14.01.2017 - Jordan

 

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Chiang Mai

 

And a new night in the bus!

We didn’t miss it since Cambodia!

 

We arrive this morning in Chiang Mai, just north of Thailand. It is a city well known by tourists and pleasant to live because there are many things to do in the area. It looks a bit like the Jura Summer (from far but still)! The food here is super good, there are some mountains around, rivers, waterfalls, but with the tropical temperatures and the flora that goes with it! And then it is acknowledged for all the local crafts. Besides, this weekend, a festival of umbrellas takes place in Bo Sang, a town nearby.

 

Chiang-mai is a basic simple square, surrounded by a moat: it was an ancient fortified city with a wall that has almost disappeared.

 

In any case, we were not expecting to come across a city with so many vegetarians or vegans restaurants, all gathered in a human scale alleys. It is also a very spiritual city: tourists come here to do some yoga, a kind of retreat. A bit the hippie cliché! All sprinkled with people who have very deep discussions on the meaning of life. Which gave us a nice early morning laugh, even if we have a lot of trouble finding a place to sleep. And yes, sometimes, day-to-day organisation doesn’t only have advantages. We were warned for Chiang Mai, well done! We've also been warned for Burma / Myanmar, we know how it can be in the future and anticipate in advance for this next country.

 

We need to rest this afternoon, we prefer to keep energy for tomorrow. So we went out only in the evening, to visit lanes and a small local market. We discover the ' Bamboo Sticky Rice ', it's sweet sticky rice cooked with coconut milk, but compressed in a tube of bamboo. Then we must break the bamboo to access the food. Delicious! Obviously, we crossed the neighborhood prostitutes, it becomes almost a habit in these South-East Asian countries...

 

We eat at a little vegan restaurant and soon going to bed, in what looks/is an old traditional house: entirely or almost made out of wood. This would have been charming if only it was well maintained.

 

 

New day, new program!

 

This morning we jump on a scooter, heading to the umbrellas festival of Bo-Sang, a small town built around a main road. The Festival is small, but there's a very interesting museum where you can see the craftsmen doing all the steps to make an umbrella. There are so many profession behind the making of it! Mostly older women. There are those who prepare the paper, those who cut the stalks of bamboo, ' tisserands' to create the opening mechanism and finally painters to decorate the paper. Incredible! A little parade is also organized on the main road: Women Cycling, each equipped with an umbrella.

 

The heat is stifling: we are in a sort of valley. But this also means that there are lakes and reservoirs! This is how we find a resting area around the lake Huay Tung Tao. Every bank has many mini cabins on stilts. And in each area, a family restaurant prepares typical dishes. The Thai families gather here to eat or have a BBQ the weekend. It's really chill! We find an area with few people and enjoy the shade and water. My shoes also: I put them down in the lake... nothing serious, it washes!

 

 

The Sun begins to go down, temperatures too. It's time to go home! Because tonight, it is the famous night market of Chiang Mai. Every weekend, this huge market invades a part of the city. All the crafts are represented, the food is plentiful, the stands of clothes uncountable. Something crazy! And then it must be said that there is an immense crowd, it takes dozens of minutes to sneak up and move on to the next street. We can’t be claustrophobic.

 

As we go through, the entire crowd stops like a single man. Thousands of people frozen. Nobody moves. No sound is emitted. It's so weird! Apart from in the background: The Thai National Anthem echoes out of the loudspeakers. It's actually a moment of mourning for the dead king. You can really feel the emotion of the country.

 

After a return to normal and a few purchases of souvenirs / Postcards / clothes, we try a little pad Thai.

Obviously, I said that I don't eat meat / fish / seafood, because they are accustomed to add mini-dried shrimps. The lady made me understand that there's no problem and wonder even if she can put an egg! Perfect, until the end, where she plunges his hand in a jar of dried shrimps and adds everywhere! And yes here, it is very far from being considered as vegetarian. It's just a spice for them! Sorry, this one won't be for me! (in real life it's just disgusting under the tooth, because it is with the skin of the bug).

 

 

This day killed us!