The long wait is over, I booked my flight in March of this year and it has been a long winter so to speak! But! I'm here now and I am taking advantage of the experience I've acquired while visiting Chiang Mai in the past.
Lets start with the 11 hour flight to Beijing, 1.5 hour layover and finally the 5 hour flight to Chiang Mai. Mannnn thats a long flight.. as worth it as it is .. my back, neck and legs were glad when it finished. I don't think I'll ever get used to flights that long.
The silver lining to this flight which made a big difference is as of February 2019 year I am the proud owner of the Priority Pass Lounge membership. I get six free visits to airport lounges around the world. Vancouver International terminal has a solidddddddd one. I went in, looked around and was a bit underwhelmed initially. Then I saw the light beaming on a small sign by a door that looked like a washroom. It was a picture of a shower head.. I asked the front desk how it worked and was then escorted to the shower room free of charge.. I'll tell you a fresh shower immediately before your flight will restore and reinvigorate. Beautiful shower too.. glass doors, lots of room and most importantly privacy. I then too advantage of the free food.
On the commute I caught few odd hours of sleep which was helpful but nonetheless jet lag is real and hit me hard. With all things considered this was one of the flight itineraries that went off without a hitch. No delays, quick layover and I made it out of Beijing alive. I landed in Chiang Mai at about 2200 hours and couldn't wait to see Amphawan / get some sleep..
Ah but first I have to mention what to like transiting through China. You have to first get your fingerprints taken at an automated biometrics scanner, then go through two separate check points before being let though to the flight gates. I have done this twice in the past so I streamlined through, rushing in front of everyone as to beat the lineups. The fact that I had a very short layover motivated me to be quick.
Whats the first thing I did when I arrived ? Well for those of you who know me well... I was hungry.. and wonderful Amphawan is always eager to ask me "you hungry?" most of the time, I am. She brought me to a noodle cart on the side of the road (there are many of these) they have small stools and tables nearby to sit and enjoy. It's incredibly cheap and extremely satisfying.. noodle soup with a choice of meat and a broth that melts in your mouth. After eating two bowls ($2.50 CAD total) I was ready to go to the hotel and rest.
Waking up at 4am I was hungry again, what's open 24 hours... you guessed it Mc Dongs. The owner of the Hotel was at the reception and leaving, he was ever so kind as to give me a ride. For those of you who think Thailand is dangerous.. (of course theres precautions to be taken in every country, including Canada) you are woefully misguided in your assumptions. There are indeed a few things to steer clear of like jet ski rentals, going into brothels and not establishing a price with a tuk tuk driver before embarking on the ride but overall I would say you are hard pressed to find trouble here unless you go looking for it. Ohh and maybe the most dangerous thing: be on the lookout for adams apples.. don't want that to be a surprise after its too late. After eating I walked back to my hotel in the dark alley ways of Nimman (suburb of Chiang Mai) and wasn't the least bit concerned with safety.
After the sun came up and places started to open Amphawan met me at my hotel and asked "What you want to do" in her adorable accent. At the top of my list was... get a massage and we did. Eat. Eat. Rest. and finally lets go play some pool..
Here is the quizzical question of the day, its actually a two parter:
Part one: When we went to play pool we went to a well established bar with three brand new stupendous billiard tables. The staff racked the balls and catered to our every need (Eeeeeeeasy, maybe not every need...) We got one Micky of rum with OJ for mix, of course. Three large bottles of beer in an ice bucket (710 ml). Two servings of fried egg rolls and one serving of minced beef. Also the pool wasn't free, and we played for three hours. Oh right and then I got an additional rum and coke. How much did all this cost? You can guess a dollar amount that does not include cents.
Part two: In Chiang Mai, what do all automobiles not have where in Canada all automobiles have?
The bonus question: Guess the movie quote "It's a two liner!"
To win the prize: Closest to the actual retail price of the bill at the billiards place and the other two are tie breakers.
The next day I woke up again very early and had nice little breakfast across the street form my hotel. What did I need another one of after breaky? A MASSAGE BRA!
This was interesting to experience.. I found a massage place very close to my hotel, maybe one maybe two minute walk. Thamman Massage. Hmmm what are some warning signs when walking into a massage parlour, especially in Thailand. Well, it was much less fantasy compared to the facilities to the last place I had attended the day prior. The cost was almost half (which I will never complain about but good to notice) the lady asked me what I wanted, I replied with a neck/back/shoulder as a have issues in those areas. She recommended the "treatment massage" which was only a little more expensive than the regular massage and I figured whatever you want to make a few dollars extra because of the name of the massage but it's probably the exact same. But sure. Little did I know it was certainly a treatment alright. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. She proceeded to lock the front door to the massage parlour.. this I took notice of. We walked upstairs, I lay on a mat on the ground. She started with my legs (Interesting as I specified my upper body) heres a brief description of the events that followed: 1. lots of intense grunting/breathing by both of us. 2. She says "Oh thats very big eh" and 3. Her two sons show up. I know what you're thinking, "What in God's name happened!" The massage costed $350 baht ($15 CAD) and I tipped her an additional %50 of the cost of the massage. Let me give you a deeper explanation of what happened. I got the best and most effective massage of my life! Hands down the best, relieved too much stress it was unconstitutional hahaha. No, I did not receive a happy ending and there was nothing sexual about the massage.. I was not even close to be aroused. It was the opposite of arousing.
This woman must have been in her mid 60's maybe even 70's. With all the strength in her hands and elbows she torn my back apart, I had to stop myself from letting out blood piercing yells at some points. I let countless gasps and theatrical moans, trying to breath and relax.. she told me she had a client that cried throughout the whole massage once and when It was done she felt immensely better and looser. When she said oh thats very big eh she was talking about a massive knot in my back. When she locked the front door it was because she was the only one in the shop, which she owned, and had just opened when I walked in. Banana actually tried to come in mid massage and was confused because the door was locked ! Lol. Then her two sons showed up at the end when I was paying. And I tipped her solidly because she did an incredible job. Right now, the morning after, my back is unbelievably tender and achy. It feels amazing. I need a few days off though because it needs to heal and then I will go back for another "treatment massage" this time with better knowledge of what to expect. If you want a non-relaxing massage that will actually treat your back and you won't enjoy and you will want to leave throughout it - go to Thamman Massage in Nimman. It will help you a lot... after your done.
After the massage we drove about 40 minutes to a place where Banana wanted to take me, We stopped at a grocery store and bought food and a couple of beer for the little adventure we were about the embark on. We arrived at this place where a guy plopped a raft ( 10 large poles of bamboo tied together, about 20-30 feet long) pictures to follow, in a river with two very small seats and a guide who steered jumped on and stood at the front as to maneuver us from trees, rocks and through rapids. At first we floated down the river past elephants who were showering beside us and playing in the water. Then we floated some more and wait! up ahead! those aren't small rapids anymore, I have my camera too.. might we flip?! Hang on! Pretty damn fun.. As we floated down the river Banana was in front of me and I had visions of travel articles I'd seen in the past. I'll put a picture on of what I'm talking about. I felt like I was in a magazine. We sipped our beer, talked and laughed. This was the moment I was waiting for. The moment you realize, okay.. I have truly arrived and I'm on vacation. The moment you start to decompress from the stresses of what feels like a previous life (life back home) and the plane ride that took you to your desired destination. The moment your mind begins to leave the life you left behind and to enjoy the moment and prepare to enjoy the many moments that will follow throughout your trip. It takes a bit of time to get over the jet lag and let go.
I was with a beautiful, intelligent, kind and wonderful woman in a foreign somewhat familiar country with a beer in my hand, elephants around me and bamboo underneath me. Thank you Lord for this blessing of an experience and everything to come. Also please keep me and Amphawan safe, and her kids and... oh also thank you for my parents and my sister and brother and please also my friends lol. Thank you for it all :).
These types of experiences allow me to take a moment and give me a small glimpse into what it's all about. It being life and it not being all about working and money and material things. It being about people and experiences and being good to people too. I think It was my good friend Woodys that said this: You can't takes thing with you when you die, you can't keep your things, you can only keep your memories and things you've experienced. Those stay with you forever. Beautifully said bra I'm pretty sure it was you who said that ? lol
Oh and speaking of things: The winner of a postcard and who answered last blog post question correctly is Philly boiii Liu! Well done. His answer was Scurrah's Mansion of love haha, where I was surrounded by female volleyball memorabilia, challenge coins, a guard dog and whatever else I said. Well done. Josh you were a close second with the BC Sports Hall of fame LOL, hilarious. Those who know Scurrah and that he played and coached female volleyball for his entire life has a leg up in the competition. Valiant effort Josher.
Thank you for all the wonderful comments! Phil, Mom, Leana, Genewad boy (Scurrah), Chanolitos and Josh. For being the first people to post a comment on my first post you have all won something. You will get it when I see you in person ! Well done! For those of you that did not comment: suck wad! If you tried to post a comment and it failed... then also eat sham! You have to do the I'm not a robot thing I think for it to post properly.
After getting back to the hotel Banana and I cleaned up, I took a nap and we were suppose to go meet her friends for Halloween... :( but my nap turned into a 10 hour sleep that brought me into 4am.. so I missed it and felt bad.. But my jet lag is subsiding and here I am writing this. So it sucked but also that treatment massage, the boat ride / beer, sun on the boat and jet lag put me down for the night. And hey I'm still in Thailand so it's not all bad.
Enjoy these few pics I shot:
Good luck on the question and that post card is coming your way Philly !
Love Shaner
