After arriving from Phuket, Audrey and I caught a taxi from Chiang Mai International Airport to Bed & Terrace, a hostel just outside the southeast corner of the Old City. Our taxi driver was super friendly and told us all about Chiang Mai and some of his favorite things to do and eat in the city. Excited to check a few of those things out and find ข้าวซอย (Khao Soi) - a classic dish he told us - Audrey and I dropped our things off and headed out into the Old City.
After lunch at Coconut Shell, Audrey and I wanted to nap and escape the heat, which we had hoped to avoid by coming north. Once night fell and the temperatures dropped, we headed out to the Sunday Walking Market, hungry once again and excited to try various different knick knacks like ไส้อั่ว (Sai Ua), a northern style sausage.
We roamed the night markets for hours, wandering down every side street we came across, exploring every shop and food stand the Chiang Mai Walking Street had to offer. A few miles later, our feet aching, we returned to our hostel worn down from a wonderful night full of food and sights and promptly fell asleep, excited for what the next day and new places.
เชียงใหม่ (Chiang Mai) has over 300 wats, or Buddhist temples, scattered around the city. While Audrey and I couldn’t visit วัดพระธาตุดอยสุเทพ (Wat Phra That Doi Suthep), the most famous and impressive wat that sits on top of a mountain west of Chiang Mai, we walked into every walk we came across as we meandered through the streets of Chiang Mai. We visited วัดเจดีย์หลวงวรวิหาร (Wat Chedi Luang Varavihara), วัดแสนเมืองมาหลวง (Wat Saen Muang Ma Luang), and วัดดับภัย (Wat Dubphai).
At Wat Chedi Luang Varavihara, Audrey and I had a wonderful opportunity to sit down with some monks and chat about religion and their life at the temple. A few, we learned, were actually not Thai but Malay refugees. And, while Buddhism in other countries like Vietnam allows for females to practice at the temple, in Thailand, all monks are male.
Right as the day came to a close and we were finishing up our wat tour of Chiang Mai, Audrey and I caught a rather heavenly sunset coming from the west. Even though we couldn’t go to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, I imagined the temple on top of the mountain basking in the sun rays and sending us its spirit.
The next day, on a recommendation from a friend, we caught a bus to Pai, a town nestled in the northern mountains of Thailand. Our bus driver whipped around the 762 bends of Route 1095 and turned what was supposed to be a ~4 hour bus ride down to ~3 hours…I’m particularly prone to car sickness, especially when I’m sitting in the back of a bus. Thankfully, Audrey and I had heard of the craziness of the route and the drivers and decided to pick up some Dramamine - medication for motion sickness - beforehand. And, once we arrived in Pai and went out for our first walk in the area, the views more than cured me of any lingering nausea.
After dinner at Charlie & Lek and a night at Evergreen Guesthouse, we headed over to Vespai to rent motorbikes. The owner of Vespai was calm, nice, and accommodating, giving us lessons on how to ride the motorbikes and what to expect driving around town. And, while we weren’t comfortable leaving our passports with hostel owners and weren’t necessarily comfortable leaving them with Yuthasak, the owner, his expertise, renown, and professionalism gave us confidence to do so.
Once Yuthasak checked us and gave us the green light, Audrey and I were northbound, enjoying the cool breeze blowing past us as we drove into the countryside towards Pai Canyon and The Land Split.
As we walked under the leaves above us and through The Land Split, I couldn’t help but be fascinated with the textures and the geology of the trees and the seemingly random cracks in the land. Everything in Thailand, from southern Phuket to northern Pai, felt inviting and alive as life buzzed around us with a blend of energy and tranquility. Combined with the incredible hospitality of the local population of Pai, Audrey and I quite enjoyed the motorbike rides and stops around these mountains.
As we wrapped up our tour of The Land Split, Audrey and I tried some roselle juice from one of the vendors by the parking area. Refreshed, we drove onwards to Tambon Thung Yao, an area filled with farmlands that use bamboo to build bridges above their rice fields.
The farmers there were kind enough to let us roam over the bridges and on the walkways throughout the fields.
We visited Mae Hong Son and the Lod Caves, and caught sunset at Pai Canyon to close out our day.
As we had the first night in Pai, Audrey and I ventured out onto the Pai Waking Street to find some grub. One of our favorites were these black sesame pancakes with some sort of sweet, gooey filler that were absolutely bomb.
Four days later, Audrey and I spent the morning at the Yun Lai Viewpoint overlooking Pai and then caught the bus back to Chiang Mai. That night, we took an intro to Muay Thai training class at Sky Kick Muay Thai, which was mostly beginner’s pads and bag work but still promptly kicked both our butts. After mostly walking and hardly getting a workout in, we were more than happy to sweat even more in the humid evening heat.
After traveling for over a week and working out the previous night, it was most definitely laundry time. We found a laundromat a few blocks from where we were staying and went out to grab a bite to eat. My friend Jayna recommended a few dishes to me, the last of which - ลาบหมูทอด (Laab Moo Tod) - had been elusive despite spending over a week in northern Thailand. Luckily, next to our laundromat was Jaidee House, which miraculously served Laab Moo Tod (left photo below).
Audrey and I folded our laundry, headed back to the Chiang Mai Gate Capsule Hostel where we were staying for the night, and caught the bus to Thai Cottage Home Cookery School where we were gonna spend our afternoon learning about Thai cuisine. Cherry, our instructor, first took us to the market where she showed us the different types of ingredients and curry pastes we would be using and making.
Audrey and I roamed the market for a while, looking at all the different ingredients, like kaffir limes - the wrinkly looking limes in the photos above - that we generally didn’t have in the United States.
When we eventually began cooking, Cherry allowed us each to pick five dishes to make during the class.
Audrey’s Dishes
ต้มข่าไก่ (Tom Kha Gai) - Chicken Coconut Milk Soup
ผัดไทย (Pad Thai Gai) - Thai-style Fried Noodles with Chicken
เปาะเปี๊ยะทอด (Pad Pia Tod) - Fried Spring Rolls
แกงเผ็ด - Red Curry Soup
ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง (Khao Niao Ma Muang) - Mango Sticky Rice
My Dishes
ต้มยำกุ้ง (Tom Yum) - Hot and Sour Soup
ผัดกะเพรา (Pad Kra Pow Gai) - Thai Basil with Chicken
กล้วยทอด (Kluay Tod) - Fried Banana Rolls
ข้าวซอย (Khao Soi)
กล้วยบวชชี (Kluay Buat Chi) - Banana in Coconut Milk
We came to class with our stomachs grumbling, but we left class too full with the wonderful flavors of Thai Basil and Khao Soi and the other eight dishes we had made and shared. We also left class two hours early as Audrey and I were the only students in the afternoon session. So, afterwards, we decided to try and walk off all of the food we just had eaten and found สวนสาธารณะหนองบวกหาด (Buak Haat Public Park). Cozy and calm, we spent the rest of our evening at the park watching people play takraw and football, workout on the public machines, or simply walk around enjoying the scenery as we were.