Another in our OBT series. Chiang Mai Thailand was the next stop on our roving retirement Southeast Asia tour. There is a lot going on in this relatively small hill town in northern Thailand.
The Scene in Chiang Mai
Recreation is the main draw for Chiang Mai Thailand. In addition, there are numerous Buddhist temples and lots of Buddist monks around town. The next activity on our tour was “Chat with a Monk.” We were able to ask the monk anything we wanted. It turns out many families encourage their sons to become monks because the quality of education is better than public schools.
Being a monk is not a lifetime commitment (they can start and stop whenever they want), there are no big repercussions about this practice. Next, we headed to a famous mountain top temple, Doi Suthep, housing some of the ashes (size of a grain of rice) of the Lord Buddha. Our guide has been teaching us about Buddhism and how to live a Buddhist life. After being blessed twice in one day and listening to the monks calmly chanting, Diana thinks the world would be a better place if there were more Buddhists.
Thai Cooking Class
The next morning, we met a cooking teacher (One Knee, not the correct spelling I’m sure) at the public market. She showed us about local ingredients and how they make coconut cream and coconut milk. Next, we went to her house and we cooked four different Thai dishes on her patio, one at a time. We enjoyed eating what we made, which included a mild Thai Green Curry. The teacher gave us a diploma and a Thai cookbook.
Home Visit
That evening, we had dinner at a private homestead. Our host started with a long discussion of his family and his Buddhist practices. For example, stairs never lead straight into the home, there is always a turn from the first set of stairs to another. Also, the sets of stairs themselves are always odd in number, never even. There was an empty house on the property (a total of 4 houses where there). The house was empty because everyone who slept there felt ill afterward. The family attributes the malaise to evil spirits. In retrospect, Love Canal comes to mind.
Our host said Chiang Mai’s was major crop was opium forty years ago. He seemed like he kinda missed it. He then rolled some homegrown tobacco in a banana leaf and lit up, sharing it with some folks in our group.
Next, we toured his “backyard”, which was really a farm where he grows herbs his family uses for cooking and medicine. Our meal itself was cooked outside over wood and served outside as well. The homemade citronella bug repellent didn’t work very well though. The food tasted great, but I wish we had covered up a little better.
LadyBoys Cabaret Show
Well, not exactly. That evening, we went to The Chiang Mai Cabaret show. The show featured many young men (transgenders and transvestites) in beautiful costumes, on stage lip-syncing to a variety of music. “LadyBoys”, as they are called, have a high degree of acceptance in Thai culture. Many of them were quite pretty. While the show was entertaining, I was less convinced they were women over the course of the hour-long show. No photos allowed inside, so here is a photo of the entrance ticket.
Thai Kick Boxing
Immediately after the show, we crossed the parking lot and entered the Thai Kick Boxing building, which hosts 6 bouts a night, 6 nights a week. Our guide arranged ring-side seats for us, so the spectacle was literally front and center. This evening, there were 3 male and 3 female bouts, and all of the boxers seemed to be between 15 and 25. Every bout ended in a knock out of some form or other, as the blows were often quite hard. I was told boys start training at 7 by kicking trees to harden their shins. Additionally, the animated coaches in their respective corners added to the show.
Oh, the Thai Massage
The next day, some in our group opted for a morning guided tour driving Tuk Tuks through the countryside. Instead, we chose to have our first Thai massage. At $60pp for 2 hours, it was a decent deal. Much to my surprise, the masseuse was actually on the table with me for much of the massage. With a lot of focus on feet and legs, the masseuse spent quite some time, contorting my legs in various ways to provide stretching that is part of the massage. Later, she grabbed my arms from behind like I was in a straight jacket, with her knees forcefully pressed to my back, repeating “relax” while trying to pop my spine, to no avail. It can be hard to relax with such force applied. I miss my chiropractor.
Have we peaked your interest in Chiang Mai Thailand?
3 comments
While in nearby Cambodia, we encountered a LadyBoy! On the street were lounge chair massages. I watched for a while so I could pick out the one I wanted, just by watching their technique. I talked Jerry into having one beside me. Unfortunately, that lady took a break and another “lady” came in to take her place. You wouldn’t believe the dirtiest looks I got from Jerry! He didn’t relax AT ALL!!!!
LOL. I guess their “like kind and quality” guarantee fell short ?
Indeed, the world would be a better place if there were more Buddhists!!
After some very delayed fights and a missed connection, I landed in SFO instead of SJC late that eve. My Lyft account, which I hadn’t used in a while, was giving me some strange hassle. So, I hopped on a Super Shuttle van instead to get home. Being last on a full van, I was put in the passenger seat. It had been too long of a day and now I was probably going to have to wait for all those others to get dropped off before getting home. I was tense, stewing in my seat.
Eventually, I turned around to get a better look at the motley crew of travelers behind me. They were all in Buddhist robes with shaved heads. One male and one female in white robes, and the rest were all females in brown robes. They were all headed to the same location just a few blocks from my destination. After the chit chat with them, I was totally zen!