Everybody was Kung-Fu fighting...
After a week in Thailand, I think it's safe to say that we've settled in well. We're also taking on a bit of the local lingo, and definitely beginning to appreciate the concept of 'Thai Time'. Thai Time is different from normal time, and revolves around the concept of estimating that a task, trip or pretty much anything can take between half and triple the original estimation of time to completion. Our sleeper train from Bangkok was good. Full beds pretty much, and air con (I know, flash packers), but it was delayed by 5 or 6 hours, and our first experience of Thai time was reinforced by other backpackers on arrival at our first hostel, as it seems to be the norm to ignore any time frames that are given to you here.
The hostel we stayed in was also good. We used the age old method of finding the cheapest places on hostelbookers' website, and then picking the one with the best rating. Easy. It was pretty basic in the sense that it was dorm rooms and basic facilities, but the atmosphere and people we met there were second to none so far on our trip (just Bangkok). It had some really good communal areas, cheap beers in the fridge, free Internet and a load of excursions that you could book at cheap prices- what more could you want? So, perhaps a bit unlikely, but if any of you are looking for a hostel in Chang Mai, then 'little bird hostel' definitely gets a big thumbs up.
Anyway, I suppose we left Bangkok in search of some activities other than drinking and watching women pop ping pong balls (and other impressive items) out of their private parts. By no means am I saying that they were both not very entertaining, because they were, but Chiang Mai is a bit of an activity hub so it had to be done.
So what did we actually do? Well we were in Chiang Mai for 4 nights. And we did quite a lot. After a first night of what seems to be getting to be part of our (and probably most other travellers') night time traditions - one or two beers that swiftly turns into five or six, a bucket or two and in bed by 4 or 5 - we awoke at 8:20am. Now after that sort of night, it could only be one thing that wakes you up at such a stupid time- the sound of an alarm that had been snoozed a good four times, and the prospect that one more snooze would take us past 8:30am, and therefore also past our collection time at reception for an "adventure day" that we'd booked. A lot of "s***!" and "f***!" preceded a pretty swift turn around (almost definitely waking the other people in the dorm), and two showers and a mental quick bag packing later, we were in the reception on time. Impressive huh? Well it is for me (Pete) anyway as anybody who has ever lived with me will know all too well. The day was really good anyway, and we started off being picked up along with a couple of Japanese women. Two koreans followed, and five of six more oriental looking people later Josh made the possibly inappropriate, but very funny at the time, comment that he wondered whether there was a bus somewhere with two Asian guys and a load of white people thinking "are we on the right bus". As for the day's activities, we started off with White water rafting. I think it was a pretty basic course, but for a couple of first timers, it served it's purpose in that we enjoyed it and will do it again. Next was elephant riding (some pretty funny videos and photos on that section of the blog), but it's rocky. You sit in this wooden seat, with a bit of string across your front (good to see they're thinking about health and safety haha), walk around for a bit and then get to feed the elephants bananas- all fun. After this was bamboo rafting up the river. This is probably where we first realised the dangers of only waking up 10 minutes before you're due to leave- you're bound to forget something. And we forgot sun cream. It was hot, we were in direct sunlight, and our skin was fresh from the British cloud/rain and ripe for burning. We burnt. I (Pete) suffered the most probably, but it will turn to tan. I'm adamant it will. Or it will peel and i'll have to just start all over again. Following the bamboo rafting up the river, we trekked to a waterfall and swam in that for a while before heading home. Not bad for a day, right? Well, we're not finished. That night, along with a few others from the hostel, we made our way to Muay Thai. It's Thai boxing, and is a bit like kick boxing. What was good about it was that it was very much geared to tourists because some of the fights were just for pure entertainment, e.g. One fight where there are three fighters in the ring and one ref, with the catch that the fighters are all blindfolded. It proved pretty entertaining, especially when the ref would bump into one of the fighters, prompting them to start throwing an onslaught of punches in the direction from which the ref came, but more than likely just end up punching thin air as the ref has already moved. Again, check out the video for it- very entertaining. Surrounding the boxing ring were loads of bars, one of which was definitely getting the lions share of attention in between the fights. In the intervals, they put on a bit of a song and dance; a topless song and dance. But the performers were evidently not the Thai girls that they perhaps wanted to be, which was made clear by the bar's name... Marina Ladyboy Bar. Enlightening.
The next day was spent at tiger kingdom in Chiang Mai. Fairly self explanatory. Lots of tigers, all supposedly not sedated (I'm not sure about that last bit), and you go in with one of the trainers and stroke them, and if you're lucky get to give them a good spooning too. So this is all fun, until one that they've just been playing with (also known as winding them up with a ball on the end of a stick) turns around and starts moving towards you. I (Pete) got a little scared. I started sweating. All of this is also captured on josh's video camera, fantastic.
Our final day in Chiang Mai was spent on a cooking course. You do it all day, 9-3ish, and cook 6 courses which you choose from 6 categories. Josh's meals were hot and spicy soup, pad Thai, chicken with cashew nuts, minced spicy pork salad, Thai green curry, bananas in coconut milk, and I can't really remember all of mine- hot and creamy soup which was good, drunken noodles which were a bit strange, a stir fry where I almost burnt the kitchen down, and a jungle curry that turned out to be the hottest thing on the menu.
So Chiang Mai done, we're next heading on to Pai which is a little town surrounded by mountains and waterfalls, and a few of us from the hostel are heading up for a few days. Should be good.
Hope all is well at home.
Pete and Josh