Waking Up
Adrian and I were scheduled to meet for breakfast around 8:30am, so I had the alarm set for 8am. Ideally I would have liked to catch up on sleep, especially since I was up the two nights before...and the days were long. But I really wanted to make the most of my time in Chiang Mai so I went along with it. Around 8am in the morning we exchanged messages and set a meeting point for 8:45am. His hostel wasn't far from my hotel. The night before we shared a tuk-tuk back to a point between our two residences - that would be were we would meet this morning. It took me some time to retrace my steps.
Along the way, not far from my hotel I saw some girls snapping a photo of graffiti. The message caught my eye...
Breakfast
It was about a half hour before I found Adrian. It appeared he struggled as much as I did to remember the departure point from the previous night. After meeting him we found a breakfast place nearby. I didn't realize the name until after we walked in, Plus Salad. Thankfully they had things other than salad and were not a vegetarian only sort of place. The place was pretty neat. The exterior had a lot of vegetation and greenery, creating almost a forrest outside the patio. The place had a pretty decent breakfast special (both by price and quality) and was owned by an Australian who relocated to Thailand a few years ago. Breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs, toast, and coffee (choice of espresso, cappuccino, or drip) for the equivalent of $3. A pretty good deal even by Thai standards. I splurged and ordered bacon and an assortment of fruit. The coffee was absolutely fantastic - easily the best I've had in Thailand. The owner mentioned he used a blend of local (Chiang Mai) beans and Ethiopian - he new quite a bit about the coffee blend so it wasn't by accident the coffee was fantastic. I was surprised there was no extra charge for a cappuccino or espresso over drip coffee.
We chatted with the owner a bit and he offered up some recommendations. iBerry was a must do, he suggested. Apparently it's some kind of coffee shop that's well known amongst foreigners. Adrian had yet to visit the temple atop the mountain, otherwise known as Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. I had been up there a couple of days prior. En route up I noticed people were bicycling, motorbiking, and walking up the mountain...so I wondered if it might be something we should consider. I ran the idea by the shop owner and he thought it was a good idea. There was a bike shop next door that was recommended by Lonely Planet, so the agenda was set.
We stopped by the bike shop, it's name was Mr. Mechanic. Although they looked a few years old, the bikes appeared in good shape. The sign outside advertised that insurance was offered and that they paid for just about everything in the event it was needed. They required a passport, which I did not have, but they allowed us to check both bikes out using Adrian's passport as collateral. The bike I got was very similar to the one I rode in Ko Samui, down to the color.
Climbing the Mountain
Roads, specifically a large boulevard divided by a river, create the boundaries of what is Chiang Mai's old city. Parts of a great wall built 600-800 years ago still remain. After picking up the bikes we'd circle the square once or twice before getting off to the right direction.
The road up the mountain was similar as it was days earlier in the cab. For some reason it was more tolerable. Going up the hill wasn't too bad. We made a couple of stops along the way. There's a waterfall state park en route - requiring payment of 120 baht. The park was worth a stop. The outside temperature as we road up the mountain fluctuated. At times it got chilly, than it got hot. I think the temperature variance was created by sunlight (whether or not we were in direct sunlight), altitude changes (although some points higher up were actually warmer than below), and canopy (some areas were covered in greenery).
From start to finish the ride to the top took about 2 hours. Of that time we probably spent 30 minutes at the waterfall and 5-10 minutes at 2 or 3 scenic stops. We walked around the temple for maybe 20 minutes and decided to head to the top of the mountain. Atop the mountain was a camp.
iBerry
Per the advice of the restaurant owner we met earlier in the day, we head towards iBerry. At first glance iBerry appears to be a tourist trap. The large outside garden contains a large statue like character. The interior is decorated a bit quirky. It was extremely busy for being a cash only operation, but the staff was pretty efficient at getting people served. For the most part the place was creative. The queue numbers were a blatant rip off of Disney's Mickey Mouse logo, but aside from that most of the atmosphere was original. I wondered why they felt the need to rip off Mickey Mouse...it really took away from the authenticity of everything else they created.
A dog walked around inside, which seriously amazed Adrian. He couldn't believe what he saw. Like a tourist who never saw a dog in their life, he started taking pictures of the dog. Throughout my travels in the Middle East I've learned dogs are often considered unclean and unwelcome in many Muslim countries. Adrian is a Christian, but Malaysia is a muslim country. I asked what intrigued him so much about the dog. He mentioned there were dogs in Malaysia, but a dog roaming around as this one was, inside any public place, would not be acceptable anywhere in the country. We chatted a bit more about cultural differences. I was a Catholic living in a christian dominated country, he was a Christian living in a muslim country. The conversation was enlightening.
After iBerry we head back to our respective hotels with the plan to meet at the bike shop shortly thereafter. Adrian had to catch a bus to Bangkok later that day. Busses run every half hour and tickets were purchased onboard, so there was no fixed time he had to be back. I had to pickup my passport - I wanted to keep my bike overnight and I'd need to hand it over as a deposit since Adrian needed his back.
I got to the bike shop around the time it was closing. Adrian got a little lost and was there maybe 15 minutes later. It appeared they were closing so I swapped my passport for his, just to ensure he could leave tonight as he expected.
After saying goodbye to Adrian I stopped in a western style coffee shop called Wawee Coffee that really wasn't very good. The inside was air conditioned, but there were many mosquitos. Fortunately they were not very interested in me. Wifi cost extra and an advertised hour actually only got you 45 minutes. I tried to rectify the situation but the staff was rather helpless and cared little. That's what I get for patronizing a corporate business when there are so many authentic individually owned coffee shops in town. I eventually found another place to settle up and enjoyed a Thai iced tea/milk. This place was much more authentic, albeit small. I sat on the patio and enjoyed my drink.
Afterwards I head for a late dinner and stumped upon some decent nightlife. A Thai local band was playing some western hits at a place called Tiger Place In Town. The band was shockingly good. Every song they covered was convincing. It's interesting how someone who talked with a thick accent when speaking English can sing so perfectly. I got several orders of very delicious chicken wings and calamari. Did I mention the chicken was absolutely delicious? It really was delicious. After dinner I took the scooter around town circling the old city several times to remind myself what I'd be leaving. Chiang Mai really is a special place. The town has a very college town feel, filled with lots of independent restaurants, coffee shops and a lively nightlife.
Adrian and I were scheduled to meet for breakfast around 8:30am, so I had the alarm set for 8am. Ideally I would have liked to catch up on sleep, especially since I was up the two nights before...and the days were long. But I really wanted to make the most of my time in Chiang Mai so I went along with it. Around 8am in the morning we exchanged messages and set a meeting point for 8:45am. His hostel wasn't far from my hotel. The night before we shared a tuk-tuk back to a point between our two residences - that would be were we would meet this morning. It took me some time to retrace my steps.
Along the way, not far from my hotel I saw some girls snapping a photo of graffiti. The message caught my eye...
Although it's graffiti, I really like the message...
...so much that's it's the wallpaper on my macbook :)
City Bus
Breakfast
It was about a half hour before I found Adrian. It appeared he struggled as much as I did to remember the departure point from the previous night. After meeting him we found a breakfast place nearby. I didn't realize the name until after we walked in, Plus Salad. Thankfully they had things other than salad and were not a vegetarian only sort of place. The place was pretty neat. The exterior had a lot of vegetation and greenery, creating almost a forrest outside the patio. The place had a pretty decent breakfast special (both by price and quality) and was owned by an Australian who relocated to Thailand a few years ago. Breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs, toast, and coffee (choice of espresso, cappuccino, or drip) for the equivalent of $3. A pretty good deal even by Thai standards. I splurged and ordered bacon and an assortment of fruit. The coffee was absolutely fantastic - easily the best I've had in Thailand. The owner mentioned he used a blend of local (Chiang Mai) beans and Ethiopian - he new quite a bit about the coffee blend so it wasn't by accident the coffee was fantastic. I was surprised there was no extra charge for a cappuccino or espresso over drip coffee.
Plus Salad - excellent breakfast
We chatted with the owner a bit and he offered up some recommendations. iBerry was a must do, he suggested. Apparently it's some kind of coffee shop that's well known amongst foreigners. Adrian had yet to visit the temple atop the mountain, otherwise known as Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. I had been up there a couple of days prior. En route up I noticed people were bicycling, motorbiking, and walking up the mountain...so I wondered if it might be something we should consider. I ran the idea by the shop owner and he thought it was a good idea. There was a bike shop next door that was recommended by Lonely Planet, so the agenda was set.
We stopped by the bike shop, it's name was Mr. Mechanic. Although they looked a few years old, the bikes appeared in good shape. The sign outside advertised that insurance was offered and that they paid for just about everything in the event it was needed. They required a passport, which I did not have, but they allowed us to check both bikes out using Adrian's passport as collateral. The bike I got was very similar to the one I rode in Ko Samui, down to the color.
Climbing the Mountain
Roads, specifically a large boulevard divided by a river, create the boundaries of what is Chiang Mai's old city. Parts of a great wall built 600-800 years ago still remain. After picking up the bikes we'd circle the square once or twice before getting off to the right direction.
The road up the mountain was similar as it was days earlier in the cab. For some reason it was more tolerable. Going up the hill wasn't too bad. We made a couple of stops along the way. There's a waterfall state park en route - requiring payment of 120 baht. The park was worth a stop. The outside temperature as we road up the mountain fluctuated. At times it got chilly, than it got hot. I think the temperature variance was created by sunlight (whether or not we were in direct sunlight), altitude changes (although some points higher up were actually warmer than below), and canopy (some areas were covered in greenery).
Me on the bike
From start to finish the ride to the top took about 2 hours. Of that time we probably spent 30 minutes at the waterfall and 5-10 minutes at 2 or 3 scenic stops. We walked around the temple for maybe 20 minutes and decided to head to the top of the mountain. Atop the mountain was a camp.
Outline of town
Monthathan Falls
Monthathan Falls
Monthathan Falls
View from scenic overlook
Another scenic point
Me at scenic point
Scenic Point
Temple - not much has changed
Girl outside temple
Per the advice of the restaurant owner we met earlier in the day, we head towards iBerry. At first glance iBerry appears to be a tourist trap. The large outside garden contains a large statue like character. The interior is decorated a bit quirky. It was extremely busy for being a cash only operation, but the staff was pretty efficient at getting people served. For the most part the place was creative. The queue numbers were a blatant rip off of Disney's Mickey Mouse logo, but aside from that most of the atmosphere was original. I wondered why they felt the need to rip off Mickey Mouse...it really took away from the authenticity of everything else they created.
A dog walked around inside, which seriously amazed Adrian. He couldn't believe what he saw. Like a tourist who never saw a dog in their life, he started taking pictures of the dog. Throughout my travels in the Middle East I've learned dogs are often considered unclean and unwelcome in many Muslim countries. Adrian is a Christian, but Malaysia is a muslim country. I asked what intrigued him so much about the dog. He mentioned there were dogs in Malaysia, but a dog roaming around as this one was, inside any public place, would not be acceptable anywhere in the country. We chatted a bit more about cultural differences. I was a Catholic living in a christian dominated country, he was a Christian living in a muslim country. The conversation was enlightening.
Character in iBerry garden
Uncreative
I got to the bike shop around the time it was closing. Adrian got a little lost and was there maybe 15 minutes later. It appeared they were closing so I swapped my passport for his, just to ensure he could leave tonight as he expected.
After saying goodbye to Adrian I stopped in a western style coffee shop called Wawee Coffee that really wasn't very good. The inside was air conditioned, but there were many mosquitos. Fortunately they were not very interested in me. Wifi cost extra and an advertised hour actually only got you 45 minutes. I tried to rectify the situation but the staff was rather helpless and cared little. That's what I get for patronizing a corporate business when there are so many authentic individually owned coffee shops in town. I eventually found another place to settle up and enjoyed a Thai iced tea/milk. This place was much more authentic, albeit small. I sat on the patio and enjoyed my drink.
Afterwards I head for a late dinner and stumped upon some decent nightlife. A Thai local band was playing some western hits at a place called Tiger Place In Town. The band was shockingly good. Every song they covered was convincing. It's interesting how someone who talked with a thick accent when speaking English can sing so perfectly. I got several orders of very delicious chicken wings and calamari. Did I mention the chicken was absolutely delicious? It really was delicious. After dinner I took the scooter around town circling the old city several times to remind myself what I'd be leaving. Chiang Mai really is a special place. The town has a very college town feel, filled with lots of independent restaurants, coffee shops and a lively nightlife.
Bye Adrian!
Great band!
Potentially the most romantic place in Chiang Mai
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