October 09, 2011

Pchum Ben Holiday - A Trip Through Thailand and Laos


One of the things that I find difficult to justify, knowing that my contract in Cambodia is only for a year, is missing major cultural and religious events. During late September and early October I skipped the country and missed ‘the Festival of the Dead’. For more information on the festival please click here (not that wiki is necessarily 'reputable'), as I am definitely not qualified to give an overview.

On the afternoon of Friday, 23 October 2011, we left the flooded town of Siem Reap behind, to travel to Chiang Mai, with a stopover in Bangkok. I travelled to Bangkok with Leish, my housemate, and Shaye, a teacher from Melbourne who has been teaching at an NGO in Siem Reap whilst on long service leave.

As soon, as I arrive in Bangkok there is a certain element of relief, I felt this way last time I flew into Bangkok as well. There are actual numbers to call for police and ambulance and a belief that they will actually show up if you are in trouble. There are travelators (we don’t even have those in Perth), the traffic is orderly (not that we left the airport this time) and there seems to be more forethought and planning (if only this is a perception).

I pigged out on Starbucks and McDonald’s (things I can’t get in Siem Reap – even though I don’t usually eat it – the distance makes me want it!) before boarding our flight to Chiang Mai, with two ‘extras’ in tow, Irena and Bek, who are from the same AYAD intake as myself. Driving on the ‘right’ side of the road to our hotel, with road rules that people follow, we found ourselves in a reasonably swanky hotel. We quickly shoved all of our stuff in our respective rooms before heading downstairs for a nightcap.

In the morning we did some general exploring before finding a travel agent to book in some adventures for the next few days, this included a cooking class for Irena, Bek and myself and an adventure filled day for Shaye and Leish at Flight of the Gibbons. The following day we would all spend some time together playing with the elephants. After this, we went for a massage, the organisation allows ex-prisoners to gain training and work in meaningful employment. We were lucky enough to be visiting the city that Hannah, a fellow AYAD lives in, so she and her friend Trav (an American that lived in Perth as a child) took us to a local bar after some drinks on the rooftop of our hotel. The food was FABULOUS and the drinks were tasty, there was also a live band, which was followed by another as the night progressed. The only disappointing part of the night was that we missed out on seeing my friend Shan and her boyfriend Sobonn. The catch up was made difficult because I had no telephone in Thailand or Laos… It made me think – what did we do before mobiles? Were we just more organised?

The next day Irena, Bek and I were picked up in a ute (there are so many in Chiang Mai!!) to go to the local markets before our cooking class at the organic farm. I loved the markets, they were cleaner and much more hygienic than the options available in Siem Reap, there were some amazing things to eat and smells and sights to be experienced!  The cooking instructor was so full on – she was also exhausting (as Bek put it!). She thought she was really funny, so she kept cracking jokes, some of which were HIGHLY inappropriate and then expectantly waited for us to laugh! The class was great though, I love Thai food and we got to cook and eat a lot of it during the day. We went shopping at the highly recommended Sunday Night Markets to finish off the day, and they didn’t disappoint. I bought a leather bag (followed by a wallet, purchased the next day), some cool shirts and tasted more culinary delights as we meandered through the streets.

The following day, our last full day in Chiang Mai, was a strange experience. We arrived believing that we had chosen one of the better elephant sanctuaries, it had been recommended to us by an Australian vet. Upon arrival and throughout the welcome speech my hopes dwindled. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but there was something about the place that didn’t quite sit right for me. Whilst I don’t think that it is the worst place for the elephants to be, I left believing that it probably wasn’t the best place for them to be either. The jury is out… I just hope that our money didn’t go to an organisation that is mistreating these majestic animals. Dinner that evening was at a Burmese restaurant, the first time that I had tried the cuisine, and I wasn’t disappointed! It was another fabulous recommendation by Hannah and Trav… I’m very glad that we had some ‘locals’ to show us around!!

I loved Chiang Mai and would happily revisit this beautiful part of the world! I want to do Flight of the Gibbons, eat more amazing food and trek through the jungle to visit the Hill Tribes!!

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