So I would travelling north on the sleeper train. I would be staying for 3 or 4 nights in Chiang Mai before making my way to a town called Pai. I assumed Pai was either 3.141 miles from Chiang Mai or a tasty treat.
The train was very busy, and I was interested to learn that most of the bunks came equipped with a small family. After getting on I had to shoo some children out of the bunk I booked, before clambering up to get settled in for the journey.
There was quite a hubbub going on and I worried a little about the how quiet it would be later on - but I needn't have, because there is was a tiny green curtain that I could pull across and should definitely block out the noise.
As the train jolted and screeched away I chatted briefly to an Irish couple near me, before getting an early night. I drew the curtain but to my horror realised that I could still clearly hear all of the other passengers.The curtain hadn't protected me at all! As a result, there followed a very sleep free night.
The next day the train took an eternity to get to Chiang Mai. It was nearly 9 and the sun was setting by the time the train pulled in.
I had heard that the city boasts a unique public transport vehicle called a "Sanglanthew". It's a red sort of pickup with a roof. At the train station I found one and climbed in. After waiting a bit for a few other passengers we set off and headed into the "old town" - which is an ancient district that lies at the center of the town surrounded by a high wall.
I got dropped off and then had a quick scout for the guesthouse I wanted to stay at. Alas I found that just like when I had arrived in Bangkok there was no sign of my lodgings. I wandered down a likely looking soi, passing a couple of locals sat outside their house, scrutinising me. I pretended to look sure I knew where I was going. At the far end there was nothing, so I had to swallow my pride, wander back and ask the locals where the place was. They laughed and told me.
There are many activities you might choose to do in this beautiful city, and here are 3 main ones that I did:
1 - Jungle trek
This was the thing I had wanted to do most in the city, because I had read that jungle treks in the north were brilliant.
On the morning of the trek the pickup was only half an hour late when it squeezed its way down the alley. We got underway and the group started getting to know each other. It wasn't long before we had arrived at the base of the beautiful slopes of Doi Inthanon. The hike took a few hours, there was a stop to swim in a pool fed by a waterfall, after which the trail got steeper and more arduous until we were all puffing and sweating. Eventually it was late afternoon when we arrived at the spot we'd be staying, near a hill tribe village.
We dropped our packs in our dorm hut. There were only about 6 mats for the 12 of us. So I was forced to share my mat with a pretty French girl.
I was outraged.
For dinner we had some delicious green curry, and whilst we ate that the tour guide gave us an introduction to the tribe and it's history. Also being thirsty from the hike we started to drink the cans of chang they had carted up the hill for the tourists. There was an honour system where everyone's names were marked on a piece of cardboard, and when you took a can, you put a mark against your name. Pretty quickly two Dutch guys starting secretly marking all of theirs against their friends name as a joke. Before long they also started to fetch everyone's drinks doing this. By the end of the night we had drunk everything! "on paper" most of us had only drunk a couple of Changs and this poor Dutch guy had drunk nearly 50. He was more than a little puzzled about this the next day, but we did pay him back.
The night was full of revelry. There was a little bonfire; and one of the villagers serenaded us with some local songs. He also showed us how they can roll cigarettes with locally grown tobacco and banana leaves.
After rolling one he offered it around to try. I had a puff and nearly choked, but I can't deny it was quite nice tasting.
We woke to embark on another day of trekking down the mountain all sporting a new hangover. After a brief visit to a natural water-slide we arrived at a river where we were to do some bamboo rafting. It would have been quite relaxed and serene had the captain not been a 6 year old with a death wish. It seemed to me like he was determined to hit every obstacle in the river. Me and the other two dutch passengers had to have our fingers prized from the bamboo at the end.
We all got along very well and it was truly memorable. That night we agreed to meet up for a meal together at a sort of rock and roll themed place I suggested. I was the first to arrive so stuffed my face with a tasty Pad Thai - then felt a bit silly as the others got there on time all dressed up and had their meal together... Anyway we partied late into the night in the city drinking many buckets full of colorful booze.
The first stop was a "hot spring". This turned out to be a hole in some concrete through which a feeble 3 meter high squirt of water appeared from time to time. It was surrounded by a billion shops and was the most ridiculous tourist trap I had ever seen.
We then visited "the white temple". It was pure white with walls inlaid with mirror fragments that caused it to glisten in the sun. It was an incredible art installation more than an actual temple, I would highly recommend checking it out.
The golden triangle was the next stop. This is the point at which Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet, at the Mekong. Apparently it is so names because it used to be where drug dealers would meet to trade drugs for gold.
Whilst there we took a short ferry across the brown Mekong to briefly visit a Laos market. The market was obviously only there for the benefit of the tourists, but it was entertaining. From what I could gather from this market, the primary export of Laos is pickled reptiles in jars and handbags. We only stayed 30 minutes as we had special short stay passes. So I officially visited Laos, even though it took less time than I'd need to have a bath.
After that we went to the border between Myanmar and Thailand. This turned out to be a bit of road with a billion shops on; with a bit of fence and some guards at the end.
The final stop was at a ring neck tribe. I was a little skeptical on arrival at how authentic this tribe was. Not only was it a stones throw from a big town, but also it seemed to just be a group of little stalls and no houses. I hadn't paid the extra for this part of the tour, and I didn't bother now - so I just hung out with the other cheapskates by the minibus.
Next stop: Pai
The train was very busy, and I was interested to learn that most of the bunks came equipped with a small family. After getting on I had to shoo some children out of the bunk I booked, before clambering up to get settled in for the journey.
There was quite a hubbub going on and I worried a little about the how quiet it would be later on - but I needn't have, because there is was a tiny green curtain that I could pull across and should definitely block out the noise.
As the train jolted and screeched away I chatted briefly to an Irish couple near me, before getting an early night. I drew the curtain but to my horror realised that I could still clearly hear all of the other passengers.The curtain hadn't protected me at all! As a result, there followed a very sleep free night.
The next day the train took an eternity to get to Chiang Mai. It was nearly 9 and the sun was setting by the time the train pulled in.
I had heard that the city boasts a unique public transport vehicle called a "Sanglanthew". It's a red sort of pickup with a roof. At the train station I found one and climbed in. After waiting a bit for a few other passengers we set off and headed into the "old town" - which is an ancient district that lies at the center of the town surrounded by a high wall.
I got dropped off and then had a quick scout for the guesthouse I wanted to stay at. Alas I found that just like when I had arrived in Bangkok there was no sign of my lodgings. I wandered down a likely looking soi, passing a couple of locals sat outside their house, scrutinising me. I pretended to look sure I knew where I was going. At the far end there was nothing, so I had to swallow my pride, wander back and ask the locals where the place was. They laughed and told me.
There are many activities you might choose to do in this beautiful city, and here are 3 main ones that I did:
This was the thing I had wanted to do most in the city, because I had read that jungle treks in the north were brilliant.
On the morning of the trek the pickup was only half an hour late when it squeezed its way down the alley. We got underway and the group started getting to know each other. It wasn't long before we had arrived at the base of the beautiful slopes of Doi Inthanon. The hike took a few hours, there was a stop to swim in a pool fed by a waterfall, after which the trail got steeper and more arduous until we were all puffing and sweating. Eventually it was late afternoon when we arrived at the spot we'd be staying, near a hill tribe village.
We dropped our packs in our dorm hut. There were only about 6 mats for the 12 of us. So I was forced to share my mat with a pretty French girl.
I was outraged.
For dinner we had some delicious green curry, and whilst we ate that the tour guide gave us an introduction to the tribe and it's history. Also being thirsty from the hike we started to drink the cans of chang they had carted up the hill for the tourists. There was an honour system where everyone's names were marked on a piece of cardboard, and when you took a can, you put a mark against your name. Pretty quickly two Dutch guys starting secretly marking all of theirs against their friends name as a joke. Before long they also started to fetch everyone's drinks doing this. By the end of the night we had drunk everything! "on paper" most of us had only drunk a couple of Changs and this poor Dutch guy had drunk nearly 50. He was more than a little puzzled about this the next day, but we did pay him back.
The night was full of revelry. There was a little bonfire; and one of the villagers serenaded us with some local songs. He also showed us how they can roll cigarettes with locally grown tobacco and banana leaves.
After rolling one he offered it around to try. I had a puff and nearly choked, but I can't deny it was quite nice tasting.
We woke to embark on another day of trekking down the mountain all sporting a new hangover. After a brief visit to a natural water-slide we arrived at a river where we were to do some bamboo rafting. It would have been quite relaxed and serene had the captain not been a 6 year old with a death wish. It seemed to me like he was determined to hit every obstacle in the river. Me and the other two dutch passengers had to have our fingers prized from the bamboo at the end.
We all got along very well and it was truly memorable. That night we agreed to meet up for a meal together at a sort of rock and roll themed place I suggested. I was the first to arrive so stuffed my face with a tasty Pad Thai - then felt a bit silly as the others got there on time all dressed up and had their meal together... Anyway we partied late into the night in the city drinking many buckets full of colorful booze.
2 - Visit to the Golden Triangle
I booked myself onto a busy sounding all day tour of the golden triangle and Chiang Rai. Our group consisted of a large family from Singapore and a girl called Karina from Quebec. I ended up talking only to Karina the whole day - mainly because none of the others spoke any English at all. I found out that she was actually on her way to Pai, same as me, so we exchanged deets and agreed to try and meet up when we both got there. Here is the itinerary in brief:
I booked myself onto a busy sounding all day tour of the golden triangle and Chiang Rai. Our group consisted of a large family from Singapore and a girl called Karina from Quebec. I ended up talking only to Karina the whole day - mainly because none of the others spoke any English at all. I found out that she was actually on her way to Pai, same as me, so we exchanged deets and agreed to try and meet up when we both got there. Here is the itinerary in brief:
The first stop was a "hot spring". This turned out to be a hole in some concrete through which a feeble 3 meter high squirt of water appeared from time to time. It was surrounded by a billion shops and was the most ridiculous tourist trap I had ever seen.
We then visited "the white temple". It was pure white with walls inlaid with mirror fragments that caused it to glisten in the sun. It was an incredible art installation more than an actual temple, I would highly recommend checking it out.
The golden triangle was the next stop. This is the point at which Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet, at the Mekong. Apparently it is so names because it used to be where drug dealers would meet to trade drugs for gold.
Whilst there we took a short ferry across the brown Mekong to briefly visit a Laos market. The market was obviously only there for the benefit of the tourists, but it was entertaining. From what I could gather from this market, the primary export of Laos is pickled reptiles in jars and handbags. We only stayed 30 minutes as we had special short stay passes. So I officially visited Laos, even though it took less time than I'd need to have a bath.
After that we went to the border between Myanmar and Thailand. This turned out to be a bit of road with a billion shops on; with a bit of fence and some guards at the end.
The final stop was at a ring neck tribe. I was a little skeptical on arrival at how authentic this tribe was. Not only was it a stones throw from a big town, but also it seemed to just be a group of little stalls and no houses. I hadn't paid the extra for this part of the tour, and I didn't bother now - so I just hung out with the other cheapskates by the minibus.
3 - Take a visit to wat something-or-other
I am ashamed to admit that by the fifth or sixth temple in Bangkok I had started to blank out the names of all the different wats. As a result one day I headed out to the nearby hills to visit the famous wat [mumbles]. To get there I decided it would be nice to splash out on a taxi. Or rather: An forceful taxi driver forced his impromptu tour guide services on me, and I was too chicken to say no.
We drove up, and once there I hopped out and huff puffed my way up the billion steps to enjoy the temple and it's glorious views over Chiang Mai. I then puffed my way back down.
When I got back, I searched for my driver but found no sign of him amongst the dozens of taxis and Sanglanthews anywhere.
I bought myself a drink and loitered around for a bit. I noticed that a Sangnathew driver nearby was calling some thing in Thai. I imagined he was shouting:
"all aboard! Last call for Chiang Mai!"
I realised then that I hadn't actually paid my taxi driver anything yet. And he hadn't even bothered to show up to take me home, the bastard! I felt guilty about it - but decided to hop on to the Sanglanthew.
We pulled away, and I started to go over all the things I would buy with my taxi savings in my head. However at the last moment the taxi driver suddenly stuck his head in, and pressed the passenger stop button so the Sanglanthew jerked to a halt. With that he all but hoisted me out of the vehicle by the scruff of my neck to be taken home.
I am ashamed to admit that by the fifth or sixth temple in Bangkok I had started to blank out the names of all the different wats. As a result one day I headed out to the nearby hills to visit the famous wat [mumbles]. To get there I decided it would be nice to splash out on a taxi. Or rather: An forceful taxi driver forced his impromptu tour guide services on me, and I was too chicken to say no.
We drove up, and once there I hopped out and huff puffed my way up the billion steps to enjoy the temple and it's glorious views over Chiang Mai. I then puffed my way back down.
When I got back, I searched for my driver but found no sign of him amongst the dozens of taxis and Sanglanthews anywhere.
I bought myself a drink and loitered around for a bit. I noticed that a Sangnathew driver nearby was calling some thing in Thai. I imagined he was shouting:
"all aboard! Last call for Chiang Mai!"
I realised then that I hadn't actually paid my taxi driver anything yet. And he hadn't even bothered to show up to take me home, the bastard! I felt guilty about it - but decided to hop on to the Sanglanthew.
We pulled away, and I started to go over all the things I would buy with my taxi savings in my head. However at the last moment the taxi driver suddenly stuck his head in, and pressed the passenger stop button so the Sanglanthew jerked to a halt. With that he all but hoisted me out of the vehicle by the scruff of my neck to be taken home.
Next stop: Pai
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