the untamed north: trip report, part i

I just arrived home from our longest and most ambitious trip yet. Tyler, Laura, Vanessa, Sophia, Rita, and myself traveled north to Chiang Mai, in which we set up our base of operations to explore the north. The trip lasted seven days and was a very rewarding experience.

We traveled by overnight bus from Bangkok to Chiang Mai (a 10-hour trip), and arrived "fresh" in Chiang Mai. On our first day, we got the lay of the land and scheduled a trek for the next three days. I was very nervous about scheduling the trek... so Vanessa did it! I was very happy to have left my seemingly permanent post as trip organizer and leader, and I was even happier when the trek turned out so well! More on that later.

We were greeted in Chiang Mai by the usual swarm of frenzied tuk-tuk drivers at the bus station, but later we saw an uncommonly greatful one:

"I love farang. No farang, No job. I die."

At least ONE person likes us!

We took the day to see some great wat (temples) in the area. Here is a photo in a very nice old teak wat. You may notice the string tied from the Buddha into an array of squares. The string is called "sai sin" in Thai and is blessed by the monks and used to protect everything inside/under/around it. We've seen it tied very far distances from one temple to another, and it is also tied around peoples wrists. It is also used in marriage and death rituals.

We also had the great fortune to decide to engage in "monk chat" at a temple in Chiang Mai. "Monk chat" is a free chance for farang to chat with a real monk. The monk gets to practice his English, and the farang has a chance to talk to a real monk about anything they want.

It was a really great experience and we learned a lot about monk life. The monks were also very interested in us. They asked us where we were from, recognizing "California" and "Washington D.C."

…

"Iowa" drew a blank stare from them.

I thought we were the greatest state?

The monks gave Sophia the Thai nickname “nang-fa” which means roughly “angel.” As we walked around the old part of the temple, we chatted with a Thai couple on a bench and they called me “tae-wa-da-noi” which, they told me, means “little Cupid.” Here’s a picture from the temple of a naga guarding the steps to the temple; these naga are very common, particularly in the north.

Will post more on our three-day trekking experience shortly!