The Jungle Book: April 20-26, Chiang Mai

April 20-26, Chiang Mai

Around Town: Chiang Mai is a really fun university town, with lots of young people and expats. We stayed in the old city (sectioned off by an ancient wall and moat) at a nice little hostel for about 100B each. Some highlights included a FANTASTIC Falafel at Jerusalem Falafel, delicious market food, an amazing night bazaar and fun times with people from all over the world.

We also went to the National Museum which was pretty boring, except for the dioramas (I think every asian country includes these in their museums). The Chiang Mai Univeristy Art Museum also had very cool photo exhibits, including one that portrayed Burmese migrant workers crossing the border to work in Thailand.

Trekking: We found a reasonably priced trek that we took with an awesome group of Brits, Koreans, and an Australian. The trek was a two day, one night adventure. On the first day we trekked four hours through the “jungle” to the Long Neck Tribe village where we stayed the night. Under usual circumstances this hike wouldn’t have been too bad, however, Thailand is in the midst of its worst drought in 50 years, plus it was 105 degrees every day. On top of all this, and the last thing you want to breathe during such a hike, some of the surrounding area was on fire. So, it was 105, no water in site, and you were inhaling smoke from smoldering bushes. The Long Neck village was an exciting place to be for a night. Women and girls wore long golden looking braces to extend there necks and there was no electricity in the village. At night we built a bonfire and played drinking games. Surprisingly for where we were, the dinner was really really good. The next day we went elephant riding, bamboo rafting, and (not so white) water rafting.

By Night: The Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai is huge, and is even bigger on Saturday and Sunday. You can buy anything from hand made handicrafts to fake Tiffany’s jewelry. There is also a nice bar scene in Chiang Mai, including great live reggae in “reggae alley” as well as some nice spots near the university. One night we met up with a friend we got to know in Southern Thailand and his local friends. We also hung out with the girls from England that we met on the trek.

Family Ties: Our last night we visited Pete’s cousin, Peter Tate and his wife, Goy who have an amazing house in Chiang Mai. They invited us to dinner with some friends at the best seafood restaurant in Chiang Mai. It was one of the best nights, with great company and stories.