Thailand Vacation - Part One

December 2018

Thailand, in South East Asia, was bound to be interesting regardless of how we chose to spend our two weeks there. As we explored itineraries in preparation we aimed for passively absorbing the experience rather than cramming our days with activities. It was this mindset that steered us into spending a third of our time up north in Chiang Mai, a third of our time down south at a beach resort, and the other third mostly in Bangkok with a few days at significant sites between destinations. This sensible itinerary worked well to give us an appreciation for the country's history, culture, and beauty.

We saw shiny Buddha images everyday

We quickly learned that Buddha has been and is an integral aspect of Thai culture. Gilded, shiny images of every size, posture and expression exist in the country.

What impressed us immediately was how friendly, polite, and respectful the Thai people were. Everyone smiles and greets you with their palms together and a bow. It's incredibly touching. They never raise their voices. They display patience and an eagerness to accommodate your wishes.

Exploring a new destination inevitably means good, bad, and in-between experiences. While there was much to enthuse about, we witnessed unpleasantness too. Most disturbing to me were stray dogs. We saw them in every town loping forlornly through lanes, or sprawled on roads late in the day. Most of them looked fed, and for the most part it appeared that the locals respected these dogs as neighborhood inhabitants. But their sad faces brought my spirits down.


Here's the first of multiple posts.

December 16, 2018

Our vacation began as soon as we boarded a new A350-900 ultra long distance plane. I'd been dreading the 17 hour flight from LA to Singapore, but it turned out to be a remarkably pleasant and enjoyable journey. The plane is designed for two classes - Premier Economy and Business - and carries 150 passengers. Apart from attentive service and tasty meals for which Singapore Airlines is famous, other luxuries are provided. State of the art entertainment with a laptop size screen, noise cancelling Bose headphones, and a vast selection of movies and mini series. I managed to sleep reasonably well on seats that recline further than economy class, and when I woke up I binge watched The Handmaid's Tale. I noticed that the crew changed the lighting at appropriate times, and infused the air with pleasant scents at various times.

A six hour layover in Singapore provided us the opportunity to take the efficient Metro to Marina Bay. The city's iconic steel and glass skyscrapers had us gasping in awe. Especially the triple tower crowned by a surfboard shaped roof, and the lotus shaped arts and science center.

Singapore's Skyscrapers viewed from the Marina

We'd seen "Crazy Rich Asians" some months ago, so it was cool to see the movie's settings. Due to the oppressive tropical heat and humidity we decided against a stroll along the waterfront. We headed toward downtown, passing gleaming towers, and arrived at a complex with vast lunch options. Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Malaysian, Italian. This was clearly food paradise and any random selection would have pleased us. On the second floor of the complex we settled on a place specializing in healthy bowls. You choose a grain base (quinoa, faro, rice), a protein (tofu), and two vegetables from a selection of steamed and grilled veggies. Delicious. We could eat well in Singapore. What else did it it have for us? Another time ...

This trip was about Thailand.

Chiang Mai (December 17)

Laid-back. Everyone says this about Thailand's second largest city. Yet, I was still surprised by the small town feel of Chiang Mai. Low-key restaurants and bars. Empty streets. Even the markets were mellow. This city, nevertheless, is a popular tourist destination.
It's so easy to settle into vacation mode here. You spend your days visiting historic temples set in tranquil gardens. For a break you can nip into one of its many inviting cafes for a caffeine fix guaranteed to satisfy you. And later, when you want to escape the heat, you can indulge in a cheap but expert massage at one of its numerous reputable massage places. The gastronomy scene is hot, and in addition to trendy global cuisine, cooking classes are easily available. And, because of Chiang Mai's location at the foot of a mountain range temperatures are mild, compared to the rest of Thailand.

The East Gate - most tourists concentrate here, both inside and outside the wall of the Old Town

There's something instantly charming about a walled city, surrounded by a moat, with four gates at each cardinal point to enter and exit.
Our hotel, the Green Tiger Guesthouse, was inside the wall, close to the north gate. Every morning when I looked out the window of our third floor room my eyes would fall on a large Buddha image seated on a pedestal in a temple garden. I'd sweep my eyes across roofs and temple spires, to the mountains that framed the city. What a gratifying view to wake up to!

View from our hotel room

Basing ourselves at this boutique hotel ensured we'd be well fed. The hotel restaurant served exclusively plant-based cuisine, emphasizing healthy, fresh, organic, sustainable ingredients. Breakfast every morning consisted of two generous courses along with strong coffee, toast and house made mango jam. The first course was muesli soaked in coconut milk, served with a fruit salad (pineapple, papaya, bananas, watermelon). The second course was either eggs prepared to order or pancakes with slices of banana.
After stuffing ourselves each morning, when we stepped outside, the air was always deliciously cool. Perfect for meandering through the old town.

Every morning as we set out to do tourist stuff we'd see locals going about their daily activities. Preparing meals in their open walled, modest homes. Hanging up laundry. Setting up food stalls. Chirpy uniformed kids heading to school. Monks in saffron robes. Bikers suddenly appearing and zipping past. Stores and cafés opening up. Juice stands setting up their mounds of fruit to make juices and shakes.

Stalls lining a big road inside the walled city

The old town, characterized by a blend of residential and commercial structures, felt local. The clusters of western tourists wandering in and out of the many, many temples around town seemed like a background activity.

Using the Lonely Planet guidebook, on our first morning we visited Wat Phra Singh, the city's most famous temple. Our introduction to Lanna style architecture. Steeply pitched multi-tiered roofs with gables curving in a V shape. Carved nagas (serpents). Brass with overlaid gold. Intricately designed faćades.

Wat Phra Singh

The interior of this temple, in red and gold,  was no less ornate. Two rows of impressive teak columns led to an elaborate altar with gilded Buddha images and inlaid mosaic tiles.

Interior of main temple at Wat Phra Singh

As we strolled along tidy garden paths to the rear we realized a temple is actually a complex consisting of multiple structures laid out in a specific Buddhist design.

Stupa at Wat Phra Singh

In the middle of the Wat Phra Singh complex, in the midst of meticulous gardens, there is a prominent bell shaped gilded stupa (or chedi) on an octagonal base. Surrounding it are smaller, gilded stupas. Enormous, shiny, shapely, it commanded attention and I felt like I needed to photograph it from every angle.
The gardens, with beds of bright flowers and healthy trees, delighted us, especially with the morning air still pleasant. Despite being in the middle of the city at the biggest tourist attraction, there were very few people around.


On the grounds of every temple there are lots of graceful trees. Close to every entrance there is a banyan tree decorated at the base with flower garlands and flags. It's the Bhodi tree. Buddha is thought to have meditated under such a tree, and this was how he acquired his philosophy.

Bhodi Tree - every temple complex has one

Everyday we popped into random temples. Each one created a visual impact. While they were all similar in layout and features, there was always some unique feature that set it apart from the others.

Statue of a Hindu god - unusual!

This temple was a reminder of the Khmer dynasty when Hinduism predominated.

Chiang Mai's second most famous temple is Wat Chedi Luang. Its most notable feature is a towering brick stupa in ruins.

Chedi Luang

Entry to temples is usually free, but for this one it cost foreigners 40 Baht ($1.20) to enter these grounds. Circling the enormous stupa perched on a base the height of a two storey house, I mulled about humankind's drive for creativity, and prevailing ideology providing a channel for this.

The Wat Chedi Luang complex is spread out on extensive park like grounds. Luckily, rows of trees provided shade, and I was able to wander past the large and active monks' quarters, and over to the main temple. At this fully intact, grandest of Chiang Mai's temples, I was surprised to find a thick cluster of worshippers and tourists. 

Fortune cookie level of aphorism

At every temple complex we saw what I thought were pretty shallow sayings on boards hanging on trees. Such venerable monuments surely deserved something more high minded!

By midday each day, the temperature soared. This was indeed the tropics. We could see it in the surrounding vegetation. Palm trees, huge epiphytes, fig trees, ginger plants, orchids, hibiscus, and plumeria. Their sweet scents infused the air. To cool off, we once sampled a passion fruit shake from a roadside fruit juice vendor.

When we planned this trip to Thailand we assumed we'd be pigging out on our favorite cuisine every single day. Turns out vegetarianism isn't a Thai thing. Dried shrimp or fish sauce go into every dish, so our options tended to be quite limited. Chiang Mai's dining scene definitely leaned toward healthy, vegetarian cuisine geared for western ex-pats and tourists. But much of this was standard western fare!
Thankfully, Reform Café, our hotel's restaurant, served up plant based Thai cuisine. Though, we discovered at our first dinner, we'd have to put up with timid spicing. Noodles with tofu and stir fried vegetables delivered on quality nutrients, textures, and colors, but not on fiery flavors. We did enjoy a mushroom dish made with a selection of local mushroom varieties, served with crunchy, green vegetables, slightly braised, and fluffy, fragrant Thai rice which was harvested just a few miles from Chiang Mai. This restaurant strove for quality combined with elegance. There's ambience too from a garden terrace seating with lots of greenery.

Khao Soi - A Chiang Mai soup

A regional specialty is a soup called khao soi. All restaurants in town served it, but again, the only reliable vegetarian version we could find was at Reform Café. Composed of egg noodles in a curried coconut cream broth, with crunchy vegetables it was spicy and utterly flavorful. Pickled vegetables and sliced shallots accompanied this soup which was garnished with fried  crispy noodles. I could eat this everyday!

One evening, for a change of atmosphere and a break from Asian food, we dined at an Italian restaurant. Their outdoor terrace faced a road on which tourists sauntered up and down. The air was still and the temperature just perfect. The Italian ex-pat owners served us an incredible wood fired pizza which we we scarfed down in minutes. Feeling the need to continue eating we grabbed a falafel  sandwich from the restaurant next door! Amazing how small the world has become! The same, familiar food so far from home.

Everyone raves about Thai street food and there was plenty of it especially right after sunset when night food markets opened up. Near our hotel, there was a very "authentic" street food market just outside the north gate. Great for a wander. Lots of atmosphere as the locals came out to socialize. But nothing for vegetarians.
The Night Bazaar, outside the moat, about a mile from the east gate, is where tourists go for street food. It was a pleasant 30 minute walk from our hotel and much to our delight we found the street food section to be a most welcoming space. A square lit up with strings of festive lights. Pleasant live music from a stage added atmosphere. It reminded me of a German Christmas market. 

Street Food at Night Bazaar

Lining the square were food stalls serving an international assortment of cuisine. High quality was clearly discernible. This market existed for tourists. Cocktails, beer, and wine were available at a few stands. Daryl chose pasta with pesto. I ordered tofu/tempeh curry and mushroom sushi rolls from a vegan food stand. A gin and tonic accompanied this fine meal. A fair number of tourists were around, but the square was anything but crowded.

Nor was the adjacent night bazaar where artisanal products and locally made clothes and textiles could be purchased from polite vendors. When we spotted a vendor doing those roll up Thai ice-creams on a frozen tray, we were ready for dessert. At 150 Baht ($5) they were not cheap! No wonder there was no line for this. In New York's Chinatown, where we had Thai roll ups for the first time, the line stretched down the block. And yet this one was so much tastier.

Daytime markets were entertaining too, especially because they catered to locals, not tourists.
I loved soaking up the exotic atmosphere at the Talat Warorot Market, a four storey building with stalls of apparel, jewelry, ethnic textiles and cosmetics on the upper floors. Fresh produce and all sorts of food products were enticingly displayed at ground level. The lack of bustle for a market this size was refreshing. No crowds, no noise and no pushiness. Adjacent to this building are more market stalls that spilled onto the sidewalks. Fruit vendors and a vibrant flower market. We were surprised to see baskets of strawberries. White, unripe ones were cheaper than the bright, red ones. We bought a bag of large, heavy passion fruit for $1.00 and a papaya ... because, who can resist? 

Talat Warorot

The next day we discovered another entertaining market at the South Gate, aka Chiang Mai Gate. It looked older, a bit shabby, but did not lack atmosphere. There was a big fish market section. We shot past busy vendors cleaning and gutting the catch of the day, and came to the produce and other miscellaneous stuff. A stroll through the aisles enlightened us on what everyday Thai people used in their kitchen and homes.

Massages are obligatory in Thailand. Best done in the heat of the day. At Lila Thai Massage, for just $8.00, a well trained ex-inmate pummeled and stretched all parts of my body, and an hour later I felt utterly renewed. They ask you to change into a loose shirt and pants. No oils were used, and the bed does not have a hole for your face. It's definitely a different experience! I loved the company's raison d'être. To transition women who've been incarcerated back into productive lives. And that, in itself, is a compelling reason to support them!

Our time in Chiang Mai was a good balance of tourist activity and free time for reading and relaxing. Tour companies urge you to visit elephant parks and places where you can pet tigers. We didn't want any role in animal exploitation. We didn't take cooking classes either, another very popular tourist activity. No regrets. We loved this start to exploring Thailand.