Settling in

My Grand Adventure, the start of life as an international nomad, started in the same way as many of my other adventures to the other side of the world have. Bleary eyed from not sleeping in an effort to adjust my body clock to a time zone that is plus 14 hours away and in an airport waiting for the first of my three flights for the next 24 plus hours of traveling.

Like my last trip in 2023, passing through the San Francisco airport involved another sprint between gates to catch my Tokyo bound flight. Our incoming flight was on time. Unfortunately, we sat for over 30 minutes on the taxiway waiting for the plane that was occupying our gate to pull back. That delay ate up most of the slightly over one hour that I had for my change, necessitating a request by the flight crew to allow us to deplane first and an extremely fast walk (resisted running) halfway across the airport going from the E concourse to the G concourse.

And also like my last trip to Thailand, United failed to make sure that I had a gluten sensitive meal for the 6 hour flight between Tokyo and Bangkok, as it was operated by Thai Airways as a code share flight. The flight crew was lovely about trying to find me something that was ok for me to eat. Lesson learned, do not trust the United employee you chatted with a week before departure that assured me that meals had been requested for ALL segments. I did receive a $50 credit from United for a future flight. Unfortunately, the quality of United’s service has plummeted so much over the past few years that I don’t know how much more loyalty I have to them. The other lesson learned from the last trip was to pack protein bars or something to eat. I didn’t fully starve.

One night in Bangkok was spent at Sinsarvurn Hotel, not far from the airport in the town of Lad Krabang. In the morning, I made my way to the local market. The warm bowl of congee or jok (depending if you want to use the Chinese word or Thai word), a rice porridge with chicken and ginger and other toppings, was the perfect welcome to Thailand.

Getting Settled

My original plan for Chiang Mai was to stay outside of the Old Town. I wanted to see how I liked being outside of the of Old Town and attempting to submerge myself into life in Thailand. The other part of my original plan was to live in Chiang Mai for approximately four months. I was planning on getting an apartment and a motorbike. Sure, I was going to do some short trips, but I was going to use Chiang Mai and an apartment as a home base. Funny how the Universe sometimes has other plans in store.

My first hotel was the Royal Shilton Resort. The Royal Shilton Resort is quaint and pleasant. A couple of buildings and two pools, tucked back down a soi (alley) away from the noise and traffic of Huay Keaw road. The lush trees and plants that line the moss covered pavers leading to the room are lovely, despite making for a moderately tricky walk on the slippery stones. The pool in the courtyard closest to my room is uninviting, with muck and leaves at the bottom. The four poster bed with mosquito netting, tied back as the bed curtains, is adorned in a sheet set that looks more like a mattress pad covering an ultra-firm mattress, even by Asian standards, with two equally firm pillows. Locating a comforter in the cupboard and folded in fourths made the bed some version of soft enough to get some sleep.

Every night I’m inundated by a chorus of frogs in the courtyard. Their constant and insistent crick-crick-crick sound resonating off of the stucco walls. All I can picture are the Hmong women that troll the markets and bars where the farang (foreigners) frequent with their wooden frogs with ridged backs that you “play” with a wooden stick. The sound of the live frogs is almost as maddening as the sound of the women playing the frogs in the markets. Every morning, the local rooster crowing at 6 AM acts as an unwelcomed alarm clock after a not terribly comfortable night of sleep.

Finding an apartment has proven to be much more of a challenge than I anticipated. I’ve searched on Facebook Marketplace and on some of the other apartment rental sites. Turns out that most of the monthly rentals are booked up through mid-December and even into January. Lamenting this to my friend Nishan who has been in Chaing Mai for a couple of months at this point, her accommodation sorted well before her trip, she mentioned that she is actually outside of Chiang Mai for training and would love to have me sublet her room for her until she returns on the 26th. The lack of availability was also my first sign that perhaps plans should change.

Tiptopthai House is lovely. Located in the northwest corner of the Old Town on a quiet soi, the place is a family compound ran by Tan, under the ever watchful and stern eye of Pi Noi, Tan’s aunt. Tan and his family live in a couple of the rooms in the two houses. The remaining space has been partitioned off into separate guest rooms, each with their own private bathroom. The kitchen area is available for cooking, but not after about 6 PM, and there are a few places with benches and chairs to sit and relax. The sign over the door by the kitchen area says “Tiptopthai house is more than just a guesthouse, it is your home.” And it feels that way.

Nishan’s room (now my room for the time being) is the last of the rooms on the far side of the house, tucked neatly down a path with a small table and bench outside. The room is spacious and comfortable, including the bed. The frogs and rooster have been traded for a cat that is skitterish and occasionally vocal, but only during normal waking hours, and the occasional Tokei (like a gecko but bigger) making its signature “toe-kay” sound.

I am happy being back in the Old Town and near the temples and the night markets that I have familiarity with. Funny how things work out.

Getting Around

Then there is getting around. Finding a long-term motorbike rental was proving just as difficult as long-term accommodations.

Most of my transportation has been by foot or by Grab (an Uber equivalent). And so far, I am not missing having a motorbike. Mentally, not having a motorbike has been so much more pleasant. I am seeing more of the little details of Chiang Mai while on foot or on the back of a Grab bike. It has given me the chance to slow down and look around. I don’t have to worry about traffic or the traffic police. Physically, the benefits of walking are already starting to show. My legs are getting stronger and I am feeling better overall.

I may still get a motorbike for a couple of days here and there, assuming I can find one. Otherwise, I plan to use Grab for the trips that are farther away or my feet are just tired. With Grab, you can get either a motorbike or a car, depending on distance and what you need. My first few rides on the back of a Grab bike came with the challenge of trying to gracefully dismount the bike when the driver drops me off. More often than not, it was less than graceful. The more I have been walking, the easier getting off the bike has become. Cost wise, using a Grab is working out to be much more economical than a motorbike. Especially since I don’t have many places that I need to go where walking would take too long or that I am unable to walk to. Having no real schedule takes away the excuse that I need to get anywhere RIGHT NOW (besides, if there was, the Grab bikes are pretty readily available.)

Old Friends and Elephants

Even with the intent of taking it easy in Thailand, I did dive right in. By coincidence, a lovely friend of mine from Colorado was in Chiang Mai when I got to town. We had made plans to meet at the Saturday Night Walking Street and then go to Happy Elephant Home on Sunday. Dropping my suitcase at the Royal Shilton Resort, I walked the 4.2 km (2.6 miles) into town to meet my friend and her husband and friends.

Wanting to go by my favorite temple, Wat Inthakhin Sadue Muang, I headed there first. I fundamentally knew my shorts were going to be a potential hinderance for getting into the temple. I headed there anyway. Proper temple etiquette is to have your shoulders and knees covered. And yes, true to the feeling of so many more farang (foreigners) in Chiang Mai that don’t know the proper etiquette, the temple now has a sign very clearly stating that you are not allowed to enter if you are wearing shorts.

The temple visit being a bit of a bust, I moved on to meeting my friends. We went to the Chiang Mai Gate Market, my favorite night food market. The woman that has had a stand there easily since I was here in 2015 if not before, is still there. I opted for pad krapow gai sai kai dow (stir fry basil with chicken and a fried egg on top.) We gathered around a small table on the plastic chairs, ate, had a beer, and enjoyed catching up.

After dinner, we walked the Saturday Night Walking Street for a bit. Having spent more time at dinner, the street wasn’t terribly crowded. A detour to the lovely Silver Temple, which now charges farang (foreigners) 50 Baht to enter, was worth it. We didn’t stay long. As none of us were in the mood for shopping, we abandoned the idea of Walking Street and walked back into town, leaving the temple down a different (soi) away from the crowd of the shopping street. Plus, we had a visit to the elephants the next morning and need rest. Wishing them good sleep and another round of hugs, I grabbed a Grab ride back out to my hotel. My feet were tired from the almost 6 km (almost 4 miles) I had walked that day.

No matter how many visits or how much time I spend with the elephants, it still makes me so happy. My friend Apple, the manager of Happy Elephant Home, was happy to see me, as much as I was happy to see her. Our greeting starting with a boisterous “sawadee kaa” (hello) and the usual conversation in a mix of English and Thai. She is happy and that makes me happy.

Happy Elephant Home has 5 elephants now. One elephant is owned by them outright. The other 4 have been rescued from a life of trekking or other work. Happy Elephant Home pays the owners the equivalent of what income the elephant would have provided. In return, the elephant gets plenty of food and medical care if they need it. Bua Ban, the elephant owned by Happy Elephant Home, is a solitary female and keeps generally to herself. Especially when food is around. The other 4 elephants hang out in pairs.

After changing into traditional clothes, we headed out into the field to meet the elephants. We started by cutting up pumpkin (fucktong) into chunks to fill our food bags. After enough farang (foreigners) had a chance, the mahouts (the people that care for the elephants) took over to expedite the process. If you have food, you are an elephant’s friend. “No food, no friend.” is the mantra when it comes to feeding elephants. We filled our food bags to the brim and headed into the field.

Apple divided the visitors into small groups of 3 to 4 people. That way, each group was able to spend ample time with each elephant. This time is the best opportunity to take photos with the elephants. Happy Elephant Home has a photographer that takes everyone’s picture with Bua Ban that they then print out by the end of the day and you can by framed in an elephant poo paper frame. Apple and I also posed with Bua Ban as a friendship picture.

Once we fed the elephants, it was time to feed ourselves. Apple demonstrated how to make som tom (papaya salad) and noodle soup. Then it was up to each of us to cook what we wanted. Everyone took a chance at making both the salad and the soup.

The afternoon started with a walk down to the river for bath time. Happy Elephant Home is located higher on the hill and so was spared significant damage from the recent flooding. The biggest problem for Happy Elephant Home is that much of their food crop was destroyed or is covered by mud. Elephant Nature Park, where I used to go, is located right on the river and felt the full brunt of the floods. The water at Elephant Nature Park reached almost 10 meters (32 feet) at the crest of the flood. Seeing the devastation to the park with huge piles of sand and debris covering the area where the elephants usually are was a bit heartbreaking. I know they will recover.

Bath time is always fun. I love being in the water with the elephants. Using a bucket of water to splash them and then rubbing their skin. Elephants sweat through their toenails (a new fact that I just learned) which is why it is so important for them to have bath time. With all the rain, the current in the river was strong, especially if you got a little farther out. The river also has occasional drop offs. Yes, I found both the drop off and the current at the same time.

Typically, after bath time is mud pit time. Elephants use mud and dirt as insect repellent and sunscreen. Today, the ladies didn’t feel like having a mud spa treatment. Maybe because they are tired of mud and rain with all that they have had this year so far and Sunday being the first day it hadn’t rained in a long time. The elephants at Happy Elephant Home get to choose what they want to do and are never forced to do something they don’t want to do as an activity for the tourists.

In the “ethical elephant tourism” world, there is great discussion regarding how much contact the elephants should have with humans. The more zealous say they shouldn’t have any interaction and we should just observe them. The other side of the pendulum says that feeding and bathing is ok. Because elephants heal and communicate by touch, my personal opinion is that some interaction is not bad. So long as it is not harmful touch and if the elephant isn’t feeling up to it, respect that and let them go on their own.

Chiang Mai by Foot

My first full day on my own was spent walking. I walked. And walked. And then walked some more.  Walking into the Old Town from The Royal Shilton, I took a longer route through little sois (alleys) and streets I had never been on before. In front of one house was a Minion dressed as Captain America. Along another wall was a Bansky-esque painting. My route was planned to see the location of an accommodation that I was considering that had something available starting in mid-December. The place looked lovely from the outside. I never followed up about staying there.

On the way to the Old Town, I stopped on the north side of the Old Town at Wat Lok Mali. As part of the Lantern Festival, you can buy a lantern to hang at the temple as an offering. On the lantern, you write your given name, surname, date of birth, and your wish. Selecting a fuchsia pink lantern for myself and an orange lantern for a friend, I paid 80 baht each, wrote names and wishes on them, and with the help of a bamboo rod, hung them among the other lanterns. Hopefully those wishes will come true.

After stopping at Tiptopthai House to confirm that I would take the room. I turned my feet toward Wat Pan Whean on the south side of Old Town for a tok sen massage. The massage was everything I needed after 3 days of traveling and all the walking the day before (and so far that day). Receiving the massage was also nice because it was my first massage after retiring. I was able to just be on the mat and receive the work without getting into the mindset of a student trying to learn additional techniques for my clients. It was perfect.

On my way to Wat Pan Whean, I stopped into a store that was selling skirts. Now that I was in possession of a garment to cover my knees, I walked back across the Old Town to Wat Inthakhin Sadue Muang so I could properly visit. Entering the Vishara (main temple building), I followed proper Thai custom, kneeling and bowing 3 times, each time touching my forehead to the ground. After saying my prayers and wishes, I made merit to the Tuesday Buddha to help my life. Each day of the week has a Buddha (Wednesday has two for some reason). Part of the practice is to make merit to the Buddha for the day you were born to help your life.

Since it was getting close to dinner time, I walked all the way back across Old Town to the Chiang Mai Gate Market on the south side. Arriving on the early side, I sat at the tables and watched the vendors get their carts set up for the evening. Once ready, at the same stand as two nights prior, I was first customer. As first customer, I was rewarded with a heaping dish of pad pauk ruak mu grab (stir fried vegetables and crispy pork).

My belly full and the sun long gone from the sky, I turned my feet toward the hotel. Despite being a little bit out of the way, I stopped by Wat Lok Moli once again to see the lanterns at night. Seeing all the colorful lanterns illuminated with bright lights against the dark sky was beautiful and worth the extra steps. The beautiful half moon over the peak of the temple was stunning. The moon kept me company on my walk back to the hotel.

My feet were starting to feel the impact of so much walking. Unfortunately, my phone battery died enroute, so I wasn’t able to take a Grab. After all the walking, I rewarded myself with a beer that I bought at the Tesco Fresh (like a 7-Eleven) near the hotel. By the time I got back to my room I had walked about 14 km (over 8.5 miles). My feet weren’t happy and only grumbled slightly when I decided that I needed another beer and walked to the 7-Eleven and back.

Festival Time

The Loi Krathong, Lantern, and Yi Peng Festivals were just ramping up as I arrived in Chiang Mai. The festivals tend to all get lumped into one festival, but really the festival is three festivals all held at the same time. Loi Krathong and the Lantern festivals are practiced throughout Thailand. Yi Peng is specific just to the northern part of Thailand. The festivals are always held on the full moon of the 12^th month of the Thai lunar calendar and last 3 to 4 days.

Festival time in Chiang Mai has the city illuminated with lanterns. Every temple has hundreds of paper lanterns offering wishes hanging on the trees and scaffolding erected just to hold them. Trees and business have decorative lanterns. The city is alive with color and light.

The first night of the festival was the short parade from the Thae Pae Gate to the Three Kings Plaza. The women in the parade carried candles and when arriving in Three Kings Plaza placed them on structures that had been errected there. Then over 100 women ranging in age from 4 to 80 performed a traditional Lanna dance holding candles. For the women it seemed a balance between keeping the candles lit and not getting burnt by the flame or wax. The Three Kings Plaza looked magical glowing with the candles on the structures in the middle.

The second night I met up with some new friends, Gabriella, Miriam, and Nikki, Gabriella and I had connected through a Facebook group that we are members of. She brought Miriam and Nikki along. We met at the Thae Pae Gate which was a mass of bodies and more crowd than any of us wanted to be in. After some debate, and going off a video I had seen a few months ago, we decided to head to Khlong Mae Kha. Khlong Mae Kha is a canal area that has recently been revitalized and made a lovely place for walking and getting beer and food. Miriam, Nikki, and I walked while Gabriella went by motorbike.

Klong Mae Kha was the perfect location. The canal was embellished with illuminated decorations of giant fish and lotus flowers reflecting in the water. The bridges over the canal were adorned with lights, lanterns, and giant butterfly wings. All along each side of the canal were stalls selling goods, food, beer, and krathongs (the small floating offerings made of banana leaves with flowers, incense, and a candle.) We found a bar, ordered beer, and got to know each other through conversation and laughter.

Leaving the bar we continued to stroll along the canal. Miriam, Gabriella, and I purchased krathongs from one of the many vendors and made our way to one of the platforms on the water. We each took our time making our wishes and sent them floating down the canal. Wishing each other good night, Gabriella and Nikki were off on Gabriella’s motorbike, Miriam took a Grab, and I walked back to the Old Town and my guesthouse.

The third night of the festival was the mass lantern release at Doi Saket, the signature event for the Yi Peng festival. Thanks to a cancellation, I was able to get a ride in a van out to Doi Saket. Being on the 6 PM van, we were late for the mass release due to the massive amount of traffic in Chiang Mai and even more near the festival area. Even from the van, watching the trail of hundreds of lanterns float up into the sky was beautiful. Once we were close, the desperate feeling of going nowhere and missing out on the festival was felt by all the travelers in the van. Collectively, we decided to walk the rest of the way (only about 1 km (just over 0.5 miles)).

On the ride out to Doi Saket, I befriend a pair of sisters from New York and a friend of theirs from Germany. Sticking together, we bought khom loy (the paper lanterns) and found a spot in the grassy area to light them and send our wishes up to the heavens.

Lighting a khom loy is a group effort. They are constructed with rice paper and have a paraffin soaked disc that you light. Once you manage to get the disc light, you hold the lantern until it is filled with hot air. The temptation is great to release the lantern too soon, which makes for a difficult journey skyward and often ends up with the lantern stuck in one of the trees at the edge of the grassy area.

We each took turns lighting our khom loy and when it was time to release, only the person making the wish held on to it before letting it go up into the dark sky, joining the trail of khom loy into the heavens.

Monk’s Hike

Walking in the city is interesting, but I was ready to get out into some nature. One of the best local hikes is the Monk’s Trail. The Monk’s Trail is a path up to Wat Pha Lad and is the only way to reach that particular temple. The trail gets its name from the fact that the monks use the trail to come down in the morning for their alms rounds.

The trail is general easy going. Not steep and shaded from the hot midday sun with tall trees and stands of bamboo. The path goes along a small stream with occasional spots for waterfalls and rapids. The sound of the rushing water is so calming while hiking. Where possible, I would make a small detour to go down to the water and just enjoy the journey.

About two thirds the way up to Wat Phra Lad is a branch off to Anaigami Temple. The icon for the Monk’s Trail is a person with a walking stick. The icon for the path to Anigami Temple is a hiker facing a rock cliff. The sign offered truth in advertising. The trail was steep and challenging in a few places.

The beginning of the trail includes crossing a very small stream. A rope is provided to assist you up the other side of the embankment. As I was pondering my choices, an Aussie couple joined me. The guy was all for it, the woman was completely against continuing. I decided to press onward. Further up the mountain, the trail grew steeper. Steps had been formed in the mountainside and ropes were provided to assist in getting both up and down the path.

Anigami Temple is a modest reward for the journey. The people I passed coming down as I was going up were mostly honest in their assessment. But as the one woman said, after describing what she had found, “you are almost there you might as well go the rest of the way.” And I was truly almost there by the time I encountered her. The main temple was a platform with a roof as opposed to an actual building. A small shrine to the hermit doctor looked out over a pond, his shelter overgrown with greenery. I didn’t spend a great deal of time exploring as I was anticipating my reverse trek back to the Monk’s Trail.

Reversing my trek and making full use of the ropes, I managed to make it back down to the Monk’s Trail without falling. That in itself was a major accomplishment. Back on the main path, I continued up the mountain to Wat Pha Lad. Just before entering the temple, I paused to put on my skirt and long sleeve shirt over my shorts and tank top.

Wat Pha Lad was gorgeous. On one side of the stream is the remains of the original old temple, built against the hillside in 1375. Across the bridge on the other side is the new(er) temple area, built in 1934 when the temple grounds were being restored. Pausing on the bridge between the two sides, you have a perfect view of Chiang Mai in the valley below.

The old temple is a traditional brick and plaster wall on three sides and the back wall is the rock of the side of Doi Suthep (the mountain). The walls show the effects of standing for years in the jungle and the humidity. Steps lead up to a room that even at 5’3” I had to bend down to walk. Which is ok, because you are not supposed to have your head higher than the Buddha’s head. The archways in the walls provide the light for the temple room.

The new temple side has several buildings and even more Buddha images throughout balanced on the rocks and tucked into coves. A staircase with two large lions at the base and large stands of bamboo on either side reaching into the sky connect the lower area that overlooks the waterfall and the upper area where the majority of the buildings are located. I took my time exploring all of the buildings on the temple grounds. Despite the only access being the Monk’s Trail, the temple was relatively busy.

The centerpiece on the “new” side of the temple is a moss covered stone chedi. The lush green moss softening the hard edges of the rock, proof that the chedi has a long history in the jungle. A couple was taking pictures and offered to take some of me as we walked around the chedi. I am still working on perfecting my posing techniques.

Just Living

This adventure to Thailand is much different than the others. My travels have no defined purpose or agenda. Arriving in Thailand, I had no ready-made community of massage classmates or elephant park volunteers. Not only does this adventure look different externally, it feels different internally. My past trips seemed to have coincided with times in my life that my cup was empty and I needed the comfort and welcoming arms of Thailand as an escape. This time I feel like my heart is full and I can actually grow and truly heal.

The question I had been asked many times over the past months is “what are you going to do in Thailand?” My response has repeatedly been, “just live.” The Universe and I had very different ideas of what “just living” was going to look like. My original plans and intentions have all gone by the wayside, which is probably for the better.

Meeting Miriam and Gabriella has given me a community and new friendships in my life. All or just a couple of us have met for several of the days since that first night when we went to Khlong Mae Kha and released our krathongs. Reaching out to the other women for a beer or food has been wonderful and I know these friendships will last even after we go our separate ways.

My time has mostly been filled with walking and doing nothing. On average, I’ve been walking between 4 and 8 km (2.5 to 5.5 miles) a day. Passing locals, I always smile and say “sawadee kaa” (hello), which always returns a smile and greeting. Thailand is the Land of Smiles after all. I also pause on my walks to take in murals painted on walls, random statues, cats, and the smell of flowers growing along a brick wall.

Despite it being the start of cool season the weather is still very warm, topping out in the 30’s C (mid-80’s F), and still very humid. In the heat of the day, I’ve found myself at my room enjoying the breeze of the fan while I relax. My intent is to do some writing. My reality has been making travel plans for the next few months.

While my adventure may not be looking as much like I had envisioned or told people that it was going to be, I am in Thailand and that is petty alone is pretty incredible. I know that fact is something I don’t want to lose sight of or take for granted.