Here’s the quick run down of what we did in Chiang Mai for 10 days. Well it’s more like what we ate, because really, all we did was hang out, do laundry, relax and wander back and forth to Warorot Market! This our shortest stay ever here (save our first trip which was only 4 days).
2/20 – Like idiots we walked over to the grocery store too early to buy beer and wine. Sigh. So, we buy a few non-perishable things we can carry home, then hit the new restaurant that is in the Shawarma place for lunch. It’s called Street Food, and it is sort of like street food, but in a restaurant. We have a pork omelet and something else I can’t remember, then walk back to the grocery store again after lunch – but before the alcohol cut off time – to buy our full supply stock for the week. They can’t deliver until after 4pm, but that’s ok, we don’t have any plans. We walk back home, successfully avoiding the jackfruit tree in River Market’s garden, then we just hang out (actually I take a nap), until the groceries arrive.
We eat in tonight, then hit the Bamboo Bar to see Jesca, who of course remembers us, and chit chats with us as we watch the night market shoppers walk past us.
2/21 – First trip to Warorot! We stock up on those little mandarin-style oranges (45 cents for a kilo!) and my super expensive ($2) jackfruit, pick up more comfy “elephant” pants and that’s that for our morning exercise. The day is spent reading and blogging and just hanging out. Dinner again at the street food market, with drinks at Outlaws. We had a pork belly satay which is really, really good. Ah, the food. Yummy!
2/22 – We popped over to the other grocery store in Pantip to pick up a few little items, then of all things, stopped in at Dunkin donuts for cappuccino. We’ve never, ever done that outside the US, but we were getting a little tired of instant coffee, so we figured what the heck. The only mistake we made was not to take the deal of the day which was $1 US extra for a sandwich. Oh well! The rest of the day is spent watching the Peaks drive, with the commune that has moved in next door and the dog pack that sleeps in the middle of the road. Dinner tonight is at Street Pizza with fried zucchini, still the best, and a meat combo pizza that we sort of mis-ordered and had to totally apologetically send back. But when the right one came, it was fantastic as usual. Strolled back through the night market, stall-shopping, then hit the balcony for a night cap at the condo.
2/23 - More of the same during the day, River Market for dinner. Son-in-law eggs, that huge Pork Knuckle for Ed and Chicken and cashew nuts for me. It’s a beautiful night, and they seat us right on the balcony overlooking the river (with a fan directed right at us – thank you! because it is really hot here, hotter than normal at this time of year). Later at Bamboo we chat with Jesca and have her translate a sign we saw about some new market. Turns out it is in this building we walk by on the way into town, but won’t start until we are gone. Oh well.
On the way back to the condo, we hear a rock band playing and follow the sound to the Thai European restaurant, which has the same owner as the Bamboo. The band is excellent, so we stop to listen and actually luck into a table (coz the place is packed). We end up staying there for quite a while listening to these guys play excellent hard rock songs (think AC/DC, etc.) Very fun, and we can’t believe we’ve not done this before – but it could all be in the timing, the bands may not have started yet as we traversed the market in years past.
2/24 – Today we take a long walk – and decide to go into town for the heck of it. We time our walk so we will end up there at lunch, because there is a place called UGO that has craft beer, but also has an owner who fights back on lousy reviews on TripAdvisor, and you know how we love that! Its a decent walk, and it’s not too terribly hot yet (plus we stay on the shady side of the road). We end up at UGO right on time, and they do have a great selection of local craft beers. I end up with Stone Head Hazelnut Chocolate Stout which is awesome – not to mention the food! We had chicken wings in an excellent BBQ type Asian sauce, crispy fried Larb served in little spoons that was such a great twist on traditional Larb and then Chicken Bai Toey which was chicken fried inside a banana leaf. Really different and all really, really good. .
On the way home, we decide to stop at O’Malleys for another drink – why? I don’t know, but it sounded like a good idea. Ed had a Chiang Mai Red Truck Ale, I stuck with my wine there!
Dinner at home, drinks at the Thai European Restaurant to listen to the band again. They are so good – and the bass player is so cute – and boy does he know it. Pretty band boy – I’m about as obsessed with him as I was with the Groom in Agra. LOL I’m also obsessed with this girl who comes in to sit at the cheater bar, who has on an adorable little casual black dress, but also these great ked like high top sneakers that lace up the back. I’m so bummed I didn’t go up to her to ask where she bought them because a Google search has turned up nothing!
2/25 – Walked to the post office to mail postcards, then lunched at Kao Kab Kang where we’ve been before. We shared spring rolls and the specialty fried whole fish – which came with rice in the shape of a teddy bear. Too cute. (Oh, and the specialty for us was the whole fish – a Chinese group came in, and the specialty for them was some fried rice dish. Too funny!)
Tonight apps and happy hour at Tawan’s. Eggrolls which were as good as always, and drinks outside in the heat with the rest of the family and friends I finally ask about the coozies they have here that I just love, and find out we can buy them in Warorot. Yes! Score. On the way home, we pass by the Grumpy Old Men bar, which is open. They are part of My Beer Friend brewery (I think) because one of the guys was a brewer who had come back to Chiang Mai to work there again. We had a great conversation, and they explained that the taxes for local brewing are so high in Thailand, that companies go to Cambodia to produce the beer, then import it back in. Which explains why Stone Head says Cambodia, but it is actually a Thai beer. They are sweet guys, and we enjoy our chat – and their beer, but between both our schedules (they will be closed a couple nights this week), I don’t think we’ll be able to come back to visit them.
2/26 – Happy Birthday to me! Today’s celebration includes a shopping excursion to Warorot which nets more comfy pants, my watchband, 2 coozies, a couple of scarves and this great shirt with flowers on it for dirt cheap. And, on the way home we stop to take pictures of the share bikes that have been just left willy nilly everywhere on the streets. Just saving it for later when we launch an all out campaign to protest having share bikes and share eScooters in Asheville! Lunch at home, then we go over to buy some rice cracker cakes that I love and end up stopping at Outlaws for a beer and wine. Later, my birthday dinner is at the Teak House – a tradition when we are here. Dash greets us like old friends and spends time chatting, his mom comes by as well and we spend a lovely evening talking, listening to good music and eating excellent meals of fried squid, Khao Soi for Ed and Mom’s special pork curry for me. Excellent day!
2/27 – More of the same during the day, then back to the street food market for dinner. I finally get my Papaya salad – it’s been far too long without it! Ed has grilled squid and we happily hang out for the evening chatting away with Maya and the owner of Outlaws (who we talk to all the time, but don’t have a clue what his name is. Sigh).
2/28 – Lunch out today at a Vietnamese place next to Grumpy Old Men. It is great food – with the Pho cooked right out front in the big cart. I actually get a pork dish, which comes out a slices of heavenly marinated pork with lots of dipping sauce and condiments. I think I’m supposed to roll it all up in the lettuce on the plate, but I”m happier eating it just as it is and dunking the rice noodles in the awesome peanut sauce.
Dinner is at O’Malley’s for Ed’s huge burger and my chicken and cashews (which comes with so many cashews you can barely see the chicken – it’s perfect for me, the nut fiend!).
3/1 – Happy Birthday Mom! To celebrate her birthday, we go to our Pad Thai place across the street for lunch (always so great!), then spend the rest of the day organizing the packing – which is far easier now that everything is clean and we aren’t juggling dirty laundry. Last night dinner is of course at the street food market and Outlaws. Whole salted grilled fish, which is so jumbo tonight, it’s all we get – except for the banana roti we succumb to in an effort to celebrate our last night here. We say goodbye to everyone, with hugs and cheek kisses all around. It is just like leaving friends – which I guess after this week and a half, they really are friends now.
And that is that! 10 days in Chiang Mai. I’m sure there are tons of silly and somewhat interesting things I’m forgetting, but really, it was just a very relaxing, chill (only in the literal sense) visit. The perfect way to end a very busy touring trip!
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