Guangzhou Dissapointment, Ups and Downs of Chiang Mai

Statue of the 5 goats Guangzhou, China

I have finally started my month long vacation for Chinese New Year.  My first stop was Guangzhou, China.   For those of you who don't know, Guangzhou is the 3rd largest city in mainland China.  It is a huge international city and for many years it was one of the big ports.  It is on the same river delta that Hong Kong and Macau are on.  It is a huge bustling surprisingly western Chinese city.  It is pretty clean, and there is a subway system that makes someone from a city like Changsha cry with envy.  So simple and easy to understand.  The first day I was there was heaven, it was warm but not too warm.  After the freezing cold of Changsha I was rocking a t-shirt.  I met up with Dave before his train and walked around, we got some noodles at a nearby stand and were shocked at the lack of Lajiao (spice).  Then I ran off to meet Alyssa and Jack.  We went to the large shopping center called "T-mall."  We grabbed some expensive, not very good, Dim sum.  Then went to the top to the arcade.  We didn't last very long.  After a last minute run to the passport shop to get pictures for Jack.  They ran off to catch their flight and I was on my own.
All of that good fun balanced out the beginning of my trip.  I lost my handwritten itinerary and broke my purse all in the first 3 hours of my trip.  Not a good start.  Well after that first day it got worse.  The weather took a turn for the worse and started to become extremely reminiscent of Changsha.  It poured and froze, I got food poisoning and spent a day in the hostel reading two of the four books I brought with me on vacation.  Needless to say when it was time to go to Thailand I felt like a broken woman and not at all like one who was on vacation.  I stayed optimistic and bounced my way to the airport, and took at 1:30am flight to
Thailand.  Instead of the 12 hour train ride to Chiang Mai, I blew off my ticket and treated me to an air plane ticket.  I arrived in Chiang Mai and started a much better trip.

I arrived at about 8pm at the Spicythai backpacker hostel, after the hostile greeting I recieved in Guangzhou I was worried.  But I was welcomed and patiently shown around.  People were just waking up and getting ready for many of the adventures that Chiang Mai has to offer.  I walked into my room, and couldn't help but be amazed how nice it was.  The beds are soft and the rooms are homey.  The owners are the type to invite you out to places and call the different trips and arrange for rides.  The other people here are like the extended family I never knew I had.  They are all different, all interesting, and all so kind.  I have never felt more like I belong.  Even now as I write this blog post I cannot imagine leaving Chiang Mai and this hostel.  Chiang Mai may not have a subway system, but its system of tuk tuks and red cabs is pretty darned useful.  The red cabs are trucks with seats in the back.  You flag the driver and tell him where you are going, if he is headed in that direction he will pick you up.  You zoom around the city in the back seat of a truck, and it stops to pick up other people going in the same direction.  It is 20 baht for anywhere in the downtown area.  Tuk tuks are motorcycle taxis with a seat bolted on the back that can fit 2-3 people.  You have to bargain with these guys and they drive like maniacs.  It is both thrilling and terrifying.  Cars here stay in their lanes, but motorbikes and Tuk tuks zoom all over!

A wat in Chiang Mai

But walking around this town I saw tons of Wats (temples), each different decked in gold and mirrors.  The beauty in each temple and the intricacy is just impressive.  People were so nice, the ice tea's were amazing.  When I arrived back my friend Gang was at the temple.  We have been eating our way through Chiang Mai ever since!

Ups:
Saturday:
Wat Walk (alone)
Met Gang
Saturday Market, Market snacks for dinner (spicy, salty and sweet)

Sunday:
Thai Cooking class.  We made a variety of dishes!  I made Pad Thai, Hot and Sour Chicken Soup, Panaag(sp?) Curry, Panaag Curry Paste, Mango and sticky rice and papaya salad.  Then we got to eat it all.  This was an all day affair that included a bike ride through the country side and stops at a farm to pick some of the ingredients!
Dinner that night was at the Sunday Night Market and included Koy Soy (a northern specialty). We also met up with a friend of a friend.  Ralph was very nice and showed us where the best food was.

Monday:
Wat Walk and the beginning of our dragon eating dragon contest
Lunch with Ralph
Rented a motorbike, drove up to Doi Suthep (a temple on the top of the mountain), climbed a bunch of stairs.
Bowling and street food with Noom (owner of the hostel) and other people.

Tuesday:
Elephants!
Fun evening with organic vegetable dinner, delicious cake at a place called iberry.  (odd to think that it has been 5 months since I have had decent chocolate cake)  Then Thai massage, pretty painful...

Downs then the ups that followed:
Tuesday: Camera got wet, stopped working...Today it started working again as I tried to demonstrate to the people in the camera store what wasn't working.

Lost a filling when I was flossing of all things.  Got it fixed this morning for 1,050 baht!  Felt legit and feels so much better now!!  Plus my red cab driver could speak a bit of English and we had a whole conversation in broken English.

For now that is my trip!  I leave tomorrow for Khao Yai National park!  I am having so much fun.  I might skip Chinese New Year and stay in SE Asia a bit longer!!