Variety in and around Chiang Mai: Climbing, Cooking, and Teeth Cleaning

We've had a busy six days in and around Chiang Mai -- some learning, personal maintenance, and soreness inducing exercise. In Chiang Mai, we learned some easier Thai recipes when we took an 8-hour cooking class with Wilson's dad. We also got our teeth cleaned and I got a Thai massage (or two). And thenafter Wilson's dad flew out of Thailand back to the US, we headed to climb at "Crazy Horse Buttress". (Crazy Horse Buttress, a very American sounding name, was unsurprisingly accidentally named by an American.)

Learning to Cook Thai Food

Fun, fun, fun to stand in front of your own wok and use a metal spatula/ to measure 2 teaspoons of fish sauce and 3 spoons of oyster sauce and then with a little help of some fresh garden ingredients create Pad Thai. In fact, the whole cooking class with the Scenic Thai Cooking company owned by an avid Thai female traveler was a very enjoyable experience.

At the beginning of our cooking class, we went to the market to understand Thai ingredients. After that we drove to a farmhouse/garden with an open air kitchen that had at least 20 cooking stations. We walked around the garden identifying 3 different kinds of basil (sweet, hot, and lemon) and eating long beans off the vine. After that we got to cook (and eat) five different dishes of our own choosing. I chose Pad Thai, Papaya Salad, Tom Yum Soup, Panang Curry, and Mango with Sticky Rice. Yum. After we left the cooking class, none of us ate the rest of the day.

Personal Care and Maintenance

Our "Korol dream" has been less of a dream for our teeth. Our calamity insurance doesn't cover dental care and thus our pearly whites have become a little less than pearly. So we decided to do a little medical tourism and get our teeth cleaned. It was a little scary because I wondered if the sterilization standards are as good as the US but then I saw the fresh clean office, new equipment, free wifi and dentists and hygenists with hygenic masks and I felt much better about the endeavor. I felt really good about the endeavor 30 minutes later and only $25 poorer after the Thai dentist had scraped the plaque off my teeth and polished these pearlies.

Climbing at Crazy Horse

The climbing around Chiang Mai is actually 35 km away from the city. And you can get there one of three ways: (1) take a shuttle with the local climbing company; (2) rent a motor bike; or (3) point to the place on a map and ask a bunch of Thai people how you get there. We went with option 3. It took us a little longer but it was much cheaper than options 1 and 2. It is not a very efficient way to go, however, so we ended up staying 3 nights right by Crazy Horse (the "crag") instead of going back and forth to Chiang Mai like most climbers do.

We really enjoyed staying right by the crag. Not only was it very peaceful (except for a lot of festival fireworks), walking through the tiny town at the crag's base was a relaxing moment before and after the induced adrenaline and physical punishment that accompanied rock climbing at Crazy Horse. And the place where we stayed there in the countryside by the crag, La Bhu Saleh, was a magical place built in Thai style, decorated with original art work, and owned and operated by sweet and gentle Thai people. We loved it.

Chiang Mai and its environs treated us well and am sad to leave. But I am sure Myanmar (Burma) will be another new and interesting adventure. Onward.

 

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