Divanun Guide/ Chiang Mai & Pai

September 27, 2018 Ceraun Loggins

Historical

Chaing Mai

Wats
- Wat Chedi Luang
- Wat Sri Sutphan
- Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
Tha Phae Gate

Pai

Pai World War II Memorial Bridge
Wat Phra That Mae Yen: Temple of the White Buddha, huge buddha statue up a hill consisting of 250 steps

Cultural

Chaing Mai

Loi Krathong Festival
Elephant Sanctuary: There are many to choose from just make sure they are ethical and do not involve riding the elephants.
Songkran: a water festival that happens all around Thailand

Food

Chaing Mai

Khao Soi
Night Markets
Rustic & Blue
MIxology
The Riverside Bar & Restaurant-

Pai

Om Garden Cafe
Pai Walking Street

Miscellaneous

Chiang Mai

Thailand Wow Guest House: The only hostel I will stay at in Chiang Mai. Kai the hostel manager is so kind and sweet and he really gives his backpackers 110%
There are cheap red tuk tuk’s that will take you all across the city for a fair price
Inside of the moat is the older stuff but once you go outside the moat especially to the West you will find a more upscale area with all the digital nomads.

Pai

I stayed at Pai Circus Hostel which I would do again only if I stayed in one of the private bungalows.
If you get motion sick easy then you have to fly into the airport because the road is not a Joke.
You pretty much have to either rent a bike or ride on the back of one to see all the beautiful sights and nature in the area.

Wat's of Chiang Mai

September 25, 2018 Ceraun Loggins

Chiang Mai is a city of wat's the name for Buddhist and Hindu temples in Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. The word wat is borrowed from Sanskrit and means enclosure. There are so many different temples to see here some are high up in the mountain others are hidden down small alleys and but most are on proud display at the intersection of big streets. It can often feel overwhelming to decide to which temples to go to because you don't want to get burnt out by seeing 4 temples everyday but you also want to take in all their beauty. The two temples I chose to visit before I head for the south was Wat Chedi Luang which is a temple in the middle of the city and has deep historical value and Wat Sri Suphan which is a temple made of silver.

Wat Chedi Luang started construction in the 14th century. However, it wasn't until the 16th century that it was finished. The grounds were originally composed of 3 smaller temples. A powerful earthquake destroyed the main stupa, a mound-like structure that holds Buddhist relics and is used as a site of meditation, and it presently sits in a state of beautiful destruction. The rest of the grounds is still in tack and full of beautiful little details and statues. In one of the rooms, the walls and ceilings are all decorated with a detailed story of gods and monsters from Thai mythology.

Hands down the most beautiful temple I've seen in my life was Wat Sri Suphan. It was originally built in the 1500's as the main temple for the silversmith village. The temple itself was built and rebuilt so many times over the years but it wasn't until the early 2000's that it was covered in a mixture of aluminum, silver, and zinc. In the sunlight the entire temple shines so magnificiently, I could stare for hours.

Unfortunately, women are not allowed in the temple due to the idea that either they will be corrupted or they will corrupt the holy objects buried 500 years ago. But there is more to see then just the temple on these grounds. From 5:30-9pm Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays you can chat with monks about whatever you want to. As well on Saturdays there is a big market that radiates from the temple. Though, its not as big as the Sunday market.

Chiang Mai has so many Wat’s to choose from you really can’t go wrong, next time I visit I want to go to the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep which is located in the mountains overlooking Chiang Mai. But whatever you do remember that you don’t have to see everything just because you are traveling. Its ok to take some time and be picky otherwise you will exhaust yourself and won’t find any enjoyment in the sights that you do see. Traveling long term is always about striking the right balance! Subscribe below so you never miss an addition to the Archive!

Siam Rice Cooking School

August 31, 2018 Ceraun Loggins

As we ground the ingredients pictured above with a mortar and pestle. Our instructor stated that you can tell a lot about how someone makes love by how they make curry paste. She said that people who pound the mortar and pestle together harder are better in bed and as she said this everyone increased their pace as a smile slowly spread across their face. Back from my adventure in Pai, this cooking class in Chiang Mai was a great way to recenter myself in my body after an amazing trip. Even better I was doing it with my friend Rika whom I had originally met in Bangkok. She was like the mother of our travel group and it felt right to be spending my last days in the north with her. I would have never gotten to experience the magic of Loi Krathong if it wasn't for the initial seed that she planted and the community she brought along the way.

The morning started with a trip to the local market. The city that unfolded before me from the back of our tuk tuk was a familiar one. There's so much beauty in familiarity. There's some irony in the fact that while traveling I'm most happy when I feel a familiarity in an unfamiliar place. The tuk tuk stopped to pick up a couple more people before we got to the market. Our guide lead us down concrete floors lined with tables filled with bright colors. She stopped in front of one covered with bright green herbs. She began to explain the three types of basil used in Thai cuisine: thai basil, holy basil, and lemon basil. We smelled each one and got a sense of the different notes they contained. She then showed us the difference between ginger, that we eat in America and galangal which is what they use in Thailand.

She sent us away to go explore on our own. As I wandered down the twisting aisles I thought back to the markets I would wander in DC when I was younger. The fruits and vegetables were different but you could still spot the penny pincher arguing with the vendors. The mother gathering her daily harvest to feed her kids. The stages were different but the roles were very similar.

There was a group of 6 of us gathered to learn how to make Thai cuisine. Rika and I, this gorgeous German couple and then two other individuals. The first dish we made was soup. I choose to make my favorite Tom Yum. It was surprising how easy it is to whip together. In fact throughout the day I was shocked by the fact that once you finished chopping everything the actual cooking time was very low.

Two different chefs took us through the seven course menu. We took breaks in between each dish to eat our creations. The photo above is the pad see ew my second favorite Thai dish after pad kra pao. Cooking is a really fun communal activity to do with friends and if you're solo its a great way to make new friends. Rika and I chatted with the other attendees about their travels and how they liked Chiang Mai. They gave us tips for some southern cities they had just visited and we raved about Pai.

My favorite part of the day was when we learned to make curry paste from scratch. We each got to choose the type we wanted and I went for the jungle curry one of the spiciest in Thailand. Everyone else had a couple chilli's in their paste but mines had triple that amount. I can no longer pay the $12-15 in the states for mediocre thai curries now that I have seen how easy it is to make from scratch. I preemptively asked for some coconut milk before I started eating to soothe my taste buds. It wasn't the hottest dish I'd ever eaten but it was for sure up there and in spite of all the heat you still got a sense for its deep and delicious flavor. I left with a full belly and a brain full of techniques I couldn't wait to try on my own.

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Chiang Mai

August 1, 2018 Ceraun Loggins

I opened my eyes on the pale morning after Loi Krathong to the sound of zippers- which signaled that backpackers were off to their next destination. Goosebumps traveled across my exposed skin as the fan swung side to side. The curtains on the bunk beds rippled slightly as the air swept past me. I slept for a little while longer before getting up to see my friends off to Pai. With the big festival over, Chiang Mai began to decompress and instead of following the tourist caravan out of the city I decided to stay one extra day.

Since my arrival in the airy mountainous town of Chiang Mai I've been busy. From feeding elephants at a sanctuary to going to a muay thai fight, making my own Krathong and going to a lantern release- I've had no time to relax. Cities and town reveal themselves in the slow moments when you lazily walk down a street, not when you rush around with a predetermined list to be checked off. As well I needed some alone time. In almost an instant I went from traveling solo to having a crew of 6 other people to eat and explore with. I wanted to journal about my first three weeks in Thailand and the connections I had made.

I started off my day by heading to Wat Pan Whaen one of the numerous temples around my hostel, Thailand Wow. Then I ate at a small restaurant next to it that is only open 4 hours a day 5 days a week. I had tried several times to eat at this place but it was always closed. When I sat down there was a mother and daughter who worked at the shop seated by the door. One other customer sat back in a far corner while Thai game shows played on the television. Someone came over to me and asked what I wanted and I said, Khao Soi, the only dish on the menu. Five minutes later the famed dish of the north was sitting in front of me. The mustard yellow soup with egg noodles and chicken leg topped with crispy egg noodles. My first bite was a combination of crunchy and soft, sour and spicy. Heaven was an IV with this broth dripping into my system. Invigorated I continued my quiet exploration. Taking random streets to see where they lead, window shopping all the stores-learning a city the only way feet know how. I walked into every small temple I found on my path admiring the attention to detail and the bright colors. Except for old Catholic cathedrals, religious houses in the USA take after Protestant values and can be a tad austere.

My lazy day was coming to an end when I stumbled across a huge stage and a street lined with stalls. At first, I thought this was a remnant of the Loi Krathong festival, but every Sunday they have a huge market in central Chiang Mai. A perfect place to pick up souvenirs or just eat local food. Days no longer matter when backpacking, they fold into one another so I had no clue it was Sunday. Instead, you mark the time by the nights before you have to move on to the next city and this was my last. The Sunday market was a fury of activity, vendors were selling everything from jewelry to socks, essential oils to sculptures. I was rifling through a pile of souvenirs when I noticed everything go eerily quiet. Looking up I noticed all the Thai people had stopped moving at the stall. Creeped out, I walked away to find the whole street frozen in time. People were stopped mid-order. The few foreigners looked around at each other in total confusion but I stood still hoping the situation would elucidate itself. Seconds later a sound came across the loudspeakers and I figured this must have been in response to the recent cremation of the king. Instead it was the Thai National anthem which plays twice a day in public spaces and the radio/tv et cetera. Aside from a national sports game I can't remember the last time I heard the USA national anthem in a public space.

When I made my way back to the hostel I sat in a nook and journaled some more. A mixture of fear and excitement flowed from my pen. Even though it was less than 24 hours I was already missing my travel companions and I couldn't wait to meet them in Pai the next day. Some new people had arrived by the time I had finished but I wasn't in the mood to talk to them. Navigating solo travel means stealing away any time you have by yourself because you are often not alone. Either you are surrounded by people in the hostel or the tourists and locals you meet while exploring. Through my headphones, I could hear some of the conversations they were having about where they were from and where they were headed. The backpacker cycle would continue with or without me.

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Doi Inthanon Elephant Park

July 12, 2018 Ceraun Loggins

An overnight bus dropped me off at the north eastern corner of the city of Chiang Mai. The cool morning air was a stark contrast to the sweltering conditions of Bangkok. One of Chiang Mai's red taxis picked us up and went about dropping us off at our various hostels. Thailand Wow was quiet when I arrived but my friends soon woke up and were discussing tomorrow's activities namely a trip to go see elephants which Rika was specifically excited for. I remembered her talking about how elephants were her favorite animal back in Bangkok.

Now I'm not a huge animal person, they are smelly and have their own internal lives and motivations that we can never access, but even I was excited to be face to face with an elephant. The journey into the mountains took us a couple hours. First a taxi picked us up at our hostel around 8 am. As we left the town behind and the scenery became more rural we began to see signs for all kinds of elephant sanctuaries. We saw people riding elephants who were apart of a different tour company and I was thankful that we had found an ethical sanctuary that did not allow elephant riding. Our second vehicle, a flat bed truck, was used to descend deeper into the mountains after the taxi could take us no further. The truck dropped us off at a nondescript patch of land that was missing elephants. They told us we had to make the rest of the way on foot and thus began a perilous climb down a steep set of natural stairs cut into the dirt with a piece of bamboo that could barely hold itself up to steady our downward climb. Now I wore flip flops because I knew we'd get muddy and I didn't want to ruin my nice shoes but those shoes were about to cause my downfall because they had no traction to grip the earth. After I made my way down the stairs the only thing between the elephants and I was this makeshift bridge to cross a small but quick moving stream. I prayed to whoever was listening that my camera and I would not get washed away.

To prepare us for the elephants we were told to change into bright red traditional clothes so the elephants would recognize us and we were each handed a bag full of sugar cane. You should have seen my face when they told us we had to climb some more before we were to reach the first elephants of the day. If I had known we were going on a nature hike then I would have planned differently. My flip flops barely clung to the slightly wet rocks that lined the route to the elephants. But all of that faded away, when I heard the elephant trumpet echo through the woods. Up above were two elephants. A huge fully grown mama with her adolescent child.

You know mentally that elephants are huge creatures but until one dwarfs you its hard to fully grasp. Even the child looked like it could crush me if it got to excited. Despite their size they were so gentle, delicately plucking the sugar cane out of our hands with their trunks. We had to call out a Thai phrase three times to get their attention. The mother stood still making everyone come to her, but the child happily stomped around trying to get as much of the sugar cane as possible. While they were distracted eating I took the time to touch their skin. I never thought about how hairy elephants were, but up close you could feel all the tiny hairs that cover their body. The skin was leathery and warm.

As people started to run out of sugar cane the adolescent started grabbing at our bags. It was time to go but before we headed back down we got elephant kisses. Their trunk was heavier then anticipated as it briefly latched itself onto our faces.

Afterwards, we made our way back down and met another pair of elephants. This one had an even smaller baby elephant that couldn't have been more then a couple months old. I wanted to pick it up and cuddle it but the animal still weighed a couple hundred pounds. It ran playfully around us even knocking a few people over as it drank water.

We took a break for lunch and escaped the suns rays under a hut with a thatched roof. I washed my hands vigorously before eating the meal prepared for us. It was simple, some noodles, chicken and veggies and yet there was so much flavor. Afterwards, I lied on a mat and listened to the sounds of nature. Trees swaying in the wind, the stream bubbling by, elephants trumpeting in the distance.

We finished the day by giving the elephants a mud bath though I refused because I was pretty sure the elephants pooped in the mud pool. Sure enough not even 5 minutes into the mud bath I spotted the elephants pooping and peeing. Everyone then made their way to the stream to rinse off the elephants and you realize that elephants are extremely ashy animals, their skin taking on a rich grey color when wet.

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