Chiang Mai

By now I have left Bangkok behind me and made my way to Chiang Mai. Shortly after my arrival, Anja also arrived. It's great to meet someone you know and have a conversation that goes beyond 'Who are you?', 'Where have you been?', 'Where do you want to go?' and 'What do you recommend?'. We will spend the next four weeks together - Chiang Mai, Mae Sot, Myanmar, Kuala Lumpur. How excited I am. 😊

Upon arrival at noon, we first walked over to the embassy and picked up Anja's passport with the visa for Myanmar. Since we decided to cross the border on foot, an online visa is not sufficient. You need one that is issued by the embassy and directly pasted into the passport. After that, we took a stroll and visited some of the seemingly 3000 temples along the way (including Wat Buppharam, the 'Eastern Temple), had some food and visited the Ploen Ruedee Night Market in the evening. The little square is filled with delicacies and delights, making it hard not to just eat everything. We opted for a seafood platter, which was prepared for us over an open fire - incredibly delicious!! 🍤 We had a glass of South African wine with it. 🍷

The next morning, the alarm went off at 6... Elephant Sanctuary! 🐘 I picked one where they don't ride on the elephants. We fed the elephants, massaged them with mud, and then bathed with them in the river. I had a wonderful half-day, and yet it makes you thoughtful. They don't have to 'work' and yet they are determined by others... But you probably shouldn't think too much about that..

After a 1.5 hour drive back to the hostel and a refreshing shower, Anja and I simply started walking again, explored the city a bit more, and visited the Wat Sun Doc Temple. Due to terrible sleep deprivation, I didn't have much energy left.

The next morning, we set out to find the German Beergarden. We were hungry for breakfast and wanted bread rolls and salami. With full stomachs, we walked back towards the hostel, rented a 125cc scooter, and headed towards the 'Grand Canyon', a canyon surrounded by rugged cliffs. Finally, water to jump into and cool off. Unfortunately, the 10-meter cliff from which you are supposed to jump into the water was closed due to construction work. As we later learned at the hostel, someone apparently broke their neck there a few days ago. But nobody knew any details. Honestly, I don't know if I would have actually jumped down there. I prefer to jump with a parachute on my back. 😁 After cooling off, we headed towards Wat Phra That Suthep, THE temple located on the 'mountain' of Chiang Mai. It is the landmark of Chiang Mai and to reach it, you have to drive up continuous hairpin bends for about 30 minutes. At some point, it feels a bit like being on a swing ship and the stomach, which wasn't feeling so good that day anyway, briefly spoke up to say that it's enough with the curves. The complex is really beautiful and you have a great view over Chiang Mai. That alone was worth driving up there. We ended this evening with a visit to the Saturday Night Market on Wua Lei Rd. You can get everything there, but above all wonderful dinner and the best fruit shakes in Chiang Mai.

Today is our last day in Chiang Mai. Time flew by.. We were picked up at 9 am at the hostel and went to the market and then to the Thai cooking class. We cooked from 10 am to 1 pm, five courses.. (Fried Cashewnut with Chicken, Papaya Salad, Tom Yam Soup, Panaeng Curry with Pork, and Deep Fried Banana with Ice Cream). Luckily, we only 'tasted' everything, otherwise we would have had to roll home - we're still full and it's raining cats and dogs.. 🌧 Time for a nap! 💤 Later, we'll pack and tomorrow morning at 8:30 we'll take the bus to Mae Sot, to the border crossing to Myanmar. 🚌