Same Same But Different

In Thailand, there is a saying many of the locals use that goes “same same but different.” We didn’t really grasp its meaning until we got to Chiang Mai. Arriving after dark in an unknown city, we were glad we had written down the name and address of our guesthouse. We made a taxi friend named Cham who told us about all of his customers from all over the world that he had driven around the city day after day as he took us to Chaba House. We asked him whether Chaba was a nice place in a good location, like all the ads said online, and he hesitantly said, “you’ll see.” After a longer cab ride than we expected, we pulled into what looked like an unlit neighborhood. At first we thought Cham might have led us astray but there sat Chaba House with its flickering signs. We knocked and were met by a confused Thai teenager who didn’t speak a word of English. We told him about our reservation we had reserved for four beds. We pulled out papers and iPhones and confirmation numbers but weren’t getting through to him. We resorted to a “big room” hand motion but still no dice. After failing to communicate with him, he just opened up two rooms for us. After getting settled in, we met an American staying at the hostel who pointed out our location on a map. It was quite far out of the center of town, unlike what the website had promised. With the sketchy neighborhood, apparent lack of a room with four beds, and the terrible location, we figured something was going on. We rechecked our receipt and realized we had made quite a mistake: our reservation was at Chada House, not Chaba House. Cham picked us up as soon as we called and took us to our proper lodging which was right in the Old City, near the night markets and bazars and it even had a room with four beds and a proprietor who spoke English. Chada and Chaba: same same but different.

We wasted no time heading out and exploring Chiang Mai. It has an Old City that sits within a perfect square, surrounded by a moat on all four sides. Within the Old City, there are parks and schools and amazing temples around almost every street corner. We took a day trip with Chada’s owner, JoJo, in the back of his truck. He took us out to see the tiger sanctuary where we saw tigers from baby newborns to fully grown beasts. Despite how ferocious they appear, these animals were incredibly friendly and playful, so we went inside the cage to join them.

That night we explored the night markets that run all along the central part of the southern moat of the Old City. After being on Phi Phi Island that was populated primarily by tourists, the night market was a welcomed change where we were the only tourists in sight. We shopped around the huge market with about 75 stalls of food and more food. We had authentic Thai dishes with tongue twisting names for less than a dollar. After eating as much street food as we possibly could, we wandered out of the Old City to a Thai boxing arena we had heard about. Sure enough, the locals directed us to the right place. It was a big arena but about half way through we realized that no one really cared where you sat so we moved up and sat right up next to the ring and saw some full on Thai boxing.

I woke up on Saturday morning to a beautifully harmonized happy birthday from parents and a wonderful surprise Skype with many of my friends back at Duke. And as if that wasn’t a good enough way to start the day, Jimmy, Charlie, and I went off to ride elephants through the forests of Thailand. We got to ride on top of elephants, which was an amazing feeling. We brought a bag of bananas and some bamboo sticks to feed the elephants but once the one I was riding found out that I had food, he used it to his advantage. Every 50 meters, he would stop moving and put his trunk up over his head, refusing to move until I gave him another offering of food. Smart animal. We got to play with the elephants from the ground, petting and feeding even more. They really are fascinating animals and so much fun to interact with. Jimmy even got a nice sloppy kiss from one of them. After leaving our ginormous friends behind, we hiked deeper into the forest to an awesome waterfall where we had lunch. We passed through a hill tribe, but unfortunately it was more of a tourist attraction than an authentic village experience. We went down the river and boarded a bamboo raft, something I never thought I would ride on. Despite the fact that the majority of the bamboo was underwater and we were sure it was going to sink at any time, our fearless leader got us to our pick up spot and we made it back to the Old City. That night we went to a new market that was even bigger. They close down one of the big streets every Saturday and set up hundreds and hundreds of stalls selling everything from crafts to clothes to Thai food. I treated myself to birthday Pad Thai and the most amazing banana waffle I had had in a long time. It was the first waffle I had had since leaving the US in May so it tasted even better. After walking down the market for more than an hour and without reaching the end, we decided to turn around and continue the night. At JoJo’s recommendation, we went out to the finest of Chiang Mai’s Saturday nightlife to conclude an amazing 21^st birthday.

The next morning, our two travelling companions from Sydney, Sibel and Claudia, appeared at our door in Chada House, ready for a Thai cooking class. We went to a fresh produce market to see all the ingredients behind what we had been eating the past week. We arrived at the cooking school whose banner read, “Our food is guaranteed to make you look pregnant” and we knew we were in the right place. With great leadership from the cooking staff, I started chopping and mixing and cooking at the wok and before I knew it, Pad Thai magically appeared in front of me! I had no idea it was so feasible to cook and can’t wait to cook Thai food when I get back to the US. The five of us all made different dishes so we could taste test and share tips with each other afterward. After devouring my Pad Thai, I moved on to making Penang Curry from scratch and then making a curry and rice dish out of it, also delicious. I made a coconut based Tom-Yom soup and for dessert: caramelized banana with ice cream. After a full day of cooking and eating we could barely move so we did the only logical thing we could think of: we got oil massages.

On Monday we got up early for a different type of experience that is very difficult to explain in either words or pictures. It is something that I highly recommend you experiencing for yourself. Charlie, Jimmy, and I split up from the girls to go to a Buddhist temple, Wat Umong, about 15km into a small forest outside of the center of town. When we arrived we were instructed to put on all white clothes and went straight into a meal completely in silence. Little did we know that was our last meal of the day. From there we were given brooms to sweep the fallen leaves off the paths that the monks and we were walking. One of the monks then came up to us, gave us minimal instruction, and told us to meditate. We then went out across the vast property and tried to clear our minds and gave us a few words of wisdom on how to meditate and then we were sent out to find inner peace (easier said than done). That night we had a discussion with one of the monks on some of the Buddhist teachings and the challenges of meditation. We then chanted for about an hour out of the prayer books and called it a night at 9pm with some “reclining meditation,” sleeping in individual rooms on the cold tiled floor with a blanket. We got up at 4:30am (yikes) for more chanting and meditation. It was much easier to keep unwanted thoughts out of my concentration by the second day. After many more hours of solitude, we left the temple about 30 hours after we had arrived. It really was a peaceful and enriching experience and if you ever have the chance, I highly recommend meditation with monks. It was a great way to spend our last two days in Thailand.

We just crossed the border into Laos and are in a town called Huay Xai. I can see Thailand from my hostel (quote Sarah Palin)! Tomorrow we embark on one of the parts of the trip I am most excited for: the Gibbon Experience. Tell you all about it when we get back!