My first day off the bus I intended to explore the city straight away. I got around a bit of it but I really underestimated how big it actually is. It feels like a small town but Chiang Mai is Thailand's second biggest city. That combined with the heat forced me into a shady bar for some cold water.
In the bar I bumped into a Northern Irish guy called JP who'd been on my bus up, and later Mikhaila, a New Yorker. We spent the afternoon playing pool, having a few cold beers and watching a really bad movie. In the evening we moved onto a Reggae bar for some live music in the company of a diverse group of characters ranging from a group of Irish girls to an assortment of Thai Rasta's!
The next day I arranged to meet my second-cousin Jez who is living in Chiang Mai for 3 months. We met in the only bar I really knew which was where I'd spent the previous afternoon. It's called 'The Local' English pub! Not exactly embracing a new culture I know, but I should point out that it is abolutely nothing like an English pub (apart from some very good sausage and mash which is a nice occasional change from noodles and rice!) and is just like most other Thai bars. Anyway, I met Jez there, although we didn't recognise each other at first! We were joined by Mikhaila and headed down to see 'Rasta Street', a whole street of reggae bars that look just like the beach shacks in Goa. Now I have to admit I'm not a massive fan of reggae outside of Bob Marley but live music is always more interesting than a sound system, and I think there's something about being on holiday in a hot place that makes it more appealing. It was an interesting little street. I never realised there were so many rasta's in Thailand!
Saturday is of course football day. And this Saturday more so than most. Spurs v Arsenal. A 12.45pm kick off in the UK gives me an absolutely ideal 6.45pm start. I watched the match in - can you guess? - The Local, with JP and Mikhaila, then met another Irish guy called Tim (who unfortunately supports Spurs!). I guess for the neutral the match was a bit of a thriller but it was a complete kick in the nuts for me. We were 2-1 up with only 5 secs to go of a ludicrous 4 mins of injury time. There were lessons to be learned for all so I hope you're listening Mr Wenger. The first one is don't buy Baptista. He is a donkey. The second is stop bringing Senderos on with 2 mins to go as it cocks up a stable side who are holding out against a team pushing forward.
Sunday was spent milling about in the day time, followed by a few casual drinks with the group which turned into clubbing til 5 am. Oops. Not good for JP and I as we had to get up at 9 am to go on a big game fishing trip to a local lake. We made it up OK though and had a really good day. It was much nicer sitting by a lake rather than in the middle of a hot city. Although, we didn't do too much sitting! Our guide was really knowledgable about the lake and had us catching massive Mekong Valley Catfish from the first cast. They are so strong it takes ages to reel them in sometimes. I had the biggest of the day which was 22.5 kilos (49lb) and JP wasn't far behind with his biggest at 21 kilos (46lb). Both those fought for over 40 minutes and left us needing a long rest afterwards. I'll post some pictures up as soon as I can find a card reader. Of course we had to toast our catches in The Local last night!
In summary, Chiang Mai has been great. Having some good friends and a regular place where we hang out has made it feel very homely. I also think there is less pressure to see and do everything as quickly as possible now that I've decided to stay here or hereabouts for a couple of weeks.
It's Tuesday now and I'm just pondering what to do with myself. I want to be in Chiang Mai in a week's time when my friend Kristian is arriving from home, but I may go off somewhere and come back. There are lot's of places in the north that I could get a bus to for a couple of days. Watch this space.
In the bar I bumped into a Northern Irish guy called JP who'd been on my bus up, and later Mikhaila, a New Yorker. We spent the afternoon playing pool, having a few cold beers and watching a really bad movie. In the evening we moved onto a Reggae bar for some live music in the company of a diverse group of characters ranging from a group of Irish girls to an assortment of Thai Rasta's!
The next day I arranged to meet my second-cousin Jez who is living in Chiang Mai for 3 months. We met in the only bar I really knew which was where I'd spent the previous afternoon. It's called 'The Local' English pub! Not exactly embracing a new culture I know, but I should point out that it is abolutely nothing like an English pub (apart from some very good sausage and mash which is a nice occasional change from noodles and rice!) and is just like most other Thai bars. Anyway, I met Jez there, although we didn't recognise each other at first! We were joined by Mikhaila and headed down to see 'Rasta Street', a whole street of reggae bars that look just like the beach shacks in Goa. Now I have to admit I'm not a massive fan of reggae outside of Bob Marley but live music is always more interesting than a sound system, and I think there's something about being on holiday in a hot place that makes it more appealing. It was an interesting little street. I never realised there were so many rasta's in Thailand!
Saturday is of course football day. And this Saturday more so than most. Spurs v Arsenal. A 12.45pm kick off in the UK gives me an absolutely ideal 6.45pm start. I watched the match in - can you guess? - The Local, with JP and Mikhaila, then met another Irish guy called Tim (who unfortunately supports Spurs!). I guess for the neutral the match was a bit of a thriller but it was a complete kick in the nuts for me. We were 2-1 up with only 5 secs to go of a ludicrous 4 mins of injury time. There were lessons to be learned for all so I hope you're listening Mr Wenger. The first one is don't buy Baptista. He is a donkey. The second is stop bringing Senderos on with 2 mins to go as it cocks up a stable side who are holding out against a team pushing forward.
Sunday was spent milling about in the day time, followed by a few casual drinks with the group which turned into clubbing til 5 am. Oops. Not good for JP and I as we had to get up at 9 am to go on a big game fishing trip to a local lake. We made it up OK though and had a really good day. It was much nicer sitting by a lake rather than in the middle of a hot city. Although, we didn't do too much sitting! Our guide was really knowledgable about the lake and had us catching massive Mekong Valley Catfish from the first cast. They are so strong it takes ages to reel them in sometimes. I had the biggest of the day which was 22.5 kilos (49lb) and JP wasn't far behind with his biggest at 21 kilos (46lb). Both those fought for over 40 minutes and left us needing a long rest afterwards. I'll post some pictures up as soon as I can find a card reader. Of course we had to toast our catches in The Local last night!
In summary, Chiang Mai has been great. Having some good friends and a regular place where we hang out has made it feel very homely. I also think there is less pressure to see and do everything as quickly as possible now that I've decided to stay here or hereabouts for a couple of weeks.
It's Tuesday now and I'm just pondering what to do with myself. I want to be in Chiang Mai in a week's time when my friend Kristian is arriving from home, but I may go off somewhere and come back. There are lot's of places in the north that I could get a bus to for a couple of days. Watch this space.
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