Doi Chiang Dao

The simple quiet ways of monastery life are now a distant memory; I've been on the go since the bell chimed to end my stay. I headed straight to Chiang Mai where Teddy kindly met me at the airport and we headed back to Ratchamanka Soi 7 where his apartment can be found in the the SW corner of the old city. I arrived at night and the next morning we packed up and and headed to Chiang Dao for a quick overnight visit.

Though Chiang Dao is only an hour or two busride outside the city, it feels worlds away. We stayed in the small town situated at the base of Chiang Dao Mountain (Doi Chiang Dao). There isn't much to do aside from exploring the caves and admiring the sceenery. We did both--we took a tour lead by oil lamp and along the way our guide likened various formations to various animals (some were a stretch some weren't) and luckily Teddy was able to translate. He continues to impress me with his thai--the lessons he took were money well spent for sure, and basically, I'm 100% jealous. Try as I might just to pick up a few words, it seems hopeless without classroom instruction. The caves were neat, but honestly paled in comparison to the vistas. Our bungalo overlooked rice paddies leading up to Chiang Dao mountain--a breathtakingly gorgeous sight, it towers impressively over neighboring hills and is constantly accented by low lying clouds that encircle and hide various parts of its lush greenery. We spent the better portion of our short stay ooing and ahhing at this mountain from different angles begotten by various modes of transportation (walking, biking, motorbiking..) and had a lovely time doing it. At one point we climbed an endless (not kidding) staircase littered with funny signs (like 'you can revitalize when you are tired, but you can't live once you are dead' or something to the effect) that finally culminated at a Buddhist temple seated way up on the side of Doi Chiang Dao with a spectacular view over the town to the layers of green, blue and gray mountains beyond. Having had our fill of delicious food (our guest house 'Rainbow' served a multiple course feast that was scrumdidlyumptous) and pretty sights, we came back feeling refreshed.

Over the next couple of days, Teddy plunged back into work and I explored the city on foot in search of thai massage courses and yoga studios. I had multitudes of success with the former and close to nil with the latter, but I did manage to find one yoga place still in existence and listed under the correct address that offers a few classes a week so I will give that one a go soon. And the thai massage course begins Monday. Chiang Mai is every bit as charming as other tourists I spoke to led on. Though still filled with the hustle, bustle and smog of city life, Chiang Mai has a comfortable, manageable feel and offers some peace and quiet and a few cute coffee shops down every soi. There is a nice balance of tourists and locals here. The old city is a square mile encased by a moat which helps with navigation, most places are within a short walk of each other and Chiang Mai Gate Market serves up some of the best grub you can find for nest to nothing. Teddy's two roommates and all of his coworkers whom I've met so far are lovely, cheerful and kind. If I didn't have a ticket to India in 2 weeks (holy molicans! that's rapidly approaching) I may never leave! (Don't worry Teddy, I'll get on the plane) Better just savor these last days in Thailand and plan the return trip later :)