Round About Chiang Mai

Lizzie and I did a fair bit of running around today in preparation for both of our departures from Chiang Main in two day's time. Riding along on the back of the motorcycle is a great way to catch some shots of the city.

The first shot is a songtaew - a typical mode of transportation in Chiang Mai. They are a cross between a taxi and a shuttle bus. As you can see, there is no wasted space on the popular runs.


You might recognize the scene in this next shot. It's in the local fresh market that appeared earlier in this blog. I like this shot in particular because it's in keeping with the transportation theme and because I buy fruit from the woman facing the camera almost daily. Here you see the most common form of transportation for moving "stuff", a motorcycle with a sidecar cage. Often you'll see them complete with a cover or umbrella for shade. Or you'll see an entire mobile restaurant.


Lizzie's Thai wasn't up to the translation necessary to figure out exactly what sort of shrine this is, but the cows were hard to pass up. 

Chiang Mai People: Lanna Food, Bread and Traffic

I have had an opportunity to meet several of Lizzie's Thai friends. All of them are welcoming, warm and eager (if somewhat tentative) to practice their english. One friend, Noi, has gone above and beyond for this farang tourist and has taken special interest in introducing me to Chiang Mai.

Noi, Tom and Lizzie spend Tuesday and Thursday evenings together in "art class". Tom is a very talented painter and tutors Lizzie and Noi. Last Tuesday Noi asked Lizzie, "Has Krista had real Lanna food?" To which Lizzie responded no. "Well she should. I'll bring Lanna food next week."

I should note that modern Thailand is a collection of former kingdoms, principalities and ethnic groups. Lanna is the name of the former kingdom surrounding Chiang Mai which is in northern Thailand and has a culture distinct from southern Thailand (around Bangkok).

The following week, painting was put aside in favor of Lanna cuisine. Noi brought spicy local sausage, something akin to green chilli salsa, a mildish red curry, pork rinds, ground pork with spices and sticky rice.

I was feeling a bit cocky since I'd been eating Thai food without too much pain. Perhaps I failed to mention how spicy Thai food is. In Thailand they don't ask you, "How spicy would you like it?" They assume a minimum of spiciness. That minimum can pretty much knock your socks off. At any rate, I was feeling a bit over confident. Actually I did fine with everything until I dipped into the green chili dish for the second round. My first round I had patiently removed all of the seeds. On my second go I wasn't so careful. And I paid the price. It wasn't just the spiciness. It was the persistence. Even the nice bland sticky rice failed to cut the searing sensation. Ultimately, I took a trip to the 7-11 (yep, they're all over Thailand) for a nice, big, cool, bottle of beer. The beer definitely improved my lot in life.

I also got my first taste of Thai social order. (Julie should get a kick out of this.) Noi was insistent that she do the dishes. (As most of you know doing the dishes is kind of my thing.) Noi would have none of it. When I pressed she said, "No. No. You are older. I will do the dishes." I have to admit I was a little taken aback by this line of reasoning. Particularly since it didn't feel all that complimentary that she would point out my seniority. It's not as if she's a teenager - she's thirty. I couldn't even think of a quick come back. Hrumph.

My next outing with Noi was also culinary in nature - but much more tame. She invited me to join her and her four neices and nephew for bread and milk. On the phone as she invited me I thought we must have been having a translation problem. While I was happy to go grocery shopping, I just couldn't see how buying bread and milk would be a fun outing for the kids. Still, for me, everything in Chiang Mai is an adventure and I wasn't about to turn this one down.

As it turns out we actually did go out for bread and milk. There are chains in Thailand (think Baskin Robbins-esque) that sell toast with toppings and milk. Cinamon toast or toast with sweetened (condensed?) milk are treats that the kids love. And the milk was plain cow's milk with a ~lot~ of sugar. I enjoyed the toast and watching the kids - ages ranging from 12 years to 16 months - was a kick.

We were travelling in Noi's pick up truck. Noi and I in the cab and the kids in back. The Thais have a very different take on safety and liability than the Americans. After two and a half weeks here, I'm beginning to think that Americans are a little over the top and paranoid about safety...but then again...

After we dropped the kids off Noi drove in search of a dinner spot. Up to this point I'd been experiencing Chiang Mai traffic from the perspective of a motorcycle. I'd ridden briefly in a car, but it had been a very small car and I was in the back seat. Noi was driving a truck, it was night time, the traffic was fairly heavy and I was in the front seat as a passenger. It seems irrational but at that moment, a motorcycle seemed a much safer alternative.

I have to admit cringing inadvertently on several occaisions. It was unclear to me whether Noi was intentionally pulling into the next lane or just drifting there. Noi caught me white knuckling it and she said, "Don't worry, Krissa. I have license!" and my favorite comment to date, after my second or third cringe, Noi reassuringly and proudly pronouncd, "Don't worry! I am Chiang Mai people!"

Now here is the miracle of traffic in Chiang Mai. Speeds rarely exceed 35 or 40 miles and hour. Drivers seem only aware/responsible for the road directly ahead of them - nothing to the right or left or behind them. There seem to have an uncanny faith that everyone behind them is looking out for their best interests; so much so that I've seen turning vehicles completely ignore oncoming traffic. And if you can't quite find an opening in the traffic for that right hand turn (Thai's drive on the left side of the road), just pull your vehicle out into traffic and wave in a friendly way. Somehow traffic gives way, no one gets hurt and road rage never seems to enter the picture.

Don't worry. They are Chiang Mai people!

Mae Rim Loop

A couple of days ago Lizzie and I took a swing around the mountains on our motorbikes. It's about an 80 km loop and mercifully, it's cooler out of the city. The riding was really fun - twisty, hilly with lots of switch backs. I'm quite sure it would have been torturous in a car, but on motorbikes it was a blast.

The storytelling highlight of the trip was definitely the elephant camp. I'm not really one for tourist attractions, but who can resist elephants - and a baby elephant at that. We were treated to a baby elephant viewing,
an elephant ride and an elephant show complete
with elephant painting (yes, they paint quite well), soccer playing and log moving demonstrations.

Lizzie and I got a big chuckle out of the elephant ride. The elephant escorting us was quite a character. He was 48 years old and it was clear that he'd been around the block. He wasn't about to let a couple of tourists or the mahout get the better of him - or his agenda which included regular trail-side snacking and avoidance of direct sunlight. After the second or third bit of snacking the mahout gave up trying to disuade the elephant and let him root around until he'd grab a nice green vine. ~Then~ the mahout would encourage our steed forward.

The shade preference was more challenging. The elephant would lumber along at a leisurely pace until the exact moment that he arrived at the edge of the shade. At which point he would park himself. Only the persistent exhortation of the mahout had any effect on the elephant. But hey, at 48 years, we figured the elephant had earned to privilege of thumbing his trunk at a couple of farang (foreigners).


I tried to get a shot from the back of the elephant to give you a sense of the ride. The perspective seems a bit off though. As you experience it, the ride seems much further from the ground. Imagine yourself roughly a story above the ground on a platform that shifts consistently but somewhat precipitously from left to right. Oh, and keep in mind that if an elephant decides to do something that you don't really want him to do...well you're just gonna have to hang on and go with it.






This last shot is a view of the valley as we were heading back into Chiang Mai. I really wish I were more of a photographer. This image is reallly only a suggestion of the actual view. 

Wat U Mong

I visited Wat U Mong - another Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai two days ago. It was very different from Doi Suthep. It was much more rustic, appeared to be less well endowed than Doi Suthep and appeared to support more actual Buddhist practice. I'm not sure if Wat U Mong is older or just less well maintained but it seemed ancient in a way that Doi Suthep did not. I'll share some photos with you and perhaps you'll be able to see what I mean.

The first dude pictured here, guards the temple.











Sitting at the base of the dragon, I found an oddly out of place nose. I couldn't resist snapping a shot of it. Perhaps you can draw some meaning from a disembodied nose resting at the foot of a dragon guarding a temple.















Like Doi Suthep, Wat U Mong has a stupa which is home to a buddhist relic. I liked the juxtaposition of the stupa with the brilliant orange and yellow wrap.












I did not find a lushly decorated hall housing multiple golden Buddhas at Wat U Mong, but I did find an interesting representation of the Buddha in his early years - when he was experimenting with asceticism.



I also met two young Buddhist monks eager to practice their English and get reassurance that they have an ~American~ accent. After a brief chat with one of them the conversation seemed to take an interesting turn.

He asked, "Are you married?"
"No."
"Boyfriend?"
"No."
"Why not?"

....hrrmmm...not really a discussion I want to have with a young Buddhist monk in the heat of the day in Thailand...
"Uh, I'm actually going through a break up."
"Ah, well, you should let me help you with meditation. It is very good for helping pain. Let me give you my phone number so that you can call me."

At this point, I have to admit I was more amused than anything. It's quite odd to be quasi-propositioned by a 20-something monk. I gave him Lizzie's cell phone number and that seemed tomake him happy ;-)

The Local Market

The local market near Elizabeth's place is a lot like the Pike Place Market in Seattle - smaller because it is actually more a local market than a tourist attraction - but just as jam packed with everything you can imagine from flip flops to clothing, to pots and pans and food of all varieties.
The culinary delights are hard to cover: barbecued chicken and pork, sticky rice, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit sliced to order by women who wield large knives and manage, incredibly, not to lose their fingers as they gut a pineapple just for you.

You can buy fish - smoked, fried, or still swimming.
I have also heard that the sticky rice, mango and coconut milk treat is to die for. I didn't spot it yesterday because I wasn't sure what I was looking for. I'll head back in search of it later today. 

Food Glorious Food

I haven't written about food yet, because I'm not sure where to start. I can say that I
have not been disappointed by anything that I've tried in Thailand. (Ok, well the snack on
my flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai wasn't all that great, but then not much would be after 20 hours of travel ;-)

With the exception of tea and muesli for breakfast, we've taken all of our meals out.
Frankly, given the amazing food to be had at prices that are almost criminal ($.50 for
lunch, maybe $1 for dinner), it's hard to imagine why anyone would cook. Let me
rephrase, it's hard to imagine why anyone with my paltry cooking skills would attempt to
do so.
Elizabeth has a favorite lunch spot. I've decided that the proprietor there, a woman who appears to be in her thirties and works constantly, makes my favorite dish so far - green curry - mmmmm. In Thai it's gang quiowan gai
(curry green chicken).
It's incredibly fresh with spices that would make Robert proud (and have me sweating and reaching for the tissue to staunch my runny nose) and fresh basil that would meet with the approval of my Kobe relatives. It comes with chicken and mushroom and a vegetable I haven't quite been able to identify. It's small and round (maybe the size of a small lime), and tastes like a cross between zuchini and eggplant. Anybody have any ideas on that one?

I've included a picture here. I wish it more adequately conveyed the heavenly taste. I've also included a shot of the fresh vegetables available at the local market.

More Chiang Mai Dogs

I thought I should share some more shots of Chiang Mai dogs. I really can't do the whole lot justice...

And I still haven't met the dog who took my shoe, but here are some other dogs with whom I've become a bit acquainted. Perhaps that's a bit of an overstatement. Dogs in Chiang Mai are not quite as sociable as most dogs in the states. In fact this little white guy was snoozing at Wat U Mong and could barely be bothered to lift his head in greeting. Not hard to forgive though, it was one hot day.

These other pups were frolicking next to a
pond that I stumbled on after missing my turn
to the Wat. The guide book indicated that the turn was well marked, but failed to mention that it was only marked in Thai. That fact combined with the fact that it's often difficult to dinstinguish actual roads from alleys delayed my finding the Wat by about an hour. But no loss, just riding along a busy road in Chiang Mai is engaging. Besides, if I'd been able to read Thai I would have missed the pond and the puppies.

Chiang Mai Dogs

I haven't yet written about the dogs in Chiang Mai. But an experience last night has encouraged me to do so. I was at a gathering of a couple of Elizabeth's friends. As is customary we had all removed our shoes and left them outside the front door in the breezeway. We decided at some point to leave the house in search of dinner. As we did so and the rows of shoes diminished it became quite clear that only one of my shoes remained in the breezeway.

"Uhhhmmm..." I said quietly, "I think I'm missing a shoe." Elizabeth confirmed my suspicions and Laurie, our host, said, "Oh those damn dogs!"

"Don't worry," he reassured me, "my next door neighbor's dogs steal shoes all the time. She'll see it in her yard in the morning and return it." And I was reassured, mostly. Except that it was not yet morning and would not be for quite some time. I was wondering how'd I'd manage with only one shoe until then.

"Don't worry," said Laurie, "You can borrow a pair of mine." Quite nice of him and an almost perfect solution except that he's about six feet tall and probably wears a size 10 shoe. Still, a his pair of size 10 flops beat the heck out of my one size 7 shoe. So I gamely slipped my feet and shuffled towards my motorcycle.

His neighbor did, in fact, under cover of morning return my shoe and I'm happily once again shod in Chiang Mai.

I mention this story for two reasons - the first is that dogs are everywhere in Chiang Mai. I don't think "leash law" is a thought that has occurred to anyone. In fact, it's not clear to me whether most of the dogs actually "belong" to anyone, but somehow they manage and Chiang Mai manages to work with and around them. Clearly some dogs are better cared for than others as Laurie's neighbor seems quite indulgent, but it's not unusual to see a dog crossing the street at his leisure and all of the traffic waiting or weaving patiently.

The other reason I mention this story is an interesting Thai attitude caught in the common phrase, "mai pen rai". There is no direct translation into english, but it's roughly a combination of "don't worry", "nevermind", "it's ok" and "hey, that's life". Laurie seemed totally unphased that my shoe went missing and he assumed that I wouldn't mind much either. Mai pen rai.

And well, he was right.

PS - The dog in this photo is not the dog who absconded with my shoe. That dog did so anonymously and under cover of night. This dog just happened to be a Chiang Mai dog conveniently and photogenically available and the Night Bazaar tonight.

According to legend the king put the Buddha relic on a white elephant (considered holy) and released to him to find the site for the temple. The elephant climbed the mountain Doi Suteph and died. That is the spot where the king built the temple. 

You have to walk up a few steps to get to the temple at Doi Suthep.

Doi Suthep stupa, which houses the Buddha relic.

Doi Suthep Main Buddha, Elizabeth and I were blessed by a monk in this alcove.

Buddha poses 

Doi Suthep Standing Buddha

Gotta love the caption on this dragon, eh? 

This is a real elephant living at Doi Suthep.

The garden is quite nice at Doi Suthep.

An early shot on the course. The sun was still low, but it's also very hazy around Chiang Mai because slash and burn is still a very common practice. 

This is a barn. If you look very closely you can see the tail end of a few cattle ;-) 

I followed along this morning as Tim and Elizabeth played golf. The new golf course was nestled up against farmland and a village so I managed to snap a few shots...more pix to come... 

Going Mobile and Some Chiang Mai Observations

I thought I ought to post something so as not to lose your interest. I’ve been delaying a post until I had some photos, but uh, I’ve had some technical difficulties (the type that can be categorized as user error), so I’ll be doing some photographic catch up and hope to have something visually appealing posted by tomorrow.

In the mean time I’m happy to report that I’m mobile. I took the plunge and rented a motorbike this weekend – fully automatic, 125cc, enough so that Lizzie and I can motor around together. I spent Saturday and Sunday become acclimated to traffic by following Lizzie through the town. Today I took my first solo jaunt to the “700 Year Stadium” and the 50 meter pool! Probably not exciting for you guys, but very exciting for me. Between feeling like a 16 year old who'd moved from learner's permit to the freedom of a real license and getting to swim in a 50 meter pool, I was a pretty happy camper.

I can now confirm with personal certainty that yes, 50 meters is more than 25 yards. In fact, it’s over twice 25 yards. I won’t bore you with all the details of my swim. Suffice it to say I managed to squeeze in a good workout in well under my normal number of laps while wondering on more than one occaision, "Are we there yet? Isn't the end of the pool around here somewhere?!". Lucky for me I wrapped up my swim just as 50 8-15 year old summer camp Thai boys joined me in the possibly the only cool place in Chiang Mai.

I can also report that it’s damned hot here. Hot enough that on the four lane divided road back to town, I experienced hot as I never have before. The only time in my life I can recall that kind of hot is on a windy night standing next to a raging bonfire. The phrase “hotter than hell” has new meaning for me.

And speaking of hot, I heard that Seattle had snow flurries a couple of days ago. In the spirit of celebrating diversity I thought I’d provide a completely subjective and somewhat arbitrary list of other ways that Seattle and Chiang Mai differ:

• The cockroaches here are huge. Did I mention that there are cockroaches? (Photo to come.) The good news is that they seem to congregate exclusively in the kitchen and are almost large enough to think of more as pets than as vermin.

• You often find that in lieu of paper, toilets are outfitted with sprayer hoses – the kind that you might find at the kitchen sink in Seattle homes. On the whole, it seems a more sanitary approach to personal hygiene, but I’m not sure about drip drying when the uninitiated risk soaking themselves entirely. You know how damned difficult it is to get those sprayers aimed appropriately and at the right pressure. (I’m sure the locals get a kick out of farang – foreigners' – misuse of the plumbing!)

• Straws come with every drink. I have asked Thai people why this is the case (more than one actually) and none of them can tell me why but they all confirm that straws are ubiquitous in Thailand.

• You also get a small plastic bag with absolutely everything you purchase. My most frequent purchase to date is water. Without fail I am handed a bottle of water and a straw in the plastic bag. However, in this case I believe I have cracked the code. In a place where almost everyone rides a motorbike, it makes sense to provide a sack so that what you’ve purchased can be hung on the hook that sits centered below the handle bars on the bike. It must be designed for this purpose.

• The scent of jasmine. What else is there to say? The scent of jasmine is amazing and it hits you when you least expect it: walking along the street or riding through town or on the hotter than hell divided road coming home from the pool. It’s almost impossible to avoid a feeling of relaxation when you smell the scent of jasmine.
  
  
• Massages - I haven’t yet experienced a Thai massage. I’m a little worried about that, but I did have an “oil” massage. I thought that it would be gentler than a traditional Thai massage and indeed it was. But in Chiang Mai, unlike in Seattle, everything is massaged. I mean everything (with the exception of your southern private parts and your armpits). That said, the masseuse was both talented and very respectful. The experience was akin a cathartic ritual or ceremony and in that context I did not feel uncomfortable or too exposed.

Got to head to bed, I've gotten accustomed to hitting the hay early so that I can enjoy the cooler part of the day - 5:30 am.

K

Krista meets Buddha

Elizabeth’s primary means of support in Chiang Mai is teaching English. So I have had the opportunity to assist with several classes and meet many of her students.

On my first day of assisting I joined the class at the local Buddhist university – Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya. (Uh huh. Try saying that three times fast!) I’m not sure if it’s widely known by my friends reading this blog, but Thailand is a Buddhist country. I knew this because I’d read up on the culture, but for me it’s still a little surprising to see Buddhist monks in saffron robes in the airport, walking through town or taking a songtaew. (A songtaew is another form of “public” transportation here. They are red pick up trucks outfitted with covers and benches in the bed. They function like a group taxi or shuttle.)

At any rate, before the class, Elizabeth prepped me:

- Don’t touch the monks. Women are not allowed to touch monks (who are all male).

- Don’t cross your legs in front of monks and whatever you do…

- Don’t point your feet at any of the monks or put them anywhere but on the floor. (Feet are considered unclean.)

I figured I wouldn’t have much problem with the first rule, but as most of you know, I’m not particularly dainty in the way that I sit and as an unconscious habit I tend to cross my legs and prop myself up with my feet. Hrmmm….I’d definitely have to concentrate.

The class was a prep for the final exam which would be oral interpretation of passage in English read out loud. We sat in groups of three: the native English speaker reading the passage, one of the monks listening and interpreting in Thai and one of the monks “scoring” the interpretation. I can tell you that reading through paragraphs multiple times that start with, “On an island off the coast of Tasmania,” and end with, “eagles and penguins” in a room in the heat of the afternoon, cooled only by ceiling fans, really put my resistance to jet lag to the test.

However, I found the mix of monks fascinating and the “rules” a little amusing considering that these were a group of early twenty-something boys. Elizabeth explained that for many, young, rural Thai boys, joining the monkhood may be their only option for gaining an education. It was clear that many of the monks were devout, but some of them also had more than a hint of naughty-parochial-school student air to them. Except, of course, that they were in no way aggressive. It was more that they choose to distinguish themselves in the way that they wear their robes.

I also noticed the requisite cross-section of queer folks. For that segment the naughty catholic school girl image was really apropos. It was an interesting and very complicated bit of culture shock (although shock is too strong a word) for me in that it mixed Thai/American, Judeo-Christian/Buddhist, and gender identification all in one. Fascinating.

Without exception, however, every monk behaved with respect and sincere graciousness when interacting with either Elizabeth or me. I am relieved to report that I managed to avoid inadvertently insulting them. (I did unconsciously cross my legs. Luckily I was sitting behind a desk ;-)

First Evening in Chiang Mai

I’ve been avoiding posting more to this blog until I figured out how to include images. Now I’ve decided you will just have to wait for that while I catch up with catching up. Since there’s so much to catch up on I think I’ll opt for function over form, so here’re some bullet points that comprise my first impressions and experiences in Chiang Mai:

Elizabeth met me at the airport and I immediately got my first taste of Chiang Mai in our mode of transport from the airport: a TukTuk. Think three-wheeled, open air golf cart but with a front and back seat and a motorcycle engine. The driver sits in the front (actually straddles the gear shift) and the passengers sit in the back. Considering the heat (about 95 F), I was quite happy to travel open air. Although it was a bit like a Bikram yoga session – lots of hot wind J

In addition to the immediate environ of the TukTuk, I was quickly exposed to the phenomenon of negotiating Chiang Mai traffic. Honestly, it’s nothing short of miraculous: cars, TukTuks, and motorcycles all vying for various parts of the road. I mention “various parts of the road” because it appears that only cars really seem to abide by the lane markings. All other vehicles seem to merge at will – often for motorcycles several abreast. (Oh and if you happened to be a pedestrian: Toto we ain't in Seattle anymore. Get ready for a game of Frogger to get across the road!) I white knuckled it a bit until I realized that the traffic rarely moves at over 35 or 40 miles per hour. Suffice it to say, we made it to Elizabeth’s house in one piece.

Elizabeth lives in a centrally located and spacious town house complete with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, solid teak floors, a maid who lives next door, small gecko like house lizards who take care of the mosquitoes, and a vociferous but friendly black, female house cat named Norman.

After dark and a bit of cooling off, Elizabeth decided to take me on a brief tour of the town on the back of her motorcycle. I have to say that riding on the back of a motorcycle in Chiang Mai traffic is even more “interesting” thank in a TukTuk. After an initial bout of anxiety (and poor balance) I opted to “just let go” – both figuratively and literally. I found that balancing on the back of a motorcycle is infinitely easier if you’re not gripping the handles for dear life. Besides, once you see a family of four cruising on a motorcycle with hardly a care in the world, it’s hard not to let your ego goad you into a more graceful approach to motorcycle passengering ;-) By day two I was comfortable enough to carry Elizabeth’s golf clubs on the way to the course.

Besides dinner – Thai noodle soup, much like Vietnamese Pho, from a street vendor – the highlight of the evening was stopping at a local park to watch a pickup game of Takraw. Takraw is a local sport that is like three-person volleyball except it’s played exclusively with your feet on a court the size of a doubles badminton court with a smaller plastic or rattan ball. These guys had incredible moves. They managed to “spike” (I mean really spike) balls that were set above their heads. Not really impressive until you envision them doing this with their feet – and managing to land back on their feet. Here’s a link to some images so you can check out what I mean.

Ok, that’s it for now. In my next installment, I’ll cover teaching English to a class of Buddhist monks.

Day 1.5: Hello from Chiang Mai

I managed to survive the 20-something hour travel time and have made it here in one piece, in sound mind and body more or less.

Actually the trek was pretty darn pleasant. I heartily recommend EVA Air: nice comfy reclining seats and good food. (The movies weren't bad either.)

Here's the route I took:

- Seattle (2:55 am PST) ----> Taipei, Taiwan (14 hours)
- Taipei, Taiwan -----------> Bangkok, Thailand (4 hours)
- Bangkok, Thailand--------> Chiang Mai, Thailand (3 hour layover + 1.5 hour flight)

I would have to say it was smooth sailing all the way through to Bangkok (at approximately hour 19 of travelling). It's that last leg that'll kill ya ;-)

I had to wait for several hours in Bangkok before I could fly out to Chiang Mai. I almost gave the Thai air folks at the desk a piece of my mind when we hadn't even begun boarding at 15:25 - which was our departure time. I kept talking myself down, reminding myself that expression of frustration or anger is very un-Thai-like.

Let me tell you, I was glad that I did. It took me about ten minutes on the flight to realize that I had missed an hour somewhere in my travels. While my watch indicated an hour delay, we were actually right on time. DOH! Glad I kept my mouth shut.

More on my first evening in Chiang Mai in a few...