Page 83 - quebec
P. 83
Chiang Mai
ur escape routes, ang, Wat Phan Tao, Wat
both right and Ched Lin, and Wat Chiang
left, were walled Taem. Statues of the Bud-
off by swarms dha, with his enigmatic
Oof amateur pho- smile, were everywhere,
tographers holding up iPads, along with the smell of in-
cell phones and every Nikon cense, the sound of prayer
in the catalog. We could envi- and the chatter of young
sion the YouTube video that (age seven for some) shav-
would go viral — “American en-headed monks, who
travel writers trampled by walk the streets in early
frenzied flower festivalites.” morning collecting alms.
And we were having the time Each wat brought discov-
of our lives. Chiang Mai is like eries. Behind one we found
that: exciting, exotic, thrilling monks’ laundry draped
and unpredictable. over racks of bamboo --
great cascades of red-or-
We spent five days there last ange robes drying in the
winter, exploring the walled mid-day heat. Below the
city and its labyrinthine al- steps of another was a
leyways, walking its vibrant 3-foot tall concrete Donald
markets, trying to identify Duck.
plants and meats we’d never
seen, eating some of the most Every wat is decorated
delicious street food we’d ever with carved dragons and
tasted and touring rural vil- warrior kings, fanged ser-
lages to see how tribal people pents, ornate stone pea-
live. Between us we got six cocks, grinning tigers, and
massages, two foot rubs and innumerable fantastical
a facial, ate barbequed animal deities. It’s overpower-
parts that tasted better than ingly ornate, even other-
they looked, and learned to worldly. And maybe that’s
make chili paste. the idea.
Chiang Mai is the largest city After a few hours, we
of Thailand’s northern prov- reached wat overload and
inces, but it’s nothing like the were ready for the top
behemoth of Bangkok, some tourist concern: Thai food.
400 miles south. While near- We’d arrived from Hong
ly 1 million people live in the Kong the evening before
area, only 200,000 inhabit and 10 minutes after
the old city, the focus of most dumping our gear at our
tourist activity. B&B, we were in the night
food market along Bam-
Founded in 1296, the old city rung Buri Road, which par-
is still surrounded by the orig- allels the southern edge of
inal moat, vestiges of ancient the rectangular old city.
city walls and its original four
city gates, one for each main In a moat-side park dot-
compass point. It is little ted with brightly lit food
more than half a square mile ples, armed with a camera, an iPhone, carts we had our first Thai
and easily walkable, but also serviced by a reporter’s notepad and a single Thai meal: spicy chicken, spicy pork salad
hundreds of tuk-tuks – motorized rick- phrase -- “khob khun krab” (“thank (called “larb moo”) and green papaya
shaw taxis. salad. “Spicy” is the key word. If the
you”). It was a sunny day, headed to a
high of 88. Every day was sunny with a 80-degree days don’t make you sweat
More than 1.5 million tourists visit high of 88. the food will. And it was better than
Chiang Mai every year, so navigating our best Thai meal in the United States.
the city’s night markets can seem like There are some 30,000 active temples The difference between Thai food here
playing rugby in the aisles of an exotic – known as “wats” -- in Thailand and at and Thai food in the United States is
Walmart. But it’s a cheerful game, with least 30 are inside the Chiang Mai moat. like the difference between canned and
smiles the common language. fresh peaches and green papaya salad —
In the space of fewer than 20 blocks
we visited Wat Jet Lin, Wat Chedi Lu- all for $5.
We started our first day visiting tem-
Wine Dine & Travel Summer 2014 83

