The Land of Smiles

We are in Chiang Mai, north Thailand after spending a few days in Bangkok. First I'll try my best to explain a whirlwind 3 days in Bangkok with our new friends.

'K' is a Thai dentist we met in New Zealand while he was vacationing with his family, 'Or' 'Earth' and 'Aim.' He asked us some questions about our campervan and when he found out we were going to be in Thailand, he offered ecstatic advice and his phone number. Then 3 weeks ago, we got an email from him with an offer to stay with him and his family in Bangkok. It was so sweet we couldn't refuse!

We called him from the airport after returning from Camboida to find that he was already on his way to pick us up. After the language barrier and hustle and bustle of the busy Bangkok airport we found him, and he took us directly to his home. He lives in a moban (neighborhood) just outside Bangkok and after he arranged our afternoon he was late to work! We spent the afternoon in a mall and flea market near his house that held no other white people but ourselves. It was fantastic to get out of the tourist triangle. We were shopped out before arriving, but seeing the upscale mall on a Friday afternoon and the flea market where most Thai shop for clothes, electronics, and pirated software and CD's was nothing short of educational. Although it's tempting, we are thinking we won't contribute to the corruption.

The next day, K had to work so he set us up with his sister-in-law and her friend for an all day tour around Bangkok. It was such a fun day, although a great deal of it was spent in the car stuck in traffic! Nong (sister) and Porn (short for a really long name) were fantastic guides, and we had so many laughs as we got to know each other. Again they treated us to a few out-of-the way places that most tourists would never find. We felt very strange that evening, though. We met up with Nong's sister and another friend for dinner. We started eating before they arrived because we were so hungry, but left with our guides pulling and prodding before the other two were even finished. So the other two were left with the bill!! We felt terrible, but had to follow the lead of our new friends - they insisted. We gave them our addresses, so hopefully we may return the favor in the US.

K is very eager to practice his English, so every chance he had he wanted to chat and show us around. Sunday we went on a bike ride with him to see the countryside just past his moban. The heat and humidity was overpowering, but we learned to just keep moving to catch the breeze. All was fine and dandy until we reached the canal. K started pushing his bike up a makeshift ramp to a strip of concrete about 3 feet wide. The tricky part was that the concrete strip was about 4-5 feet over a water canal with no sides! We were on borrowed bikes, so our confidence was a bit wobbly as well as our knees. Again I was more petrified, or putrefied, of making contact with the very foul muddy water below. K assured me that I would be an expert by the time we headed back and he was right, although he forgot to mention the passing scooters and people with large baskets who would be using the same path!! :) The only discomfort on the way back was the sound of the Islamic chants over a loudspeaker in the remote Muslim villages. I'm sure it was as safe as anywhere, but I can't help but have my guard up. The greatest part of the whole experience - we toured the countryside, rice patties and homes all along the canal. K showed us how people on the canal live today, which for some he said, is the same lifestyle as 50 years ago.

We had lunch with K and his family that afternoon at an outdoor restaurant near his house. The hardest part about ordering food with the Thai people is finding a dish without a strong fish flavor. The Thais love their fish, and just about everything has a fish tone of some sort. K had been very conscious of our different diets after visiting New Zealand (they don't enjoy European food much - too bland), and after many questions he helped us find foods we really enjoyed. Another great thing about our time with K's family was learning a few Thai phrases. We can say hello, thank-you, delicious, how much? and no problem/you're welcome. The only problem is then the locals think we can speak Thai, and start chatting away in Thai!

K had also arranged our overnight train tickets and took us to the train station to head to Chiang Mai. The overnight train is magic. We'll be using that as transport more! We liked Chaing Mai immediately, and prefer it so much over Bangkok. Less people, less pollution, and much more laid back. We found a great room for $7.50/night and today we're waiting out a rain storm to use the motorbike we rented for $4.00. It feels good to be improving on our daily budget.

The best part of Chiang Mai so far was the cooking class we took yesterday. Michael and I split up to take 2 different classes so that we could get more recipies and knowledge of Thai cooking. It was fantastic! We were both the only student in our class, and our teachers were as dear as all of the other Thai people we've met. There is no doubt about why they call Thailand 'The Land of Smiles.' Now we know why some Thai foods taste fishy, what to order, and how to cook this great healthy food at home. We even figured out that fish and oyster sauce are essential, but can be moderated!

More from Chiang Mai later...we have to go catch the sun that's coming out!