I wouldn't consider myself a "big city" person. I'm definitely a "mid-sized city" person. The most recent cities in which I've lived are Tallahassee (pop. 197,000), Athens, GA (pop. 127,000), and Salt Lake City, UT (pop. 200,000). I've loved all three. Athens was close enough to Atlanta to have access to a real airport and professional sports, and Tallahassee was close to manatees. SLC's access to outdoor recreation is pretty unparalleled, and while I was *convinced* that Utah had the highest number of Arby's based on population per restaurant, I was shocked to find out it didn't even crack the top 10 states. (Source)
But despite my incorrect Arby's assumptions, I still think SLC is pretty great. Sorry, Barkley and Shaq, you're wrong.
In the USA, Washington D.C. is the only "big city" that I genuinely enjoy, and I think it's because it's pretty navigable by bike or public transportation. And there's lots of green space and things to do. New York would be on the opposite end of the spectrum (sorry, Harry and Maggie!). I haven't been back to New York in about 15 years, so maybe now that I'm a more competent/confident traveler I'd like it more, but the few times I visited NYC in 2008 when I was working for the airlines, I...didn't love it. I do have a fun entry about my first time in New York if you want to know what 22-year-old-completely-oblivious-traveler-me was like.
That was a long-winded intro to basically say that I love Chiang Mai.
I think in my last entry about Chiang Mai, I gave some brief facts about the city, but just in case you *forgot* to read that entry, Chiang Mai is the second-largest city in Thailand (city municipality pop. 127,000; 1.2 million surrounding area) behind Bangkok (pop. 11 million). So, the city municipality population puts it squarely in the "mid size" city category, and there are things to do that fit anyone's interests: outdoor activities, shopping, museums, arts & culture, etc.
On our last two days, Han and I put out a ton of optional activities and excursions for folks to do. When we got to the hotel, we couldn't check in yet so Han and I immediately set out on foot (no student takers unfortunately) to have lunch at a roadside Khao Soi restaurant in the old city that was recommended to us last year by one of the drivers. I learned that "Khao Soi Khun Yai" roughly translates to "Grandma's Chiang Mai Noodle." It was 120 baht for the two of us, which is a little less than $3.50 USD.
Khao Soi Khun Yai
After lunch, we took a songthaew back to the hotel to check in, and a group of students and I hopped back in the van to visit the
Alpine Outpost, one of two climbing gyms in Chiang Mai. It's the smaller of the gyms in Chiang Mai, almost exclusively bouldering, but it's in this really cool indoor/outdoor covered complex and is a little quieter/less crowded than the other gym. Granted, I haven't visited the other gym and would love to do so at some point on a future trip. It also looks cool. From an ease-of-entry standpoint, having our group boulder rather than faffing about with a top-rope belay clinic saved our group time and money on equipment.
The gym had undergone a pretty significant expansion since I was last there a year before--the expansions were super cool! It was the same staff member working the wall that was there in 2022, so it was cool to reconnect with him. The students seemed to have a great time, but I will say that this is a HARD wall for beginner and intermediate climbers. Lots of overhung panels, high top-outs, and not a lot of footholds. That said, one of the setters was working while we were there, and he hung out with our group for a little while giving us beta (instructions) on a route and was super supportive. Very fun!
The next morning (today), one adventurous group of students reserved a guided kayaking tour I think (?) on the Mae Ping River (I'll check with them when they get back this evening), while another group of students joined Han, Noi, Lek, the drivers, and I at the Wororot Market in Chinatown. This market is mostly Thai locals and has everything from clothing to consumable goods to gold. It also has a very cool yarn/embroidery shop, so we stocked up on thread before we go to Ban Nam Hom this week.
Look at all that thread!
Careful deliberations
Enjoying some smoothies at the Wororot Market
After leaving the market, a few students and I walked to the Chiang Mai Culture and Arts Center. I have a pretty extensive post from 2022 about this Center so
I'll link it here. It was a highlight of last year's trip and it was definitely a highlight of this year's trip. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the students at the Center today.
Remains of tools from the spirit cave
More information on the Inthakin festival that we attended last week
We learned about a coronation ritual where the royal party was preceded by a man and a black dog. If the dog barked upon entering the city, it indicated that there were evil spirits present and the coronation would be postponed.
Afterward, the students suggested eating lunch at Tong Tem Toh (my favorite), so I didn't argue with that!
The rest of the day is "Treat Yo'self Saturday," so I enjoyed the hotel pool and sauna for a little while before Masami and I got Thai massages at my
favorite massage parlor, The Artist Spa. It was absolutely dumping buckets when Masami and I left our massages.
This picture really doesn't illustrate how deep the rainwater was on the roads
That's pretty much it for Chiang Mai. Tomorrow, we leave for Lampang and Mae Sot before spending 3 days in Ban Nam Hom. I'll try and update tomorrow from Mae Sot, but wifi/electricity is questionable in Ban Nam Hom, so if I don't update tomorrow, it might not be until June 1 until I post again. Until then, cheers!
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