Shortly after Chantal’s arrival in Asia, we set off for Chiang Mai.  It is home to various night markets, hundreds of Buddhist Wats (temples), and the launching point to the nearby hill tribes.  Still accustomed to the Philippines, we were quite surprised at the massive numbers of tourist there, more so than even Malaysia.  It is for a good reason though.  There are tons of activities not to mention great food and overall bang for the buck.

 

We met up with our friends Sabrina and Jason and enjoyed a stroll through the Saturday Night Market, not to be confused with the daily night market.  We sampled a selection of fried insects ranging from some little mealy worms to quite large water bugs.  The best part is that locals actually frequently buy the fried insects for snacks; it is not just a ploy to attract tourists.  I quite like the little worms; they reminded me of a very crunchy French fry. The regular night market sells everything from museum like sculptures and antiques to the standard tourist kitsch.  It really was wonderful, Bobby and I didn’t even buy much just because the options were so overwhelming…and a bit overpriced.

 

We all took a Thai cooking class together; I have the certificate to prove it.  I guess I could say I am a certified Thai cook?  The head cooks would first demonstrate the dish and then we would go off on our own to try to duplicate it.  I am not quite sure how well I would do on my own, but I was happy to finally be able to control how much spice I can add to my Thai food!  My favorite part was learning how to carve a lotus flower out of a red onion. 

 

 

The massages were fantastic. We went to a very swanky place and got 2 hours of massage for $11.  Thai massage is quite different from the standard massage one would get in the West.  It is a lot more interactive, a lot of pressure and stretching.  At those prices it is easy to get addicted.

 

Thailand was really impressive at the quality of its infrastructure and also the preservation of its cultural heritage.  It was just a great experience overall, I can see why so many people go there and I am certain we will be back again soon.