It’s Been One Week Since You Looked At Me

Threw your arms in the air and said, ‘You’re crazy.’ Well, folks, yes it has been one week since we arrived in Chiang Mai. The journey to Thailand went off without a hitch and was actually pretty comfortable. Singapore Airlines took us from San Francisco to Hong Kong and then to Singapore, and then Silk Air from Singapore to Chiang Mai. The two layovers weren’t bad at all, and our longer one in Singapore allowed us to sample some new foods.

It’s always kind of a fun thing to peruse the menus at McDonald’s in different countries. I’m fascinated by what is considered ‘delicious’ in each country and will often order something just to give it a whirl (even though we don’t usually eat at McDonald’s in the States…ok fine, some McMuffins before hitting the mountains in Tahoe is the one exception.) In Japan, we found the McPork burger, Ebi Filet-O sandwich, and Shaka Shaka chicken (lemon pepper flavor, of course) delicious. In Abu Dhabi, they have camembert cheese bites. And in Singapore, they have honeydew-flavored McFlurries and a cereal Ebi burger with spicy mayonnaise. You can also get a cup of corn, for those times when nothing else will do save for a cup of sweet, sweet corn.  We spared ourselves the honeydew McFlurry and the cup of corn, but we did share the cereal Ebi sandwich and washed it all down with some milk tea we purchased from the 7-11. A nice pick-me-up snack for us weary travelers.

As I mentioned in the previous post, we didn’t do too much planning for this trip considering the length of it, but we weren’t completely irresponsible. We did book a nice hotel, Rich Lanna House, for the first 4 nights so we could have the luxury of scouting the various neighborhoods in and around the city center (it’s that square you see) before booking a short-term apartment. The hotel is in the ‘old city,’ and what natives now refer to as the farang area. Farang is the Thai word for white person, essentially the equivalent of gringo. Homonym alert: farang also means guava. But way before it became a farang area, it was built as the new strategic capital of the Lanna Kingdom in 1296. Surrounded by moats, it was prized for its close proximity to the Ping River and trading routes.

Anyways, we also made some connections before leaving, thanks in part to UC Berkeley. Here goes: Shiv’s friend Rishi, who he met on a cruise to Greece when they were 15, went to UC Berkeley and was on the same freshman floor as a guy who used to live in Chiang Mai (Sam) and who eventually married a Thai woman (Pun). They put us in contact with their research friends who are currently living in Chiang Mai (Tessa) or are from Chiang Mai (Yot). We were told there is a meeting spot – HimmDoi Coffee –  that is a favorite spot for people to meet up and get their caffeine fix. Tessa had provided us with a Here Map which works offline. Which was good because, for some reason, my T-Mobile is being a T-pain in the neck and isn’t working despite paying for the international package. The offline map worked well and 1.5 hours later we were handsomely rewarded with delicious and refreshing drinks, our first meeting with Yot, and a chance encounter with Tessa as we left HimmDoi. Connection success! We’ve had some great outings with these guys (think food, beer, and free-wheeling), and are looking forward to some more!

So with that, here are some of the things I picked up on as first-timer to Chiang Mai:

1. They are serious about coffee. Coffee shops are a dime a dozen here and they range from mom and pop to hipster to high-end. WiFi is a bit of a commodity here and it’s not uncommon to see people steadily working away on their computers while enjoying a giant iced coffee. Each coffee shop usually has some sort of theme (like fake cats, real cats, or s’mores), which makes for a fun experience.
2. They are serious about dental care. There are almost as many dental clinics as there are coffee shops here. And with names like Tooth Teeth, Dental4U, and Just For Fun, one has to wonder about the quality of the places. I hope we don’t need to find out!
3. Sometimes it feels like India, sometimes it feels like Portland. There is quite a mix of aesthetic here ranging from the side-by-side trinket stores encased in aged infrastructure and lined with umbrella-topped food carts to the minimalist, exposed-brick, upcycled, organic, vegan, coffee shops and craft stores. There is definitely an undercurrent of creative culture here.
4. Food. As you might have guessed, Northern Thai food is quite different than the typical stuff you’d find in an American Thai restaurant. It’s more focused on delicious meats, sticky rice, and this wonderful chili sauce, nam prik noom, that just hits the spot. Walking down the street, my olfactory senses are pleasantly assaulted with ginger-garlic-lemongrass-chili flavored sizzling meats and soups. There is also a wide range of some of my favorite fruits (ahem, mangoes) and some new ones, like dragon fruit.
5. Transportation. There is a bevy of transportation available here. In addition to standard taxis, you can also ride tuk tuks (a three-wheeled golf cart taxi of sorts) or a song taew (a red minibus that is open in the back and you share with other riders…an analog version of UberPool or Lyft Line to you San Franciscans.) If you can negotiate well, you will travel cheaply.
6. Creatures. I mean, technically, we are in a jungle, so it shouldn’t be surprising to see things I wouldn’t normally see in San Francisco. But, as I explained to Shiv, I am closer to the ground and can’t help but notice. There are stray dogs, rats, birds that sounds like bats, tiny whitish lizards that run along the walls, crazy big insects, and everyone’s favorite: mosquitoes. I have told myself that it’s just part and parcel of the experience.
7. Foreign friendly. Despite some language barriers, Chiang Mai is accommodating to their dear farangs and we’ve had a warm reception from everyone we’ve encountered. Their English is not so great, but your Thai sucks, so just smile and have a good time.

Those are just first impressions, of course, and we have a lot more to learn about this city indeed. Hope everyone is well, wherever you are. We miss you already!