The holidays have arrived! I decided to get out of Bangkok as soon as possible, so Louis, myself, and a couple of his friends decided to go to the North of Thailand to celebrate Louis’ birthday. Even though I have lived in Thailand for a year and a half and had come as a tourist twice, I had never been more than four hours north of Bangkok. I suppose that is a testament to my love of beaches and National parks, which seem to catch my attention when I have holidays. But I have been meaning to see Chiang Mai before leaving Thailand in a few months so I was very excited to explore the city.
Being with a bunch of boys makes it a different experience. No girlie massages or stints of people watching or book reading at cafes, no shopping sprees at the night market or boat rides on the river. Nope, this trip was about activity, adventure, busy-ness. I had trouble keeping up with these boys. Before having even checked into a guesthouse, we had rented motorbikes and were planning a trip to Doi Intanon, the highest peak in Thailand. Great – I want to go there too, but could I take a shower first, please? Nope, I was whisked on the bike of a massive bike and spent the next two hours wondering when I would feel my butt again! Then, when we finally reached the highest point, it was back down again in a flash. No sitting down, no soaking in the view, no taking in all in…. BOYS!
The next day, we decided to try out Flight of the Gibbons, which you might have seen on the Amazing Race. It’s a series of zip lines and bridges through the jungle an hour from Chiang Mai. That was a cool experience and just thrilling enough for me, but I was comparing it to the zip line course I did in Moncton, NB a few years ago and it paled in comparison.
Thankfully, we had a more relaxing time in Pai, a town 3 hours West of Chiang Mai, in Mae Hong Song province. Though the ride to and from Pai was so harrowing that I actually had my first car sickness, Pai itself was lovely. Nestled in the hills and next to a little brook, Pai was the perfect place for morning walks and afternoon bike rides. I saw so much lovely countryside and
breathed in some excellent fresh air, so that was great! Pai itself is completely touristy, which I don’t like that much (I mean, there were more tourists than Thais!), but once you leave that one square block of shops, restaurants, and internet cafes, you realize why Pai became so touristy in the first place! As you can tell, the trip was quick and jam-packed with activity. Not, perhaps, as relaxing as I would have liked, but I’ve spent the last week in Bangkok relaxing, and next week I am off to Phuket, so a girl can’t really complain, can she?
