Ping Ping Free Breakfast, Chiang mai, Thailand, June 2015

Another day dawns...

Today's recce mission cancelled - the free breakfast being the deciding factor. Cornflakes, toast and unlimited hot beverages makes Ping Ping House quite an attractive proposition for a few more nights, while I tomp around the city trying to find the missing elements of this not so vibrant Asian city.

So, lets cut a long story short and take a look at some of the photos that is the so very gentle rhythm of Chiang Mai.....

Gunk, Funk and Old White Men, Chiang Mai, June 2015

So, faced with a long stomp towards old downtown and a bad mood growing by the minute...

Two things about this sign grabbing my attention - a bright pink oval shape and the price 250 Baht. Well, that sounds fine as i make my way to the third floor of a 9 floor residency block.Its a clean room, has 4 beds and a nice little air-con unit. No quibbling, I can commence a reconnaissance mission tomorrow at first light and get a feel for the place on a longer term prospect.

Next, food... something to always look forward to when in Thailand, particularly the street food phenomenon. With the bad mood easing on the prospect of a good, cheap and tasty meal, time to hit the streets again and search out some chow. Food isn't far away - i can smell it, almost taste it but the problem is its not on the street! So, with a bit more stomping around and the bad mood returning this is what I have so far discovered about the fabulous Chiang Mai that comes so highly recommended.

Well, where to start. With a somewhat pedantic tone I could say that I have landed in some place that could be anywhere other than a city in Thailand. Starbucks, Mac Donald's, KFC, Burger King - its all on tap. The place is crawling with old white men, the over 60's. Good local cafes - not here, not in this area anyway, just Westernized, pretentious garbage and gunk. And anything good is at a premium price looking through the menu of a funky bistro.

TOPS Supermarket, the local small town Co-op equivalent I should imagine. A quick look around here to cool off and grab some water. The place is full of those old white men, British and American accents penetrating the soft humdrum. Plenty of stuff to buy with prices set to match the clientele - Dairy, fruit, meat and bakery all priced pretty much as an English Tesco. At least the water's cheap, about 12p for a small bottle. Good news here, there is a canteen with all manner of Thai food on offer. Unfortunately this portion of chicken rice wouldn't even satisfy a baby!G

Is it a scam or just incompetence? Chiang Mai June 2015

Boring in Chiang Mai...

Is it a scam or just incompetence?

I roughly know where hotel and guesthouse district is located, pretty close to the airport as it happens, shouldn't be more than a 15 minute ride. The driver of this tuktuk has zero English language skills, but a vague understanding of the need for accommodation seems to click as the rather battered  old machine heads North. Traffic everywhere - the place is busy as a relentless flow of cars, pick-ups and scooters mingle and meander across the 3 lane highway all heading North!

The first sign of trouble arises as the driver pulls up along side what seems to be a collection of his mates. One pulls out a map, another loads Google maps onto his phone - all with seemingly puzzled looks. well, 3 can play that game and I pull out my phone which luckily had Google maps pr-loaded. They are definitely struggling with the word hotel and equally struggling with the word guesthouse but finally a consensus - well, actually I pointed to my phone map much to their dismay.

so, here we are in he old city when actually I need to be on the outside - its going to cost me, another £1 says the driver  who has no problems with a conversation about money! Incompetence or scam - both I would say! After an hour of riding around, down numerous lanes searching for a guesthouse and still no closer to getting a good nights sleep. Useless, completely useless - for some unknown reason this driver hasn't a clue whatsoever. I mean how simple is it to pick up a passenger from the airport and find him a guesthouse in the city? Not a good start to Chiang Mai we both agree to abandon the exercise.

A 10 minute hike to the main road and still no guesthouses but at last some hotels are visible. Several westerners are mooching about here so I must be getting warmer. Grabbing the attention of an Aussie lady and asking "where might I actually find an inexpensive guesthouse", "not round here, this is the pricey area". Elation turns to despair as she knows where the guesthouses are but she doesn't know how to give directions - shes only lived here 10 years! With the traffic as relentless as ever and with dusk fast approaching, Chiang Mai is already 'not my favorite place'  it can only get better from hereon in - I hope.

Its Boring in Chiang Mai City, Thailand June 2015

Its boring here in Chiang Mai and I can't quite figure out why!

I've only ever heard positive remarks about Chiang Mai, Thailand's city of the North. The impression gained from fellow travelers is that overall the place is better than Bangkok - cleaner, greener and with less traffic.For someone living here, and plenty are, its a perfectly good, functional city. But for the average Joe like me on a short stay, life is just a little bit dull here in Chiang Mai. A combination of factors i suppose is playing with my mind on this - so, lets start at the beginning and try to figure out where its all not as good as it should be.

Arriving at the airport and being herded into a very small immigration hall - hopelessly inadequate for for 300 or so Chinese passengers who have just arrived behind me! Even so, my queue is about 20 deep and moving at a snails pace. Over an hour and I am face to face with an immigration officer, a rather stern faced, large lady. During the ensuing interrogation the lady is not pleased with me at all. I don't have an address to put on my landing card - this is one of those turn up and see which way the wind blows kind of visits. Eventually, after some frowning and sighing i'm allowed in - only after leaving her my email address!

Next, transportation downtown, not a taxi if I can possibly help it passing the fixed price coupon booth - £3 downtown. No public transport downtown according to the information desk, no bus, nothing  - now i'm starting to get a headache. Options are, ride in the back of a pick up truck, grab a tuk tuk or of course there's the taxi, but definitely no public bus. Just a line of tour group coaches patiently waiting for those Chinese tourists - and hopefully they've learned not to spit everywhere. Its a tuktuk, ride, only £2 but the trouble is this driver seems not to understand 'Guesthouse' or 'Hotel'. So, off we go in the general direction of downtown and hopefully soon a guesthouse.

Incompetent, or perhaps just a scam....

Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai, July 2015

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Food Szichuan Style, Chiang Mai, July 2015

The food situation here in Chiang Mai is, well lets just say pricey when compared to the exceptionally good value to be found in Malaysia. To be fair though, meat here is comparatively cheap - cheaper than some vegetables when served up at a canteen. I need to devise a strategy to get around this baby sized portions mentality that is imposed whole sale, everywhere.

Tonight though I can forget about scratching around for a good food deal since I'm invited to eat with the guest house manager, his array of girlfriends and several other strangers.

Food, Szichuan style, originating from the depths of China. Its a large spicy stockpot, kept bubbling away with folk merrily throwing in all manner of strange looking stuff. Balls of processed meat, chunks of real looking meat and plenty of vegetables - not to mention loads of noodles. After 10 minutes or so, chopsticks at the ready, everyone dives in for the leanest piece of meat! I have to say its the least tastiest Chinese food ever, not the best meal at all!

But, I am appreciating the authenticity of the whole party, right down to the wooden chopsticks.

Western Overkill, Chiang Mai, Thailand, June 2015

A 15 minute stomp to the closest part of the old city, the North-West corner. The pace is of some historical importance to Thailand - much revered for its bejeweled and sparkling temples and pre-ancient architecture contained within. Oh, and peace with solitude should be found although right now with the relentless flow of traffic and thronging crowds of Chinese tourists, that's pretty hard to believe. so, having negotiated the crossing of six lanes of non-stop traffic, lets take a look around this old town.

Thankfully, we tourists don't have to swim the moat, pleenty of foot bridges and of course road access. Remnants of an ols city wall on the corners and by the original access gate on the Northern rim. Temples are aplenty, that's for sure. the first one is quite interesting, the second one, a bit less interesting, the third one - well, its all the same really, with subtle differences. Lanes are leafy, buildings with some characte, traffic not so mad but still plenty of it along with plenty of tourists. Also in plentiful supply - coffee shops. Funky, boutique is the image portrayed here, a different coffee shop for a different visit each day on a month long trip! One or two I can accept but this is Western overkill for sure in what should be a traditional oasis.

so here's a few photos attempting to convey the flavour of old city Chiang mai. Just a few because it all gets pretty repetitive after half an hour!