December 29, 2022
A Week of Movement but not by Bicycle - Day 4
Day 4 - Chiang Mai
So, you may be asking why we returned to Chiang Mai. I can attempt to explain. We had been planning on returning but not until shortly before our trip was over. In fact, we had a 1st class sleeper reserved and paid for for the night of January 17th - Chiang Mai to Bangkok. When we bought those tickets our plan was to go to Nan and explore around that area and eventually make it back to Chiang Mai somehow by the 15th, stay a couple of days in Chiang Mai and then get on that train. We had also paid for a room at a beautiful guest house we had never stayed at in Chiang Mai but we liked the woman who owned it. We had met her while having coffee at her guest house and decided we needed to splurge upon our return to Chiang Mai and stay at her place.
But, over in Chiang Kham, when we realized it might be too much of a hassle to get to Nan, and then get out of Nan, we changed our minds about the rest of our trip. A bike trip is not ever set in stone and one should probably not reserve tickets for anything too far in advance. One never knows what direction, literally, one will decide to go.
So, we were back in Chiang Mai and wondering what to do next. We had ridden quite a lot in the north of Thailand in the past. If we couldn't ride the passes to Nan we certainly were not going to tackle the ride to Pai and Mai Hong Son. Plus, we had heard reports that Pai had filled up with backpackers who played loud music at all-night parties. I sound like an old guy now but seriously, all night! Our friends who were leaving Bangkok soon were on our minds as well and maybe if we could get to Bangkok really quickly we might be able to see them one more time. And, finally, without really talking about it, it turned out we were both feeling the pull of the south of Thailand and beaches.
We had no dreams of being able to change our train tickets two days before New Year's Eve but go to the train station we did anyway just to ask. Unbelievably, there was one 1st class sleeper available if we left.......TONIGHT! The next available day we could have changed our tickets for was ten days away. It was either turn on a dime or come up with some other plan. In the seconds we had to think about what that other plan might be we sensed it would be a lesser plan. We decided to grab that train at 6PM tonight!
We left the train station a little bit in shock at what we had just done. There were so many things we needed to accomplish in just a few hours. For one, we had already paid for another night at the Awana Guest House. I hadn't intended to pay for two nights ahead of time but when we had checked in I asked for, "A room tonight." The woman at the front desk who checked us in had heard, "Two nights." It's a common misunderstanding that I knew was happening but I just went with it because I figured we would be there three or four nights at least and so I paid for two nights. We could just lose that money but it was worth a try to get refunded Going back to our room was first on our list anyway because we all of a sudden needed to check out. After some discussion she gave us back the money for a night.
Then it was a dash to the other guest house where we had paid for one night ahead of time on the 15th and reserved the 16th. We figured she would be more agreeable to refund us because she was super nice. And she was super nice saying many times, "My pen rai, kah" which means, 'Oh, no big deal, never mind, or don't worry about it." It's a classic Thai saying that describes the Thai character perfectly. Bending with the wind is what the Thais are famous for.
We had to let go of buying all the things on our list. But I wasn't going to let the buying of Cafe Boulan powder go. We packed up and fully loaded we rode to the Muang Mai Market where the stuff was supposed to be sold. The Muang Mai Market is right next to the wholesale market and is probably the busiest place in Chiang Mai at any given time starting at 3AM! Riding fully loaded bikes into the area anywhere near the market was something akin to riding through the huge market area in Mandalay. It was fascinating but I couldn't stop to take photos, we were on a mission. We had no idea where the coffee might be sold so we just stopped in front of a likely shop, a shop that sold things in packages!
With a lot of difficulty finding any space to park my bike and leaving Andrea to find another spot to wait for me, I jumped into the store asking, "Cafe Boulan?" Of course the people stared at me as if I was speaking perfect English or German or anything but Thai. I was expecting such a response so I said, "Cafe Boulan" over and over using different tones each time and the people stared at my lips amused at what was coming out of my mouth because they had no idea what I was saying. I couldn't find anything that looked like it on their shelves anyway and I moved next door to a very similar store. There I found a bag that looked very much like the real stuff. Holding up the bag, I asked the woman proprietor if it was Cafe Boulan and she told me it was but that wasn't the good stuff. She pointed to another bag and said it was, "Arroy mak", very delicious and the other stuff was junk. I grabbed two bags of the good stuff and paid her the exorbitant amount of 50 Baht each, or $1.43 each! They were big bags too!
I was elated and in my elation I wanted to show the neighboring shop owner what I had been looking for. I went over and pulled the stuff out of my bag and the woman looked at it and said, "Cafe Boulan" in the same exact way I had been saying it, I thought. She also said she didn't sell it. But, I've found it's always nice to go back and show people what I had been searching for. They get a kick out of it and they also realize I wasn't nuts. Everyone is always all smiles and it's a fun thing to do with Thais.
But the fact that I can say something that seems correct and be so far off, according to Thais, is kind of amusing to me. Over and over I have done this sort of thing and it's always kind of fun. No need to get mad about it. It's an incredibly nuanced and tonal language. Even with the difficulties of trying to speak it, I still think it is the most beautiful language in the world. I would love to be fluent someday.
Then we rode into the heaviest traffic we have experienced this entire trip. It was obvious that Chiang Mai was not only packed with visitors but also really gearing up for the holiday. We lane-split for many blocks to the big bridge and it was gridlock across the entire bridge too. We were glad to be on bikes through it all even if they were loaded and wide. We made it to the train station with enough time to find some dinner. Across from the station we found a hole-in-the-wall typical Thai restaurant and we knew we would find great food there. We ate leisurely after an incredibly hectic day and went across to the train station to first drop our bikes at the freight building.
| Heart | 3 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Leaving bikes at a freight building with people who don't look like they will exactly take good care of your bike is something people would be very wary of, if doing it for the first time ever in Thailand. But, we now feel comfortable doing it, sort of. We just leave the bikes there, pay the extra freight fee and walk away with all of our panniers. It's a bit unsettling and I always wonder if we will ever see our bikes again or in what condition they will be in. There is nothing else we can do, however, that is the system.
We waited for a bit to board the train. I watched from another position as I saw someone wheeling both bikes to the end of the train so I knew they had gotten on at least. Then I bought some junk food because, well, you always have to have junk food for a train trip. I got the usual: Spicy lobster potato chips, oreos, wasabi coated peas and water. I wanted a beer but for some reason beer was not available for sale today. This happens all the time now in Thailand and I can't figure out why. It wasn't a full moon!
We got the new train and its 1st class sleeper was quite nice. As we pulled away into the sunset we munched spicy lobster potato chips and were looking forward to what our split decision would bring. Bike trips are always fun no matter what direction you turn.
| Heart | 5 | Comment | 2 | Link |
1 year ago
And that looks comfortable!
And with the upper bed it looks like there's enough space above it that it doesn't feel like sleeping in a coffin (that's what I remember feeling in the Amtrak 'roomette').
1 year ago
lovebruce
Today's ride: 10 miles (16 km)
Total: 779 miles (1,254 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 5 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 4 |
Makes me think of my favorite Scott Anderson quote, "It's a plan, not a commitment."
1 year ago
1 year ago
1 year ago