Will I Chiang Mai view on Thai Food?
July 18, 2018
Hello Thailand! Our first stop in Thailand is Chiang Mai and as soon as we land we know we are in for a treat with the lush green mountains and cute city. So far it is also much less humid than China was, which we are both surprised by. We found a lunch spot inside the old city walls, near our hotel, and had our first true Thai meal! We decide to try our usual items from back home (Pad Thai, Panang curry, Thai iced tea) so we can compare and we are not disappointed! Although I don’t think Pad Thai is originally a Thai dish, it is the best we’ve had and we are pleased.
I've got nothing...Don't cut the wrong wire?
We walk around part of the old city a bit, noting the lack of sidewalks and insane amount of electrical/phone wires crossing each street. Crossing streets here also seems to be a new challenge and we soon discover that the rule here is to wait for a tiny gap in traffic and then run across the street. There’s also doesn’t seem to be any clean air regulations, soot just pours out of the cars and motorbikes here.
As we walk we also get our first glimpse of all the Buddhist temples, or wats, in the city. They are literally everywhere, some short blocks having 3 or more. Another random observation is that the image of the Thai royal family is everywhere! The King’s face is on random bridges, in front of schools, and down side streets. Definitely feel more like shrines to the king.
All the cars, temples, and king shrines! Oh my!
We continued to walk around, making our way to toward the Ping River and walk over the bridges to check out this area. The city is actually bigger than we pictured, but still very walkable. A random patch of rain rolls in and we notice that the locals pull over their scooters, put on their rain suits, and keep going-the rain does not slow people down here! It’s a quick shower and then the weather is beautiful again.
The Night Bazaar
We head down some more local streets, dodging scooters and cars and then find a small bar to hang out at while we wait for the night bazaar to open. This night market takes place daily, but there are tons of other markets that are nightly, as well as others that occur on certain days. The market is a variety of tourist items, fake brand name clothes, and fish pedicures throughout. It’s fun to wander through and check out the randomness. We find a stand making rolled ice cream and make sure to get some. It is a perfect first day in Chiang Mai and we are looking forward to checking out what else the city has to offer!
