So different from where we've been, where the weather is more ruthlessly hot, the people have more lingering eyes, and the surroundings are slightly less green and certainly more flat. It is like we have entered an entire different country, and yet, somehow this is STILL Thailand, but I am beginning to understand why their is a pride war between North and South, they could not be more different! The words and dialects differ, the food is different, and the North is so much CHEAPER, I am certainly ruined now!
It took far too long to arrive, TWO awful night buses and a sweaty, polluted day in Bangkok ( though we did treat ourselves to the new Sandra Bullock flick). But, upon arriving, things seemed to be in our favor. We walked along with no plans, and seemed to stumble on the most vibrant temples and adorable coffee shops. How nice to feel that putting pen to paper could be done in an atmosphere that is CONDUCIVE and not EXCLUSIVE to artistic creation! So, we sipped iced lattes and saw so many young monks in their bright orange robes walking beside foreigners with over sized backpacks and baggy, soaked through shirts. Oh, the joys of development!
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After our 4 dollar Thai massages we found the sun was setting, and thus the biggest attraction of Chiang Mai (other than the Panda exhibit, which Thai people are OBSESSED with) was about to commence. So, we stocked up in Baht and trudged towards the Night Bazaar, something we had only heard about, and were thrilled to find a never-ending street canopied with shops selling the most beautiful artifacts, woodwork, souvenirs, and fabrics you have ever laid eyes on! So, naturally, we indulged ourselves......and my, were our appetites large! For over two hours we let sweat drip down our brows as we stared at the stalls, then each other, trying to let our logical, fiscal minds catch up with our ravenous impulse to buy buy buy!
The colors of the market, dangling white lights and villagers from the north dressed in native garments, silver headdresses selling woven bracelets and silver pieces, are enough to make you want to stay all night. After a weary day of walking and not sleeping we found our rhythm, and suddenly had vigor pulsating through our veins! Backpacks, dresses, wooden elephants, it all seemed so precious and necessary! Though people are pushy, there is a nice feeling in Chiang Mai, no shock factor. Thai people don't gawk at us; they are used to seeing pale, snowy skin. It is empowering somehow, to not be stared out so much, and it makes one feel so much more at home, like you can meet so many more Thai people and be on their level.
So, as you can probably deduce with your cunning intelligence, I have quit enjoyed Chiang Mai, and am disappointed the time allotted for its grandeur is so little, but there is just so much to SEE and DO in this vast country!!!!
