This was a week of Airbnb and hostel hopping, spontaneous meetups and a trip farther north.
The week started pretty quietly. Tuesday and Wednesday were Buddhist holidays. Many travelers went out of the city because the bars were closed and some of the shops closed early. My usual dinner buddy, Aia went to Pai to learn how to ride a motorbike.
I tried to explore more of the city but it was so prohibitively hot this week that I mostly stayed in cafés or in my room, wherever it was that day. Nevertheless, there was no shortage of people to meet. In a hostel I stayed in, I met an American who’s backpacking around the world. He lives incredibly frugally. Staying in hostels in Thailand costs next to nothing. He buys bread and canned goods from the local Tesco and makes his own tea. His only real expense is transportation but he also hitchhikes whenever possible. I’ve only ever read about people like him on r/vagabond. He did identify with the word with a “Yeah, I’m that.” He was was, at times, homeless in the US when he’d travel to a new city and couldn’t get accommodations. Talking to him was an eye-opener for me. I reflected on my own excuses and lack of drive to make things work when all the pieces are already in place and laid out for me. He was a little short on money so I shared with him a way to reliably earn money using his smartphone.
Aia, freshly enchanted by Pai and equipped with new motorbike riding skills, met me for dinner to plan an adventure nearby. I suggested we hike to Doi Suthep, which would mean I have to buy those elephant pants that tourists wear that she hated with a passion. To get to the hiking trail, we’d need to ride a motorbike. She wanted to practice riding with me in the back so she took me back to my Airbnb. We had a nervous start but we eventually got there. No thanks to my inferior navigational skills and wrong directions.
On my last day in Chiang Mai, I refused to end the week without seeing more of the city. So I opened my Lonely Planet map, marked some places and set out. At least, that was the plan. I went to see Wat Phra Singh but quickly got out of there because I couldn’t handle the heat. I headed next to SP Chicken and ordered half a chicken, some rice, coke zero and Thai tea ice cream. The chicken reminded me of the Philippines. I’m looking at you Andok’s! After eating my fill, I walked around in search of a coffee shop to chill in. I found a curious place that sells vinyl records and coffee called Gramophone & Coffee! I sat there for a while to take refuge from the summer heat. A Thai coffee and lemon tea later, I went to the mall to watch the new Lion King movie. I should have done more research because the movie there was in Thai. Needless to say, I didn’t buy the tickets. I’ll look for a different movie theater next week. At night, I went to the Random Bar Wednesdays (on a Thursday this time because of the holidays). I make sure to join this event every Wednesday I’m in Chiang Mai. I met David there who’s a stage manager in the US.
The next day was my trip to Pai. A good tip I got from the event last night was to buy motion sickness medicine from 7-eleven. Do not underestimate the roads there. It’s like a 2-hour rollercoaster ride. But with the help Dimin and my superhuman ability to sleep in any situation, I slept through most of it.
I arrived in Pai. At the hostel, I was greeted by a receptionist whose English sounded decidedly Filipina. True enough, she was. Her name is Joanna and turns out she beca.e friends with the owner and helps out at this guest house part time for free food and accommodations. She showed me around the night market and the local market. She also has a marketing job at night for a real estate company. She stays in Pai most of the time but sometimes travels around.
I had three other roommates in my dorm but they left the next day so I had the entire room for three nights. In the dorm next to me were four Spanish guys, Javi, Alex, Ivan and Ivan. Turns out, the two Ivan’s are famous actors in Spain. They went out to explore different places on their motorbikes while I hopped around the nearby cafés and restaurants, and attempted to learn to ride a motorbike. In the evening, I joined them and we hung out at the backpackers paradise and chilled. Being in backpackers paradise is an experience in itself but a spontaneous rap battled ensued between the guys, which tested the limits of my Spanish.
The next day, the five of us went on a tour to Tham Nam Lod Nature trail. It’s a series of big caves where we walked around in darkness. We had two guides with us – old ladies with gas lamps. Exploring the cave was pretty tiring. We had to climb up and down a lot of stairs. The best part of the cave was riding the bamboo rafts and seeing all the fish that lived in the cave seemingly guiding the raft to the exit. With the other rafts, it looked like a scene from Harry Potter as one of the Ivan’s pointed out. Momentarily we saw a bright light from a distance. It was the exit. Our ride ended at the exit of the second cave and we climbed through the last of the three caves, which was filled with bat poop. Forget about partying. I slept well that night.
The next day, I got a tattoo! My tattoo artist was a former monk who knew how to do a traditional Thai tattoo, which uses sticks. I said I wanted a Yes tattoo and wanted him to come up with a design. As a former monk, he incorporated a Buddhist charm/blessing to the design. This entire trip has been about saying yes from the beginning. It’s saying yes to seeking discomfort. It’s about growing by stepping out of my comfort zone. It’s about challenging what’s possible. Today, I woke up with my heart so full and content. A big challenge looms ahead of me but I’ve never felt this happy before.
Sending all my love as I write this blog from my hostel bed. I have an early tour tomorrow. See you next week.
