After a dead monk’s ceremony (sad) and a family string tying ceremony (happy), we flew from Udon to Bangkok to Chiang Mai. It just so happened that a Harvard-Westlake family I once gave a tour to was on the same flight – it’s a big small world. We were greeted by Kee with a “Melvoin” sign, and driven to our hotel, walking distance from the extravagant night market. My Dad, brother and I went on a little stroll past the stands, where I quickly realized that I needed to teach them the ways of bargaining. Nick felt bad about fighting for insignificant differences, and Dad didn’t even think to lower such already low prices. I tried to prove it’s all a game, and that the vendors often enjoy playing as well. “Watch and learn,” I told them smugly.

This morning, Kee met us at the hotel to begin a day of sightseeing around Chiang Mai. She really unlocked the city for us.

At the Hmong hill tribe village, the outfits and houses were cool, but Nick and I had more fun with the crossbows we bought. We had an intense contest as to who could nail the hanging mangos most; I’ve never had so much fun for under a dollar. The other highlight was Nick slipping on a patch of mud and sliding through the meticulous garden, forcing innocent hill tribe children to jump off the path. (You can see his pants are soiled on the left.)

Down the road from the Hmongs (the “h” is silent, by the way) sits the Royal Winter Palace. We wouldn’t have been able to tour it if the royal family had been there, but Nick and I were ready with our crossbows to protect King Rama IX if he did show up. The palace is called “Bhubing Palace,” a name that, when pronounced in Thai, is incessantly hilarious.

We went from riding golf carts around a palace to climbing steps up to a temple. Wat Doi Suthep rests peacefully on a forest mountain, for that is where the white elephant brought the ashes of Buddha, legend has it. With gold sparkling in our eyes and incense swimming in our noses, we walked around the temple and its suburb shrines. In addition to singhas (the dragon sculptures, not the Thai beer) and Buddhas, there were great city views.

Before resting, we explored a handicrafts area, where teak furniture and stunning light fixtures tempted my mom with ridiculously cheap prices. After resting, we dined and I danced at a Kantoke cultural show. And by danced, I mean I was invited up on stage to follow a girl walking in a circle and mimic the bird shapes of her hands. Like most cultural shows I’ve been to, this one kinda sucked, but an after-the-fact moment made it worth it…

On the street outside the restaurant, everyone was selling those little wooden frogs that make croaking noises when you roll an accompanying piece of wood over their backs. I was really excited with mine, and, having seen the word “rana” on signs in the area and knowing that that’s the Spanish word for “frog,” I was sure it was also the Thai name. So when I gestured to a girl my age and said “rana,” I was confused why she began giggling uncontrollably and spastically hiding her face in her hands. I went to confirm my understanding of the word with Kee minutes later, and was corrected on its definition. “Rana” means cute, not frog.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 27th, 2005 at 10:01 am in I. Thailand. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.