Before landing in Chiang Mai (we flew directly from Phuket), we had a few ideas of what we wanted to do: a cooking class, the night market, something with elephants at a rescue, and sak yants. We hadn't made any set plans or reservations other than our hostel, just ideas of what we wanted to do. It wasn't until after we arrived in Chiang Mai that we discovered that this is the norm and if you want to enjoy your vacation fully, just go with it, whatever it may be.
We arrived midday on a Saturday, hopped a cheap tuk tuk at the airport and made our way to our hostel, Chada House.
The hostel was run by a fascinating woman. She is Thai, born and raised in Chiang Mai. She seems not to be concerned with 'saving face' like most Thais, thus she speaks frankly. She is kind, honest, helpful, and real. She was a breath of fresh air. I shared some pretzels with her one afternoon. She was less than impressed, she told me as much. The place itself was basic, the shower sucked, it was in a great location (though everywhere within the Chiang Mai square is within walking distance), and for the less than $20 we spent on our stay there, we really couldn't complain. We decided, if we had known better, we wouldn't have paid the extra bucks for an AC room because it was unnecessary this time of year. During our stay though, all of the staff was lovely and helpful. Northern Thailand truly is the Land of Smiles.
After dropping our things and putting on an extra layer (it was chilly), we just took a stroll to get the lay of the land. We found a spot for lunch, The Corner, with a quaint outdoor dining area, perfect for people watching at the corner of a busy, but surprisingly quiet intersection.
The Corner, Chiang Mai
The gal at the hostel told us that the Saturday Market starts getting set up and going about 4:00-5:00 in the afternoon and goes well into the night. The best advice I can give you is to go early. If you want to go to the market and actually see what's being sold, you better not wait much past 6:00. The later it gets, the busier it gets and the more aggressive the crowds become. We wandered over, just outside of the city walls, about 4:30, and yes, many vendors were still setting up, but we missed nothing.
One of the city gates.
In fact, we saw far more than we would have had we not gotten there as early as we did. I cannot begin to describe all of the things you can buy at the market. I bought a pair of awesome genie pants (my second pair), a bell (found hanging at wats, generally purchased to honor and bless someone you love), a small figurine for one of the best women I know who collects elephants, a small original painting by a local artist, and a couple postcards. I had to fight the urge to buy one of the blankets made by the Hmong hill tribes. Next time..
Credit to http://lannacharmwholesalehomedecor.ecrater.com
Anything you want, you can find, though I never found a wallet I wanted. Commercialized goods all the way to handmade crafts and traditional Thai trinkets. Get ready to bargain and don't be afraid to walk away if you're not satisfied with the price. You'll see whatever it is again in the next 20 feet. My favorite part of the market was the sidewalk massages. Shops set up mats with pillows and blankets right out on the streets and go to it. This was the first massage of several Carey and I indulged in on our trip. It was also the most unique. We were positioned on our stomachs next to one another, parallel to the street, as the two Thai women who worked on our backs chattered happily away and crowds passed by curiously. You can hear the sounds of the market and the people all around you and you're just there, in it, in the elements. It was strange and unexpectedly soothing. It cost $1.80 for 30 minutes.
Food, food, and more food. Fruit, vegetables, fish, noodles, rice, huge blocks of jiggly black stuff, spring rolls, gyoza, corn, corn, and more corn. I watched a lady make some kind of meatballs by squeezing a mass of meat mixture through her fist and pinching the blobs off into some kind of hot liquid like she'd been doing it her whole life. And, perhaps she had. Some of it looked amazing, the enormous mounds of rice and noodles, the sweets. Some of it was less than appetizing. I considered eating a bug just to say I had, but really, why would anyone want to do that? They had them.. crickets, scorpions, things I can't name.
The streets in Chiang Mai are all narrow, and where the market is set up, is no exception. From a stall on the left side, to a stall on the right side, may have been 12 of my little steps across. Imagine my surprise (and heartbreak) when we began to come across people seated in the street. This was the worst part for me. Here, in the tiny streets of Chiang Mai's bustling night market, you find the poor, the blind, the disfigured, the mentally ill, children dressed up and singing with no joy in their voice or happiness in their eyes, a row of four or five men with varying handicaps playing handmade instruments to passersby. Was it hard to see? Of course it was. But the truly hard part for me, is not in their state of being or their physical appearance, but in the lack of resources that I know exist in Thailand to help these people. I couldn't help but wonder, where do you go at the end of the night? How do you eat? Who takes care of you? How did you get here? How do you stay warm? I can still see them when I close my eyes. I don't think i'll ever be able to forget them. A crusade more than worth fighting but one that could not be won. In my heart i'd like to fight it, but cannot foresee winning. Not in Thailand. Not yet.
No comments:
Post a Comment