Chiang Mai’s Night Bazaar is one of its most well-known attractions.  Starting around 5PM and going until around 11, it is streets and alleys and courtyards filled with stalls selling everything from silk ties to t-shirts to crafts.  It is unbelievable how seemingly endless it is.  And jam packed.   As with any street market, you have to sort through the crap but there are nice finds and good bargains to be had.

The second day, I ventured beyond the Old City into the main part of Chiang Mai.  Chiang Mai was a walled city and the wall still exists.  While it doesn’t have as much charm as the Old City, there are many more temples amidst the shopping and restaurants.

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Of course I had to eat here!  Didn’t see any writing going on, though.  The cost of this meal?  About $3.50.

Chiang Mai is known for its temples, or wats.  There are quite a lot of them, especially in the Old City, where I spent the first day.  You can rarely walk very far without seeing one, and they are beautiful.  You are required to remove your shoes before entering them.  There are also many monks in Chiang Mai, much more than in Bangkok.   The Old City is very walkable, although it’s still easy to get lost on all the little back roads if you make a wrong turn.  Crossing streets is an adventure.   And if you take out a map, about 50 tuk tuk drivers will descend upon you asking if you need a taxi.

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It was like waiting to exhale.  Arriving in Chiang Mai was a welcome break from the chaos of Bangkok.  Much more serene and manageable, Chiang Mai was cooler (or, at least not humid so very comfortable in the shade) and a more pleasant way to experience Thai culture.

I arrived at Pak Chiang Mai, more of a bed and breakfast than a hotel and located in the Old City.  You walk in to the courtyard area and immediately, the zen and tranquility sets in.  Greenery and a water fountain and quiet greet you.  The people there are warm and friendly and you feel at home right away.  There is a reason why they are ranked #1 for Chiang Mai B&Bs and #1 for B&Bs in all of Asia on Trip Advisor and this is it.  If you ever get to Chiang Mai and don’t want to stay in a cold hotel, stay here.  And it’s only about $65 a night for a standard room, which is spacious, and includes breakfast and wifi.

Okay, here is a pic of the, uh, toilet on the train:

I love train travel, especially in Europe.  Taking an overnight train not only saves you money on a hotel room but also doesn’t waste a day of travel.    I wanted to experience train travel in Thailand so I booked an overnight train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.  The first class sleeper is only about 5 dollars more than second class, so made sense.  In addition to first and second class sleeper, there is also just seating.  In all, three classes.  First class is a shared compartment (unless you pay for both berths).  My cabin-mate, Jean-Claude, is originally from France, now in New Caledonia.  His english was pretty decent, although he didn’t think so.  One thing that translated very well.  A phrase I would love to say someday (and not have it be forced unemployment), “I don’t work anymore.”  He is the second former military person I’ve met so far on this trip to tell me that.  Hmm.

Anyway, to call this first class travel is quite a stretch.  The cabin is small, tired looking, but well air-conditioned.  You get better meals at the outdoor markets and shock absorbers (or whatever they use on trains to make them travel more smoothly) are non-existent.  Jean-Claude just kept sarcastically saying, “This is first class.”  Still, it was cheap and manageable.  That was, until Jean-Claude came back from a tour of the one cabin–because apparently you are locked from exploring beyond it–and the toilet.  He said wait until I see the toilet.  I should have suspected something was up when the porter came to tell us not to throw paper in the toilet (and do what with it, then?).

Now, for those who know me and my phobia of public toilets, you can imagine the thoughts running through my head.    I will wait as long as possible to avoid public restrooms.  So I decided to take a stretch and go.  I opened the door and immediately panic set in.  Looking at what was nothing more than a hole with metal around it, this became the most traumatic experience on the trip.  Okay, I exaggerate a bit.  But let’s set the scene here.  A hole.  A shaking bouncing train.  And wetness everywhere.  Now on solid ground, guys sometimes have a hard time aiming properly, let’s be honest.  On this train?   In this closet of a toilet?   Now I realize that part of the uh, charm of much of Asia are the holes in the ground for toilets.  But this is supposed to be first class.  Let’s just say I’m glad I didn’t eat a big meal anytime soon before this 14 hour trip.  While Jean-Claude said he had to take a picture of it, I didn’t for fear I’d start sweating from fear and drop the camera down the hole.

Watching the many seasons of “The Amazing Race,” I laugh at some of the clueless contestants who get lost, turned around, saddled with bad taxi drivers and think to myself, “what idiots they are.  How difficult is it to just look at a map and figure it out?”  I mean, you can plant me somewhere in a city with a map and I can generally figure out how to get from Point A to Point B.  Amazing Racers, I now have more sympathy for you (except for the ugly American bickering couples).  Now I’m not talking about pulling off difficulties like finding clues in rolled up bales of hay, or rappelling down the side of a skyscraper, or shoveling manure to cover potatoes while dressed like a bubushka.  No.  I’m talking about finding something two blocks away!

My day started with a plan.  I had read about a market called Or Tor Kor, which I had read was something to see it with all its exotic food stalls.  I did manage to find it but with great difficulty despite the directions that said just exit the subway and you are in it.  That’s if you exited the right way.  Not the way I exited.  Not only are the exits far apart, they are on opposite sides of major highways.  Took the Skytrain and subway.  Once there, it was a fascinating open market with spices, fishes, meats, produce, baked goods, etc.  This was obviously a market for locals as nothing was in English and no one seemed to know any.  I was the only non-Thai there.  And the place was huge.

Next, it was on to see the Victory Monument in the city, which is not much on the monument scale of, oh, say the Arc de Triomphe or the Washington Monument.  It’s in the middle of a traffic roundabout that you can’t possibly cross and is roped off anyway.

One thing I found quite funny is I was in a store and they were playing hard-core rap.  We’re talking the “f” word, the “n” word, killing, beating.  And all the while the clerks just smile at you. I was so tempted to ask if they even knew what the words were in the song.  But I’m guessing not.

After, some street food and being adventurous.  A lot of things being put into a noodle bowl, some of which I had no idea what they were.  But what the heck.

And to cap off the evening, I went to the rooftop bar of the Banyan Tree Hotel, 61 stories high.  It’s an outdoor rooftop restaurant and bar where you look out the night sky at all of Bangkok.  Beer not cheap but you can’t beat the experience.  Once I found it.