were about to arrive in Chiang Mai. They said they took a day trip to Burma. Jamie was making elephant noises in the background. For some reason, that pissed me off, because I think for a second I actually believed they had crossed the border and gone there, even though we were arriving that day. I am too gullible sometimes. When we arrived in Chiang Mai around 9am, we met up with Tristen and Jamie at the Panda Guesthouse, the place they stayed that night. They said it wasn’t a good place and they were awakened at 6am by a man and a prostitute having sex. The walls were made out of bamboo and you could hear everything. But for 150 baht a night, it was pretty nice. Anne, Kelsey, and I decided to tough it out and stay at Panda even though Jamie and Tristen suggested a better guesthouse right down the street that was a little more expensive. The room we got had a huge bed and a bathroom with hot water. That’s really all we needed. Our room was right next to Tristen and Jamie’s and when we needed to tell them something, we would just yell out and they could hear us. We got breakfast at a noodle stand, where I spilt broth all over my pants. Then we walked around the town, going in temple after temple. They were all beautiful, some of my favorite so far. I don’t remember the names of any. Then we decided to go to Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, a temple on the top of a mountain 16km outside of Chiang Mai. It is a very famous one and there are various songthaews around town to take people up the hill to the base of the mountain, and then you have to walk up 306 steps to the top, where all the action is. I fell asleep in the songthaew on the way over and it was a wonder that I was able to make it up the steps. It was grueling. But once up there, we got a wonderful view of Chiang Mai and got to see some beautiful temples. After Doi Suthep, we rode back down on the songthaew along with a family from Singapore. Two young children told us jokes the whole way down. I don’t like kids, but I laughed anyway. They were kind of cute. So we get back to town and we decide to eat at this Indian restaurant. We waited about 45 minutes for our food because there was only one guy cooking. He also took our orders. He was in charge of everything. The wait was worth it though because the food was really good. After a failed search for an ice cream vendor, we went back to Panda and took short naps. I was woken up around 7pm. I felt much better. The sleep deprivation had been getting to me. Took a shower, put on some makeup, headed off to the Night Bazaar – a very popular tourist destination in Chiang Mai. The name – Night Bazaar – makes it sound very exciting, but it really wasn’t. It was an extended Hua Hin Night Market, with a much narrower path. And more Europeans. But they did have some cool stuff. I bought souvenirs for people back home. The vendors in Chiang Mai are really good about bargaining. They ask, “What do you want to pay? What do you want to offer me?” They make pretty good deals with you but you really have to bargain with them if you want the lowest deal. You can’t give up. We saw something really unusual for Thailand – a gathering of Amish teenagers. The girls were dressed in amish attire. The boys were not. I think they were going through that period in Amish culture where the young people can decide whether or not they want to be a part of the church, so they are able to dress how they want and do what they want without repercussion. I didn’t see them with any bags in their hands, so I don’t think they purchased anything. Just sight seeing. One of them had a huge camera hanging around their neck. They ate at Subway and were very polite to the girl working there. Kelsey got one of those rice patty things from McDonalds. It is 2 rice patties in replace of the bun with pork, chicken, or beef.
We walked back to Panda after the Night Bazaar. Made jokes through the bamboo walls of our room and went to sleep.
Woke up a little late the next morning. Ate breakfast and went on an unnecessary ½ hour long walk in search of a broke down prison. We didn’t find it. We got a songthaew to Royal Flora Ratchpruchek – the whole reason I wanted to come to Chiang Mai. It’s a huge horticulture display at the Agricultural Center, sponsored by the Queen. We got to the place and found out that the Agricultural Center is about the size of a small city. We realized right then and there that we weren’t going to be able to see everything, so we should just make the most of our time there and see as much as we can.
So we braved the sun and walked around for hours, anne and I got split up from the other three. They wandered off somewhere, which made Anne very nervous. I took as many pictures as I could in the time allotted to me, for my online photojournalism class. It was very pretty, but too crowded. And too hot. We should have brought umbrellas. Or bought some. I bought a cute stuffed animal before we left. Actually, it’s a stuffed lotus flower character. Royal Flora had a whole gang of carton characters that they created just for the exhibit. I bought some souvenirs for people. And then we got a van and left. We were exhausted. I enjoyed the exhibition but it made me upset that the others did not want to stay longer. And they didn’t enjoy it as much. I wanted to explore more. See the international exhibit. But no. it put me in a really bad mood. Oh well. so, we went back to the guesthouse, got our things, and departed for the train station. That was something that also upset me. Jamie and tristen took the train to chiang mai, and they said it was freezing. That is the word they used. Freezing. Because all the windows were open and no blankets and they didn’t bring jackets. I get cold easily to begin with, so I didn’t understand the reason for taking a train when we could just as easily take a bus, and arrive in Bangkok a few hours sooner. Apparently, the view from the train makes it worth it. Since the others wanted the train, that’s what we did. We got the cheapest seats possible. The train ride was a grueling 15 hours long. I had a headache at the start. But the first 5 hours of the ride weren’t so bad. There happened to be a party happening in the car next to us. Several thai teenage guys with case after case of Chang beer and bongo drums were being wild and crazy. They were on sports teams and I think they were touring to different competitions so they partied during every trip. They were very drunk by the time we arrived on the train and offered all of us beer. Tristen was the first to partake in the siesta. He took pictures and drank and had a great time. Jamie spent his time sleeping and reading. Anne and Kelsey eventually joined the party. I took a short nap, curled up in the fetal position on the rock-hard train seat. And then I joined the party as well. The floor was wet and sticky with beer and there was hardly any room to move, but it was a blast. We met some cool people who spoke pretty good English. I don’t remember any of their names, and they probably don’t even remember that night on the train because they were so far gone. But for a few hours, we had a great time. And then around 5 or 6 in the morning, everyone passed out on their train seats. I dozed in and out of sleep several times. Each time I woke up, I felt 10 times more disgusting than the last.
15 hours later, we finally made it to Bangkok. By that time, I was in a horrible mood. I was hungry. We went to a noodle stand because that is Tristen’s favorite. I couldn’t eat my noodles because there were pieces of beef in the broth. I think everyone thought I was just being a baby, and there wasn’t really any beef in it. But there was. I saw it. So I went to 711 and got a coffee and some watermelon seeds. We got a van to hua hin. I took the best shower of my life. and that was chiang mai. Wish I could have spent more time there.
Van to Bangkok, 2 ways – 6 hours total
Bus to Chiang Mai – 10 hours total
Train back to Bangkok – 15 hours total
For the 17 hours we were not traveling, we were going to wats, going to the flower festival, and walking walking walking. The 10 hour bus ride was fine. No problem. The train back was awful. Terrible. If it weren’t for the crazy party happening on the train among some friendly, drunk thai athletes, it would have been 100 times worse.
Chiang Mai is in northern Thailand. Very northern. Right by the border. It is beautiful there. The Webster campus should be located there instead of Hua Hin. The air is cleaner, cooler. There’s more to do and see. More culture. Better temples. More monks.
We called the boys when we were about to arrive in Chiang Mai. They said they took a day trip to Burma. Jamie was making elephant noises in the background. For some reason, that pissed me off, because I think for a second I actually believed they had crossed the border and gone there, even though we were arriving that day. I am too gullible sometimes. When we arrived in Chiang Mai around 9am, we met up with Tristen and Jamie at the Panda Guesthouse, the place they stayed that night. They said it wasn’t a good place and they were awakened at 6am by a man and a prostitute having sex. The walls were made out of bamboo and you could hear everything. But for 150 baht a night, it was pretty nice. Anne, Kelsey, and I decided to tough it out and stay at Panda even though Jamie and Tristen suggested a better guesthouse right down the street that was a little more expensive. The room we got had a huge bed and a bathroom with hot water. That’s really all we needed. Our room was right next to Tristen and Jamie’s and when we needed to tell them something, we would just yell out and they could hear us. We got breakfast at a noodle stand, where I spilt broth all over my pants. Then we walked around the town, going in temple after temple. They were all beautiful, some of my favorite so far. I don’t remember the names of any. Then we decided to go to Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, a temple on the top of a mountain 16km outside of Chiang Mai. It is a very famous one and there are various songthaews around town to take people up the hill to the base of the mountain, and then you have to walk up 306 steps to the top, where all the action is. I fell asleep in the songthaew on the way over and it was a wonder that I was able to make it up the steps. It was grueling. But once up there, we got a wonderful view of Chiang Mai and got to see some beautiful temples. After Doi Suthep, we rode back down on the songthaew along with a family from Singapore. Two young children told us jokes the whole way down. I don’t like kids, but I laughed anyway. They were kind of cute. So we get back to town and we decide to eat at this Indian restaurant. We waited about 45 minutes for our food because there was only one guy cooking. He also took our orders. He was in charge of everything. The wait was worth it though because the food was really good. After a failed search for an ice cream vendor, we went back to Panda and took short naps. I was woken up around 7pm. I felt much better. The sleep deprivation had been getting to me. Took a shower, put on some makeup, headed off to the Night Bazaar – a very popular tourist destination in Chiang Mai. The name – Night Bazaar – makes it sound very exciting, but it really wasn’t. It was an extended Hua Hin Night Market, with a much narrower path. And more Europeans. But they did have some cool stuff. I bought souvenirs for people back home. The vendors in Chiang Mai are really good about bargaining. They ask, “What do you want to pay? What do you want to offer me?” They make pretty good deals with you but you really have to bargain with them if you want the lowest deal. You can’t give up. We saw something really unusual for Thailand – a gathering of Amish teenagers. The girls were dressed in amish attire. The boys were not. I think they were going through that period in Amish culture where the young people can decide whether or not they want to be a part of the church, so they are able to dress how they want and do what they want without repercussion. I didn’t see them with any bags in their hands, so I don’t think they purchased anything. Just sight seeing. One of them had a huge camera hanging around their neck. They ate at Subway and were very polite to the girl working there. Kelsey got one of those rice patty things from McDonalds. It is 2 rice patties in replace of the bun with pork, chicken, or beef.
We walked back to Panda after the Night Bazaar. Made jokes through the bamboo walls of our room and went to sleep.
Woke up a little late the next morning. Ate breakfast and went on an unnecessary ½ hour long walk in search of a broke down prison. We didn’t find it. We got a songthaew to Royal Flora Ratchpruchek – the whole reason I wanted to come to Chiang Mai. It’s a huge horticulture display at the Agricultural Center, sponsored by the Queen. We got to the place and found out that the Agricultural Center is about the size of a small city. We realized right then and there that we weren’t going to be able to see everything, so we should just make the most of our time there and see as much as we can.
So we braved the sun and walked around for hours, anne and I got split up from the other three. They wandered off somewhere, which made Anne very nervous. I took as many pictures as I could in the time allotted to me, for my online photojournalism class. It was very pretty, but too crowded. And too hot. We should have brought umbrellas. Or bought some. I bought a cute stuffed animal before we left. Actually, it’s a stuffed lotus flower character. Royal Flora had a whole gang of carton characters that they created just for the exhibit. I bought some souvenirs for people. And then we got a van and left. We were exhausted. I enjoyed the exhibition but it made me upset that the others did not want to stay longer. And they didn’t enjoy it as much. I wanted to explore more. See the international exhibit. But no. it put me in a really bad mood. Oh well. so, we went back to the guesthouse, got our things, and departed for the train station. That was something that also upset me. Jamie and tristen took the train to chiang mai, and they said it was freezing. That is the word they used. Freezing. Because all the windows were open and no blankets and they didn’t bring jackets. I get cold easily to begin with, so I didn’t understand the reason for taking a train when we could just as easily take a bus, and arrive in Bangkok a few hours sooner. Apparently, the view from the train makes it worth it. Since the others wanted the train, that’s what we did. We got the cheapest seats possible. The train ride was a grueling 15 hours long. I had a headache at the start. But the first 5 hours of the ride weren’t so bad. There happened to be a party happening in the car next to us. Several thai teenage guys with case after case of Chang beer and bongo drums were being wild and crazy. They were on sports teams and I think they were touring to different competitions so they partied during every trip. They were very drunk by the time we arrived on the train and offered all of us beer. Tristen was the first to partake in the siesta. He took pictures and drank and had a great time. Jamie spent his time sleeping and reading. Anne and Kelsey eventually joined the party. I took a short nap, curled up in the fetal position on the rock-hard train seat. And then I joined the party as well. The floor was wet and sticky with beer and there was hardly any room to move, but it was a blast. We met some cool people who spoke pretty good English. I don’t remember any of their names, and they probably don’t even remember that night on the train because they were so far gone. But for a few hours, we had a great time. And then around 5 or 6 in the morning, everyone passed out on their train seats. I dozed in and out of sleep several times. Each time I woke up, I felt 10 times more disgusting than the last.
15 hours later, we finally made it to Bangkok. By that time, I was in a horrible mood. I was hungry. We went to a noodle stand because that is Tristen’s favorite. I couldn’t eat my noodles because there were pieces of beef in the broth. I think everyone thought I was just being a baby, and there wasn’t really any beef in it. But there was. I saw it. So I went to 711 and got a coffee and some watermelon seeds. We got a van to hua hin. I took the best shower of my life. and that was chiang mai. Wish I could have spent more time there.
posted by Buddha at 5:17 AM
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