January 1-6, 2015: Chiang Mai, Thailand
January 1, 2015: Brunch, Lunch
The condo had a merit making brunch this morning. What that means is that your friendly neighborhood monks amble over at 7:45am for alms after which everyone else eats and the monks take their loot (mostly preset packages that you buy from special shops selling them) and go back to the monastery and eat. Monks only eat in the morning and at noon. No food after that until the next morning. It sure must be hard for those young boys in those monastery schools, but they've been doing it that way for generations. There had been donation boxes out for several weeks to raise the money for what, AlteCocker gathers, is an annual event for the condo.
AlteCocker had good intention of at least seeing the monks and taking some photos, but, alas, she got downstairs at 8:15am and the monks were long gone. Most of the time, when monks seek out alms in the mornings, by the way, they go to locations where they know they will be welcome. It is not random.
The monks had left, but the food was out. AlteCocker had some soup with dumplings, a sort of double stick doughnut and granola cookies with a heavy dose of chrysanthemum tea for her cold (no progressed from the chest into the nose). AlteCocker did note that the breakfast was mostly attended by Thai residents of the condo. Maybe the farangs partied too hard New Year's Eve.
The next event was lunch at Babylon Iraqi at the Maya Mall. This was an organized ladies' lunch for the expats. Since AlteCocker had wanted to try this restaurant, she signed up. The restaurant is, quite frankly, a mess. They were totally unprepared. It was not a good experience, but you can't win 'em all with restaurants. This was a loser. The restaurant just opened 6 weeks ago and will have to get its act together. They didn't even have any pita bread made when we arrived. A Middle Eastern restaurant without pita bread? You tell AlteCocker.
After lunch the cold/flu had really gotten to AlteCocker. She walked back to the condo and slept all afternoon after many futile attempts to sign on to the internet to do the blog. She will not miss the WOW internet at her condo back in the US--never mind when you get on you frequently get kicked off. When you call to complain, they blame your computer. Yeah, right.
AlteCocker had good intention of at least seeing the monks and taking some photos, but, alas, she got downstairs at 8:15am and the monks were long gone. Most of the time, when monks seek out alms in the mornings, by the way, they go to locations where they know they will be welcome. It is not random.
The monks had left, but the food was out. AlteCocker had some soup with dumplings, a sort of double stick doughnut and granola cookies with a heavy dose of chrysanthemum tea for her cold (no progressed from the chest into the nose). AlteCocker did note that the breakfast was mostly attended by Thai residents of the condo. Maybe the farangs partied too hard New Year's Eve.
The next event was lunch at Babylon Iraqi at the Maya Mall. This was an organized ladies' lunch for the expats. Since AlteCocker had wanted to try this restaurant, she signed up. The restaurant is, quite frankly, a mess. They were totally unprepared. It was not a good experience, but you can't win 'em all with restaurants. This was a loser. The restaurant just opened 6 weeks ago and will have to get its act together. They didn't even have any pita bread made when we arrived. A Middle Eastern restaurant without pita bread? You tell AlteCocker.
After lunch the cold/flu had really gotten to AlteCocker. She walked back to the condo and slept all afternoon after many futile attempts to sign on to the internet to do the blog. She will not miss the WOW internet at her condo back in the US--never mind when you get on you frequently get kicked off. When you call to complain, they blame your computer. Yeah, right.
January 2, 2015: Sleeping in; Dinner at the Gallery Restaurant
Some days on a long trip, you need to do nothing. In an attempt to shake the cold, AlteCocker stayed in bed all day. She needed to do that. She was exhausted. Boy the timing on the kayak trip turned out all wrong! She didn't plan on being sick.
After a totally restful day, The current round of books, "Flatiron" and "Cape Cod" was finished. "Vicksburg 1863" by Winston Groom was begun as well and promises to be fast read.
Mary and Tom took AlteCocker out to dinner at a restaurant called The Gallery on the riverfront in Chiang Mai. AlteCocker had a grilled whole fish. Mary had duck. The duck beat out the whole fish in the entrees insofar as the taste was concerned, but both were good. Tom was not very hungry and just had an appetizer. The restaurant was just across the street from the place where AlteCocker bought her elephant lamp earlier in the trip. Chiang Mai really is not that large and AlteCocker has gotten to know here way around here during her 2 months. The Gallery is very well known (no repeat of the very bad Babylon Iraqi experience on the previous day). For dessert, AlteCocker finally had mango sticky rice with coconut ice cream. Yummy! Leaving the restaurant, AlteCocker noticed all these publicity photos about Hillary Clinton dining in the restaurant for Loy Krathong in 1996. There is a shop attached with handicrafts for sale.
The internet was again down when AlteCocker returned to the condo. She did the blog--at 2:00am as it worked in the middle of the night. She will not miss the WOW internet at the condo when she leaves Chiang Mai. It is always a crapshoot to see if you can sign on.
After a totally restful day, The current round of books, "Flatiron" and "Cape Cod" was finished. "Vicksburg 1863" by Winston Groom was begun as well and promises to be fast read.
Mary and Tom took AlteCocker out to dinner at a restaurant called The Gallery on the riverfront in Chiang Mai. AlteCocker had a grilled whole fish. Mary had duck. The duck beat out the whole fish in the entrees insofar as the taste was concerned, but both were good. Tom was not very hungry and just had an appetizer. The restaurant was just across the street from the place where AlteCocker bought her elephant lamp earlier in the trip. Chiang Mai really is not that large and AlteCocker has gotten to know here way around here during her 2 months. The Gallery is very well known (no repeat of the very bad Babylon Iraqi experience on the previous day). For dessert, AlteCocker finally had mango sticky rice with coconut ice cream. Yummy! Leaving the restaurant, AlteCocker noticed all these publicity photos about Hillary Clinton dining in the restaurant for Loy Krathong in 1996. There is a shop attached with handicrafts for sale.
The internet was again down when AlteCocker returned to the condo. She did the blog--at 2:00am as it worked in the middle of the night. She will not miss the WOW internet at the condo when she leaves Chiang Mai. It is always a crapshoot to see if you can sign on.
January 3, 2015: Brunch at Le Meridien, Booking for next year
There was one last expat event today at Le Meridien--one of the deluxe hotels in Chiang Mai. There was a performance by The Gate Theater group--the English language amateur theater group in Chiang Mai. The had a short show about a disfuctional Christmas choir that was as good as many professional shows AlteCocker has seen--and very funny. Then there was this huge buffet. As she writes this, AlteCocker's tummy is very full. The bread was delicious--and it is difficult to find good bread in Thailand. The desserts, well, crepes in grand marnier, chocolate mousse, creme brule and little cakes. AlteCocker feels like a stuffed turkey. She is still coughing from the cold, but at least there is no more giant heaving of green. She is getting better, but she really did not need all the food.
Ah, and, yes, after the stuffing, AlteCocker went and booked a place for next year in Chiang Mai--November 15, 2015-February 15, 2016. She will be staying at the Smith Residence Inn--a step up from where she stayed this year and really the same money. It is closer to the central city and farther from the airport flight path and the bar that plays music all night. AlteCocker had to put down a 3,000 baht deposit. She will lose it if she does not come but, if she does come, that will make it much simpler.
And then it was off to get some US dollars for Burma. As is true with Cambodia, with the opening of Burma, the country is becoming "dollarized". Everyone wants hard currency and the dollar is the currency of choice at the moment. So AlteCocker needed more dollars. To get them she had to get Thai baht out of the ATM and then exchange the baht for dollars--losing commission twice. There was, however, no help for it so those are the breaks. AlteCocker detests foreign exchange transactions because you always lose. Only the bank wins.
Today probably marked the last laundry done in Chiang Mai. AlteCocker laundered Mary's bedspread and whatever dirty clothes she had. There might be a very small amount of laundry on the 4th or she might reserve it for Burma. The Chiang Mai leg of the trip is almost over. All the planning and it always goes so quickly. Sigh. . . .
Ah, and, yes, after the stuffing, AlteCocker went and booked a place for next year in Chiang Mai--November 15, 2015-February 15, 2016. She will be staying at the Smith Residence Inn--a step up from where she stayed this year and really the same money. It is closer to the central city and farther from the airport flight path and the bar that plays music all night. AlteCocker had to put down a 3,000 baht deposit. She will lose it if she does not come but, if she does come, that will make it much simpler.
And then it was off to get some US dollars for Burma. As is true with Cambodia, with the opening of Burma, the country is becoming "dollarized". Everyone wants hard currency and the dollar is the currency of choice at the moment. So AlteCocker needed more dollars. To get them she had to get Thai baht out of the ATM and then exchange the baht for dollars--losing commission twice. There was, however, no help for it so those are the breaks. AlteCocker detests foreign exchange transactions because you always lose. Only the bank wins.
Today probably marked the last laundry done in Chiang Mai. AlteCocker laundered Mary's bedspread and whatever dirty clothes she had. There might be a very small amount of laundry on the 4th or she might reserve it for Burma. The Chiang Mai leg of the trip is almost over. All the planning and it always goes so quickly. Sigh. . . .
January 4, 2015: BhuBing Palace; Mon Cham
This trip is almost at an end, but AlteCocker never lets the grass grow under her feet. Today Mary and Tom, accompanied by their hilarious Thai driver Vinh (he is fluent in English, but especially fluent in English curse words when driving), took AlteCocker on a drive to the Bhubing Palace. Now "Bhubing" is pronounced "pooping" (everyone laugh hysterically as AlteCocker did). Ha ha ha! Bhubing is a summer palace for members of the royal family. It was heavily used by the present king's mother. The present king just turned 87 and spends most of his time in the hospital--which he seems to prefer to living in the Royal Palace. He does not visit various areas of Thailand anymore because, well, he is 87.
To get to the Palace you drive to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and just continue going on past the Wat. AlteCocker had visited the Wat earlier in the trip when she first arrived, so no need to go there again. We passed a lot of bicyclists going up the strenuous road; apparently there was some sort of bicycle challenge going on. Bhubing Palace is on a magnificent site with great views and wonderful flowers. Since Mary still is limping along upon her healing knee, we rented a golf cart to take us around the gardens. The driver was only allowed to stop in certain places and had a fixed time for the golf cart rental, so we had less time to see the grounds than we would have had walking. Nevertheless we saw some wonderful flowers and great views of the buildings and spectacular fountains. In size it is nothing like, say, Versailles, but still definitely something to see. AlteCocker took a lot of photos.
After Bhubing/Pooping, Mary decided she wanted to go to Mon Cham--which she called the place with the sunflowers. It is in Mae Rim above some of the elephant camps and past the Queen Sirikit Botanical Gardens. Basically you just follow the signs, but they are all in Thai. Since Vinh is, of course, Thai, he had no trouble, but you might. The Royal Family is involved in a lot of demonstration farming projects and Mon Cham (also known as Nong Hoi Royal Project) is one of those. They generally involve organic farming and diversification, but, when Thais have been asked about these projects, they all say the products are too expensive for them. Foreigners like the projects' products because no pesticides are used. We had lunch at the top of the hill (good Western toilets; very spicey food) and then returned to Chiang Mai via Mae Rim passing the elephant camps that AlteCocker had seen in the early part of the trip when she did the only partially successful mahout training (discovering that her back prevents her from bouncing up and down on the top of an elephant). People do camp in tents on the top of Mon Cham when it gets too hot down below. Not only the Royal Family seeks out higher elevations--everyone who can does.
After returning, AlteCocker called the lovely WOW internet provider to arrange for pick up of her hotspot in the morning so she can get her 1000 baht deposit back. She also tipped the maids in the condo and, alas, had to top off her Thai phone one more time. She had a lot of trouble doing it because she did not understand the guy in the 7/11 (nor he her). She will need a Burmese SIM card in Yangon (which hopefully she will get at the airport). She is keeping the Thai phone to use next year, but much of the stuff Mary and Tom loaned her for the condo has already been returned except the last set of sheets and towels which will have to be picked up after AlteCocker departs. Each time she has seen them, she has returned things in an effort to reduce the schlepping they will need to do at the end. The Angkor Wat guidebook, which AlteCocker did read, is being left for them as well. Hopefully they will be able to make the trip after Mary's knee is 100%.
Luggage is largely packed. Tomorrow is hopefully to relax a little and finish up the packing. Then Chiang Mai will be done. The trip has gone so fast. Sniff!
To get to the Palace you drive to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and just continue going on past the Wat. AlteCocker had visited the Wat earlier in the trip when she first arrived, so no need to go there again. We passed a lot of bicyclists going up the strenuous road; apparently there was some sort of bicycle challenge going on. Bhubing Palace is on a magnificent site with great views and wonderful flowers. Since Mary still is limping along upon her healing knee, we rented a golf cart to take us around the gardens. The driver was only allowed to stop in certain places and had a fixed time for the golf cart rental, so we had less time to see the grounds than we would have had walking. Nevertheless we saw some wonderful flowers and great views of the buildings and spectacular fountains. In size it is nothing like, say, Versailles, but still definitely something to see. AlteCocker took a lot of photos.
After Bhubing/Pooping, Mary decided she wanted to go to Mon Cham--which she called the place with the sunflowers. It is in Mae Rim above some of the elephant camps and past the Queen Sirikit Botanical Gardens. Basically you just follow the signs, but they are all in Thai. Since Vinh is, of course, Thai, he had no trouble, but you might. The Royal Family is involved in a lot of demonstration farming projects and Mon Cham (also known as Nong Hoi Royal Project) is one of those. They generally involve organic farming and diversification, but, when Thais have been asked about these projects, they all say the products are too expensive for them. Foreigners like the projects' products because no pesticides are used. We had lunch at the top of the hill (good Western toilets; very spicey food) and then returned to Chiang Mai via Mae Rim passing the elephant camps that AlteCocker had seen in the early part of the trip when she did the only partially successful mahout training (discovering that her back prevents her from bouncing up and down on the top of an elephant). People do camp in tents on the top of Mon Cham when it gets too hot down below. Not only the Royal Family seeks out higher elevations--everyone who can does.
After returning, AlteCocker called the lovely WOW internet provider to arrange for pick up of her hotspot in the morning so she can get her 1000 baht deposit back. She also tipped the maids in the condo and, alas, had to top off her Thai phone one more time. She had a lot of trouble doing it because she did not understand the guy in the 7/11 (nor he her). She will need a Burmese SIM card in Yangon (which hopefully she will get at the airport). She is keeping the Thai phone to use next year, but much of the stuff Mary and Tom loaned her for the condo has already been returned except the last set of sheets and towels which will have to be picked up after AlteCocker departs. Each time she has seen them, she has returned things in an effort to reduce the schlepping they will need to do at the end. The Angkor Wat guidebook, which AlteCocker did read, is being left for them as well. Hopefully they will be able to make the trip after Mary's knee is 100%.
Luggage is largely packed. Tomorrow is hopefully to relax a little and finish up the packing. Then Chiang Mai will be done. The trip has gone so fast. Sniff!
January 5, 2015: SewatdeCa Chiang Mai
Shit, AlteCocker just got kicked off her blog by the lovely "WOW" internet service she's been dealing with and now has to write the post all over again. This is NOT the first time WOW has done this to AlteCocker. It happens all the time. Should you rent an apartment in Chiang Mai--or anywhere in Thailand--ask who the internet provider is. If it's WOW, head for the exit. AlteCocker even had a hotspot put in her room. Of course, when the server is down, it's a waste of time no matter where the hotspot is. Today WOW picked up the hotspot and refunded her 1,000 baht deposit. She will not miss WOW. The apartment for next year has a different internet service provider that supposed to be better. Should AlteCocker return next year, she will know for sure.
"Sewatdeca" is how females say "hello" and "good-bye" in Thai. Males say "sewatdeclap". Don't ask why. It's the way it is.
So it is now time for AlteCocker to bid "good-bye" to her rental condo and fly to Yangon. The luggage was repacked this morning--hopefully so the large suitcase (the one bought in Laos; the one she came with was going to be left behind) would not have to be opened until she gets home. AlteCocker thought she had the packing under control until she lifted up the Laotian suitcase and tried to pull the handle out. Basically the extended handle does not work. To get it to extend, you have to go inside the suitcase because something is out of alignment. So, everything had to be repacked in the suitcase she came with. Where the leftovers will go is quite a task. A piece of hand luggage stores the warm clothing that will be donned when AlteCocker reaches Narita Airport outside Tokyo on Jan. 14th for her change of plane. Another piece of hand luggage will have the hot weather clothing she will need in Yangon and Bangkok. The big suitcase simply cannot be opened again until AlteCocker gets home. She had a devil of a time closing it. And, so, the Laotian bargain "Eddie Bauer" suitcase turns out to have been defective and utterly useless. It will be left in the condo. It could be used as a duffle bag but the extension handle is just useless.
It was off to Smoothie Blues for one last breakfast. The agenda for the remainder of the day was to finish tipping those who should be tipped and then just veg out. Chiang Mai is wrapped up and tied with a bow. Day was spent relaxing and reading. Still working on "Vicksburg 1863" by Winston Groom and "Liberty's Torch" by Elizabeth Mitchell with occasional forays into "The Cambridge Medieval History Volumes 1-5"--a very long term project; for the record, AlteCocker is on Volume 2. Probably will take a few years to complete.
Dinner was at AboutHobs--basically a beer bar with lots of different beers, but it did make a terrific hambureger which AlteCocker craved after all the Thai food.
Sewatdeca Chiang Mai. Perhaps see you next year. Perhaps not. The blog will continue with the Burmese leg of the trip here.
"Sewatdeca" is how females say "hello" and "good-bye" in Thai. Males say "sewatdeclap". Don't ask why. It's the way it is.
So it is now time for AlteCocker to bid "good-bye" to her rental condo and fly to Yangon. The luggage was repacked this morning--hopefully so the large suitcase (the one bought in Laos; the one she came with was going to be left behind) would not have to be opened until she gets home. AlteCocker thought she had the packing under control until she lifted up the Laotian suitcase and tried to pull the handle out. Basically the extended handle does not work. To get it to extend, you have to go inside the suitcase because something is out of alignment. So, everything had to be repacked in the suitcase she came with. Where the leftovers will go is quite a task. A piece of hand luggage stores the warm clothing that will be donned when AlteCocker reaches Narita Airport outside Tokyo on Jan. 14th for her change of plane. Another piece of hand luggage will have the hot weather clothing she will need in Yangon and Bangkok. The big suitcase simply cannot be opened again until AlteCocker gets home. She had a devil of a time closing it. And, so, the Laotian bargain "Eddie Bauer" suitcase turns out to have been defective and utterly useless. It will be left in the condo. It could be used as a duffle bag but the extension handle is just useless.
It was off to Smoothie Blues for one last breakfast. The agenda for the remainder of the day was to finish tipping those who should be tipped and then just veg out. Chiang Mai is wrapped up and tied with a bow. Day was spent relaxing and reading. Still working on "Vicksburg 1863" by Winston Groom and "Liberty's Torch" by Elizabeth Mitchell with occasional forays into "The Cambridge Medieval History Volumes 1-5"--a very long term project; for the record, AlteCocker is on Volume 2. Probably will take a few years to complete.
Dinner was at AboutHobs--basically a beer bar with lots of different beers, but it did make a terrific hambureger which AlteCocker craved after all the Thai food.
Sewatdeca Chiang Mai. Perhaps see you next year. Perhaps not. The blog will continue with the Burmese leg of the trip here.