As promised…

Part II

This part happened after I went to Pai and Chiang Rai.

I knew that there was so much more to explore in Chiang Mai, and I was eager to settle in and explore.

This experience was five days long… and not long enough.

At this point in the trip, I had found a routine that worked for me, and it almost felt as though my normal life was just traveling around Thailand!

That being said, I had a more relaxed mindset, and didn’t mind not cramming my day with every little thing.

And that’s when this city really hit me.

I took the bus back from Chiang Rai into the city. I met a girl on the bus from Mexico City also traveling alone! We got a tuk tuk together to our respective hostels, which we both booked the night before.

I walk into my hostel, Suneta (hands down my favorite hostel on the trip), and who walks down the stairs? Kleber- my friend from Pai!

Of all the hostels in Chiang Mai, we just happened to book the same one. Life is absolutely crazy.

I set my bag down on my bed, and we set out to find a good lunch spot with a couple others he had already met from the hostel.

Pad Thai…. Of course.

The rest of the crew was feeling a lazy day at the hostel, but Kleber and I went to find Thai massages (so cheap, we had to!).

After the massages, we were drinking tea to cleanse, and another older man was there as well.

We started talking with him, asking about his life, his travels, really any conversation.

He was a lawyer from Portland, Oregon on sabbatical. You never would have guessed from his messy, uncut hair, his tie dye shirt, and the calm and centered way he spoke.

He had been invited to a local man’s wedding the night before because he was talking to the man over beers the week prior. He told us in great detail of the family affair, the dancing, the people, and how incredibly welcome he and his wife felt at this stranger’s wedding.

The image that you might be picturing as I was, encompasses the beautiful humanity that engulfs the Thai culture.

It was a celebration of life, love, and joy. And it was absolutely meant to be shared.

Walking around after our massages was a toasty affair. The air was hot and humid and mucky.

A welcoming sign displaying smoothies caught our attention.

Little did we know that we had walked into a nice hotel with an outdoor pool- that also sold smoothies! We weren’t staying there, but the owners ushered us in with open arms.

Our lucky day!

We sat in chairs with our feet in the pool, laughing, and drinking fresh fruit smoothies.

After a few hours of that bliss, we headed back to Suneta to find friends for dinner.

Accompanied by a wonderful, quirky group of people, we walked almost two miles to a hidden restaurant on Ping River.

In Thailand, meals are a long event, meant to be savored and treasured with the people who surround you.

I find this beautiful; a way to relax in the present moment.

My fellow travelers, hungry from the walk, were not so pleased, but we still made it a great time.

Sweating from the spicy food or sheer heat (unsure which was the culprit), we finished dinner and walked toward the bazaar that I had explored once before (Part I).

We meandered for a while, then split from the group and found another of Kleber’s friends, Gabriel- an Italian guy who had just spent the last ten days at the Thailand Mindfulness Project.

This project was much like a retreat: meditation, yoga, organic farming, cooking, journaling, and meeting like-minded others from around the world. It sounded like a truly life-changing experience.

We sat on this rooftop bar until after dark. Meeting people as they came and went. Total strangers who left our table feeling like lifelong friends.

That’s the beauty of traveler energy.

It is so open and welcoming and without judgement.

I want to embody that wherever I go.

We finished the night on the roof of Suneta with our small group. Drinking Changs (the local beer) and pretending there were stars that we could actually see. Simple.

The next morning, I walked all around the city again.

This time, I was on the hunt for a really good foot scrub.

Everyone will tell you how they leave your feet rejuvenated and softer than a baby’s bottom.

And they were right.

Sherry did my foot scrub.

Sherry is a ladyboy from Chiang Rai who came to Chiang Mai for more job opportunities with tourists. She spent the entire massage telling me about the history of the northern part of Thailand, how difficult work was to find if you didn’t work in tourism, and all of the best food I could find in Chiang Mai.

She was such an angel.

Once she finished (my feet have never looked so good), she told me to get on her moped with her so she could drive me to her favorite spot for lunch.

Knowing my mom would have a heart attack if she knew I was accepting rides from Thai strangers… I got on!

Sorry Mom!

The food was incredible, she was right. Although I still say I loved street food more.

Once again, kindness from strangers in a strange place.

Later, I went to yoga at Wild Rose Yoga. This place was recommended to me by a friend from high school who did her yoga teacher training there.

I took a vinyasa class- vinyasa meaning flowing movement linked by breaths. My favorite type of yoga. The instructor was amazing, challenging all of us to try new poses or flows even if we fall out of them.

She said the beauty of falling out means that you get to try again.

I loved it so much, I bought five more classes for the rest of my days in Chiang Mai!

At dinner (street food again), I met four new people. A girl from Italy learning Thai massage, a couple from Australia traveling for six months to find new passions, and a guy from Minnesota.

I listened in awe at the vulnerability of these people, bravely and humbly stepping into this new path of life, and unaware that they were inspirational to me.

The next morning, I went to yoga with a new friend Tacha. We worked relentlessly for an hour and a half to try to keep up with the yoga class. It was super challenging, but we laughed our way through it.

We decided that we had earned delicious coffees- so we went to Coco Cafe. An adorable cafe where we chatted with the owner and other people stopping in. She gave us an entire list of activities to do, including the flower festival that would happen the next day.

That night, I had a cooking class!

I would absolutely recommend participating in a Thai cooking class. They were able to integrate Thai food culture into the cooking education.

We started off at 3:30 heading to a Thai market that was outside of the old city of Chiang Mai.

I have never seen so many bright, fresh vegetables.

We were taken around the market and educated about each vegetable, spice, meat, and sauce that were most common in many Thai dishes. We were then allowed to meander through the market and look at the different foods.

I really loved that it was primarily vegetables. The meat and processed foods sections were extremely small in comparison.

Feed your body with whole foods!

We were then taken to the kitchens. It was set up as stations, and as we sat in a room drinking tea before everything started, they set up each station based on what dishes we wanted to make.

They definitely hold your hand the entire time, and they did a lot of prep work before we got there, but it was still super fun to make the finishing touches of it and enjoy eating it!

I made vegetable spring rolls, glass noodle vegetable soup, khao soi, pad thai, and mango sticky rice!

So many dishes! And each was absolutely delicious.

To top the evening off, I sat and chatted about life with a few girls at the hostel- Tacha, Sabina, and Becky. Each doing their own thing, living life, being happy.

The flower festival began the next day.

I walked a couple blocks from my hostel to be stopped by a gigantic parade. The people and floats were completely covered and decorated in fresh flowers.

It was so artistic and beautiful.

While taking photos, I met Danie- a Philipino guy who told me all about Thai culture and the festival roots.

I learned that each float was made in less than two nights with about 10-20 people.

There are many tribal cultures in the surrounding forests of Chiang Mai, and these groups of people would create their own floats and dress in traditional costumes for this festival- celebrating the incoming warmer weather.

Please enjoy this plethora of photos I had the privilege of taking on this beautiful day.

Later in the day, I got a taxi to take me to Baan Kang Wat. This is a local artist market that is set up in a temple.

Before I went in, I stopped to get some lunch. It just so happened that the place I stopped into was opening its doors that day, and I was their first customer!

The entire family was there and I was the only customer, so I talked with the new owner for a while, and was sure to write a good review on Google for them! So make sure to go to Good Old Day Cafe if you’re in Chiang Mai. It was delicious.

The market was entirely waste free.

The trees were decorated in ribbons, signs posted everywhere saying “no plastic,” clay pots, clothing dyed with butterfly pea flowers, and locally sourced Thai coffee.

I sat in the artist’s haven for hours, soon to be joined by my friend Sabina.

We shopped around and took pictures of the incredibly photogenic market with the golden hour light.

My last hours in Chiang Mai were bitter sweet.

I went to yoga again, got another Thai massage with a couple boys, Jessie and Adam, then had a little happy hour stop at a sports bar.

Shortly after, I had to leave to get my pack and a taxi to the bus stop.

I decided that a night bus was a better option than a day train to go back to Bangkok.

My night bus buddy was a 38 year old man named Peng.

Neither of us spoke the other’s language, so we used Google Translate to communicate!

Technology to save the day again!

Peng had just finished an initial orientation toward his journey of becoming a monk.

It was a weekend filled with meditation and prayer and he was incredibly grateful for the opportunity.

Peng also told me that he owns an orphanage down south in Chumphon, Thailand.

He called the other owner of the orphanage and “mother” of the children while we rode the bus, and I got to talk to her about her experience, hardships, and goals for her children.

I could tell that she was incredibly hard working and passionate about her job and her kiddos. She offered me room and board to volunteer my time as a nurse there.

I will definitely return and volunteer my time to her and her incredible orphanage.

And then I was back in Bangkok!

My flight left the next day to Singapore→ Los Angeles→ Spokane.

What an adventure.

As my writing comes to an end of this trip, I am left feeling immense gratitude for the experience.

Nothing could have prepared me for the soul shift I would feel on this adventure, or the inspirational people I would have met, or the beautiful sense of peace and home that I felt.

I want to thank travel and the beautiful country of Thailand for providing me with these things, and I look forward to more big, mind shifting trips of joy in the future.

Cheers,

Rach

Hi.

Sep 18 Chiang Mai, Thailand: Part II