Learn the Art of Thai Massage...Check!

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By the time our third day in Chiang Mai rolled around, we were exhausted. Between the 36 hour trek to get here, the all-day classes, and the late night market, we had been going nonstop since we left the islands. We had also gone 3 straight days without a massage which was unacceptable! So we slept in as long as possible, had a leisurely brunch on the sunny front porch of our hostel, and then headed straight to get a thai massage. Our hostel owner recommended a place down the road, and even though it was a bit weird to be escorted through a family's living room, kitchen, and up 2 flights of stairs to the massage room, it was totally worth it. We were REALLY sore from a day of scrambling all over elephants, plus we got to wear super comfy thai fisherman pants during the massage and one hour cost only 150 baht ($5)!

In our lovely post-massage daze, we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around central Chiang Mai. This is the first chance we've had to see the city on foot, so it was super fun to stumble upon glittering Buddhist temples around every corner and stroll along the moat that surrounds the old town.

The first temple we came across was a giant stone ruin called Wot Chedi Luang and was situated in a very impressive square surrounded by smaller temples, statues, and prayer halls. There was also a Monk Chat Club that invited people to drop in and chat with the monks about Buddhism, monk life, Thai culture, or anything else you're interested in. They love to practice their English so any conversation topic is welcomed.

We continued strolling and came across a smaller temple called Wot Phan On which was over 700 years old and somehow seemed to still be in perfect condition. It was completely covered in solid gold and had the biggest gong I've ever seen, just begging to be rung! I respectfully restrained myself, but it wasn't easy.

As we were on our way back to the hostel, we happened to pass a big wall that lots of people were driving through, so we ducked our heads inside and what was on the other side? Oh, only the biggest temple in all of Chiang Mai! We felt a little dumb for not noticing Wot Pha Singh sooner, but we happily covered up with shawls and sat inside for a bit of a monk ceremony. The sing-song Thai chanting of 100 monks in unison was mesmerizing, especially combined with the ornate golden decor of the temple. The most interesting tale about this temple is that back in the 1400s the chariot carrying the Buddha broke down, so they just decided to give up and build the temple in that exact spot. Good on ya Thailand.

We finished the night off by watching the sunset from our hostel rooftop, Chang beer in hand. It was a pretty awesome way to finish a relaxing day.

The next day was our last day in lovely Chiang Mai, so we had considered booking a hiking trip in the mountains or a tour around the region to see some more temples. But then our hostel owner told us that our bus to Laos would be stopping at the famous White Temple for a toilet break on the way, so we decided "Good enough!" and booked a Thai Massage class for our last day instead!

We're pretty much obsessed with Thai massage, so it only seemed right to learn a few techniques on our last day in Thailand.

The class was about 6 hours long and we learned somewhere around 100 moves! It totally exceeded my expectations as I figured they wouldn't trust spazs like us to do anything more than toe rubs. Not gonna lie, we started out giving each other very mediocre massages, but after just a few hours, we were using our palms, fingers, forearms, knees, legs and feet to squeeze, twist, lock, stretch and crack like a pro. There was only one other girl in our class so it was very personal, and our teacher Ah was adorable and an excellent instructor. She wants us to come say hello next time we're in Thailand!

Performing the moves was surprisingly hard work and we'll definitely have to build up our core strength if we're ever going to give a decent massage - we were both shaking and sweating while trying to do a few of moves! I have a new-found respect for Thai masseuses and loved learning a bit of the trade. Even the butt and groin rubs were less awkward than I thought they'd be...although it does take our friendship to a whole new level of closeness!

After the massage class, we headed to the famous Sunday night market to spend our last night in Thailand indulging in lots and lots of street food. They close down one of the biggest streets in town for this market every Sunday, and it is HUGE. We walked through the market at a steady shuffle for 3 HOURS and there were still side streets and temple courtyards filled with food stalls that we didn't have time to explore. We managed to stuff ourselves beyond belief on popsicles, pork buns, won ton eggs on a stick, sweet potato, corn on the cob, ice cream, fish balls, strawberries, and noodles. This market had the most innovative and unique collection of street food I've ever seen, and as per usual, everything we tried was delicious (oh except the durian fruit I tried...those are really gross). There were lots of great clothes and souvenirs as well, and if we weren't confined to one 15kg backpack, we would've loved to bring the whole market home with us!

Thailand has treated us well and we've added some sweet new skills to our resume in Chiang Mai - Thai cooking, elephant riding, and now Thai massage. I don't mean to brag but...we're pretty awesome!

Who you callin' a mahout?

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For day two in Chiang Mai, we decided to increase our riding repetoire of interesting animals. We were picked up early and taken to Chiang Mai Elephant Camp, about an hour outside the city. Once there we changed into worn out denim shirts, baggy pants, and a straw hat: the uniform of the mahout, or elephant trainer. Our mahout class was comprised of 9 people and 4 elephants.

The morning was spent learning about the elephants; what they ate, how they lived, their physical characteristics, and how to control them. We got a quick overview of general Asian elephant facts, then were introduced to 4 of their herd. We took some time to get to know them and feed them some bananas purchased on the way to the camp. The professional mahouts took their share as well, and the 40-ish bananas we bought for the day disappeared way faster than we anticipated.

Next we learned how to control the elephants using words, a hooked stick, and our feet. Let me assure you from the start: these elephants were coming to no harm. The hooked sticks were made of bamboo and acted much like nudging someone with your elbow might. We all were a bit concerned about that at first, but it was obvious before long that it didn't hurt the elephants one bit. A bit annoying to them, maybe, but ultimately just a way of communication. We practiced the commands for a while, cheering on the others in the class when it wasn't our turn. Honestly, the elephants weren't really listening to us, but to the mahouts. The mahouts train with an individual elephant for a year or more, striking up a strong bond of respect and love. An hour of mispronouncing the Thai command words probably didn't immediately endear us to them.

Lunch was greatly welcomed and comprised of chicken curry, cucumber soup, and fresh fruit. In the afternoon the real fun began. We all got onto the elephants bareback to take a walk down the river. A French couple, a British/South African couple, and two British sisters each had one elephant, while Caz and I shared the biggest one, Som Si, with a Norwegian girl named Mary-Lou. Som Si was 26 and very reliable and patient. Her mahout (whose name I never caught) was friendly and very funny.

As we plodded along towards the river, Sandy and Ania, the British sisters, in front of us began having some trouble with their elephant. It seemed she was just not interested in this little trek and kept swerving off the trail to have a snack. Her mahout was very young and not having much luck getting the elephant to listen. After repeated attempts to get the elephant on track, they eventually had to get off. Instead of just walking the rest of the way, we offered to let them join us on Som Si, something her mahout agreed to. Thus the strong and patient Som Si carried all five of us girls to the bathing area of the river.

As soon as we got there, we were attacked by the two couples who had already arrived and begun washing their elephants, so we were soaked before even touching the water. Once we were off Som Si, "bathing the elephants" turned into a full-fledged water fight as we all threw buckets of water at each other. The elephants, in the meantime, just closed their eyes and sat through it all. Bless their hearts. After we were all suitably wet, we were given soapy bark to rub down our elephants with. Then Som Si and her mahout gave us all the opportunity to get a picture standing on a standing elephant. It was pretty cool, if a bit nerve-wracking.

The elephants and their riders were all fresh and clean, so it was time for the second part of the river walk. Since it wasn't really fair to have 5 people on one elephant, they brought a new one over to replace the naughty one. The British girls were spooked, however, and refused to go on any elephant except Som Si. So Caz and I took her instead. Her name was Boi, and she was 75! A venerable lady. She wasn't really inclined to listen to my commands, and I wasn't really inclined to push the matter. She knew the way and took her own time about it, and I knew enough to respect my elders. Her mahout took over Caz's camera and snapped some shots of us, although most of the time he just looked through the pictures saved on the memory.

The second half of the walk ended with a mudbath, something the elephants supposedly like in order to cool themselves. The mahouts encouraged us to wade in there with them and help smear the mud on their skin. I don't know who threw first, but it almost instantly became a massive mud fight. The riders and a couple of the mahouts went nuts, covering each other head to toe, flinging it across the pool, and rubbing it into each other's hair. The elephants, for their part, all left the pool and had nothing to do with the shenanigans. The mud fight went on for a good long while, but finally we all dragged ourselves out and walked back to the camp center, all of us an appealing olivey brown color. Oh, except for the French couple, who opted out of the immaturity. Their loss!

We hopped back in the river to clean off, then bought pictures and watching video of our day. We paid our respects to the elephant spirit with incense provided by our class leader before getting a ride back to Chiang Mai. Arriving back after dark, we decided to meet Sandy and Ania at the Night Bazaar after a shower. Stalls lined the streets just outside the central city, and inside the market pavilion, more vendors showed their wares as fabulous ladyboys invited us to their free cabaret. We opted for some pad thai and Chang beer instead.

We got back to our hostel just around midnight, exhausted but with a certificate in basic mahout training. Plus Caz got some pretty cool shades. Success!

How do you say 'turkey' in Thai?

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We made it to Chiang Mai! It was no simple journey, let me tell you. It started with a 2 1/2 hour van ride to Krabi, complete with two tiny blonde children yet again. Then, after an hour at a rather sketchy transportation agency, we got in another van and were taken to another sketchy transportation agency. From there it was onto a bus that definitely looked as though it had seen better days. Still, it made the 4 hour journey to Surat Thani. We switched again (after eating some terrible noodles), this time to a significantly flashier bus, and rode another 9 hours to Bangkok. We had a very brief time in the capitol: just enough to get to the train station, stretch our legs, and get on the train to Chiang Mai. The 15 hour trek had us pretty darn happy to reach a shower and bed.

Despite the day and a half of straight travel, Caz and I were up early. It was Thanksgiving, after all! We were far from turkey and pie and green bean casserole, but that wasn't going to stop us from eating ourselves into a coma. We signed up to do a cooking course at Baan Thai cooking school. Our class consisted of a couple girls from Holland, one from Spain, and an American couple. There were five courses to be made, and for each we got to choose from three dishes.

My menu was:

 - Stir-fried prawns with curry powder

 - Spring rolls

 - Seafood in coconut milk soup

 - Green curry with chicken

 - Mango with sticky rice

Caz's looked like this:

 - Pad thai

 - Spring rolls

 - Chicken in Coconut milk soup

 - Chiang Mai noodles

 - Deep fried bananas

In the beginning Bat (I think? She said it means "duck" in Thai), an English major at Chiang Mai University and a trainee at the cooking school, explained the technique for making sticky rice and took us on a tour of the loal market, pointing out all the ingredients we would be using. She was quite nervous as it was her first time leading the first part of the class, and her English had some gaps, but she was very nice and cute and tried hard to get everything across to us.

When we returned we had a few snacks from the market, then got into the good stuff. The teachers divided to dishes between two kitchens, and everyone who prepared the same dish prepared their own ingredients and cooked them side by side as the teacher gave instructions. It was pretty quick, as most cooking must be, and if it were left to my memory, there's no way these dishes would ever get a repeat performance. Luckily we were given a very helpful recipe book, so we'll be able to get some hints if we forget anything. Once our dishes were done, we rejoined our table and all ate together.

All 5 courses followed the same pattern, with about an hour to walk around the neighborhood and digest between the soup and curry courses. We ate all the dishes we created, and it was good. Very good. Anyone who knows Caz and me is aware that a triple decker PB&J is the height of our cooking prowess. As unbelievable as it sounds, however, we succeeded in making some really delicious Thai dishes. Of my menu I think the stir-fried praws or the coconut milk soup were the best. I loved Caz's Chiang Mai noodles and deep fried bananas too. Of course, you can't go wrong with staples such as pad thai, spring rolls, and mango sticky rice either.

It was a day full of incredibly tasty food, and we ate to bursting. We left Baan Thai feeling sleepy and fulfilled, just as one should at Thanksgiving. Happy holidays!