Chiang Mai oh my

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Chiang Mai, Thailand
Monday, April 9, 2012

From one Chiang to another. From Khong to Mai. My last stop before heading home.
Two minivans brought us there, one greyer than the other. An unexpected sign by the side of the road caught my eye, which seemed to say 'Cabbages and Condoms', but surely I must have misread it? Shouldn't it rather say 'Cottages and Condoes'? But my eyes had not decieved me, for that was indeed our lunchspot.
But the more interesting stop of the day was yet to come. The white, sparkling and, just as Bender's metal ass, shiny temple of Wat Rong Khun glittered in the sunlight and welcomed us with its unorthodox gatekeepers. Dragons, monsters, Predator and general demons implied that we were in hell, and the of human skulls, bones and reaching hands filled river endorsed that perception.
Unlike Styx, though, there was no Charon to ferry you across, but rather a bridge, and it led you from hell to heaven, from despair to hope and into a buddhist temple.
Though decidedly templed out for this trip, this was a unique one, and possibly the best one. In front of the obligatory buddha statue there was a meditating monk, keeping perfectly still. Maybe too perfectly still, and it turned out to be an extremely life-like wax doll. The walls were, as is customary in temples, covered with paintings depicting stories or events of the reigning mythology. But here there were no apsaras dancing or Siddarthas meditating under a tree, no, here modern mythology had taken over. The number of geek pop references was hard to determine, but amongst the very intricate motifs were such stars as Jabba the Hutt, Harry Potter, an angry bird and Neo.
With the buddhist temple of heaven, hell and geekdom done, the caravan of silver minivans continued, and soon Chiang Mai was there. Isa and I ventured out to check out activities and do some market shopping, and later, as the rainclouds became increasingly more threatening, we all gathered for this the last farewell dinner. Afterwards, as the older people went to bad, the younger of us went in search of a bar that was still open (note that nightlife is not big in northern Thailand, not even in a city of Chiang Mai's size). Splashing through the puddles of water, eventually we heard a coverband playing Radiohead, and so we had our final drinks while listening to The Harmonica Lewinskys.
After the disappointing experience with the class of Khmer cuisine in Siem Reap, it was with sensible caution I approached the Thai cooking class Isa and I had signed up for, but we were to be pleasantly surprised. The teacher was great and inspiring, the group was small enough, the whole thing well organized and the food was delicious.
And then, Isabelle tuktuked to the airport, and even fewer of my co-travellers remained. Chez was still around, though, and after watching the obligatory Muay Thai (Thai boxing) we spent a whole day in the treetops in rural Mae Rim: Ziplining, abseiling, and other wire- and rope-related activities filled the day bar a visit to, and drink at, the ridiculously lavish Four Seasons resort.
And drinks were sometimes hard to come by. Due to the ongoing election a beer ban was set upon the bars, which was extremely frustrating when we turned the corner and saw what always lies there, in every town. No Guinness for me this time either, unfortunately.
Eventually, though, came the day of departure and I was back from Mae Rim. The tuktuk took me straight to O'Malley's, and stout was had. Wandering in the neighbourhood of my former city hotel, I sat down for a late lunch and was just about to leave when a familiar face came walking down the street. Kim was just returning from her cooking class, and we had a final beer before I took a tuktuk to the airport, slowly realizing the trip was coming to an end.
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Pictures & Video

1 Wat Rong Khun 2 Predator 3 Desperate digits
3 Desperate digits
4 Best panang ever!
4 Best panang ever!
at least top 30
5 Muay thai 6 Ziplining 7 Stout
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