The end and the beginning

Here we are, in Bangkok one last time before we head home. Our flight leaves for Vancouver tomorrow morning, early, and we are well and truly pooped.

For the past couple of weeks, we have been enjoying Northern Thailand. In my opinion, we ended this trip in the best way possible - doing as little as possible surrounded by the most beautiful scenery possible and the friendliest people possible.

As such, we have been meandering around Chiang Mai and the tiny Mae Sariang. We haven't been doing much except reading, exploring some of the local countryside, chatting with the locals and casually preparing for our return home. It has been truly restful and has launched me, in particular, into major nesting mode. I just can't wait to get home and get settled, hang up my clothes and take a nice long bath to contemplate everything that has happened over the past year.

Northern Thailand is beautiful. There is a lot more vegetation and everything is so lush and green. There are waterfalls everywhere and the people are incredibly kind. We started in Chiang Mai, the second largest city in Thailand. It has a touristy old part of town within ancient walls (the original moat filled with water still surrounds them) and a walkable area outside them. We found it the perfect place to hit some hip cafes, see a couple of movies and do a bit of shopping - filling up what little space we had left in our packs.

We also checked out the incredible Sunday market that goes on until the wee hours of the morning every Sunday and is absolutely packed with people and fun and funky things - yummy snacks, cool clothes, neat knick-knacks (not the usual tourist crap that you see in every city of every county you visit - although there is some of that too just in case, this time, you want it). It was like a humungous craft sale/flea market/street festival. There were so many people it felt like St.Patrick's Day in Montreal.

There is also a nice night market where performances are put on every evening. It's always nice to see a bit of traditional Thai culture, even if it's only put on for the tourists. Finally, we couldn't leave Chiang Mai without hitting the mall. I think it's the first mall we've been in in months. But, that's where the movie theatre is and, as we discovered, some amazing deals on shoes (and the now needed extra carry-on bag). They also have these fun little karaoke pods. Karaoke is huge in Thailand, as it is in much of the rest of Asia. In the mall in Chiang Mai, you and your friends can rock out in your very own private karaoke booth. They were jam packed with super enthusiastic future Asian Idols.

Aside from wandering around the markets, Rich and I decided to take the opportunity to learn some stuff. I took a Thai cooking class so I could learn to make all those Thai dishes that always make my mouth water at the thought of them. I can't wait to try out my new culinary skills back home. Now I just have to find a decent Asian market in Ottawa... While I was busy chopping and sizzling, Rich arranged to take private lessons from a blind Thai massage therapist. He learned all kinds of crazy techniques and new treatments that he can unleash on his patients back home which he learned from Nut (pronounced "not"). Things that make you go "POP!". He even got this nifty certificate and made a great new friend. It was really amazing to see how he "looked" at you by using his hands, just like a seeing person would size someone up visually.

We opted out of taking any tours from Chiang Mai, partly because they weren't offering what we wanted and partly out of exhaustion. We're touristed out. Instead, we decided to spend the last few days of our trip at a lesser known place called Mae Sariang. Usually it gets a couple of lines in guidebooks but doesn't draw the same crowds that Mae Hon Song gets. Right up our alley. We got a beautiful breezy room in an all-wood house overlooking the river and essentially lazed about for a few days. There were hardly any other tourists and when they did come into town, they usually left the next day.

Mae Sariang was like unwinding an elastic that had been twisted on itself to maximum capacity. It was the most amazing feeling. I haven't ever felt that relaxed before and I'm not sure we'll feel that relaxed again for a long, long time.
We spent our days enjoying some of the books we had brought with us, playing chess (Rich is the undefeated champion - not surprising since, as much as I like chess, I lack the patience for it), strolling around the area and chatting with the locals. We checked out some of the tours being offered and, deciding that none of them fit the bill, ended up renting someone's pickup truck for the day and going off on our own. Our goal was Mae Surin falls further to the North. The drive was spectacular and the rain, which made us pat ourselves on the backs for wisely opting out of renting motorbikes, made everything look alive and intense. Once arrived, the rain disappeared and we were free to hike around without getting wet. It was pretty chilly nonetheless as we were high up in the mountains but this gave the air a freshness that had us savouring every breath. The falls were beautiful and there were loads of little plants and critters on every tree branch and under every rock. We were alone, and definitely not alone. On the way home, we stopped at some hotsprings thinking we would warm up with a little dip. They were in a beautiful setting with farmer's fields all around and I couldn't wait to feel the warmth. I dipped an exploratory toe in and yelped like a dog whose tail had been stepped on. OK. When they say hotsprings here, they mean hot. So, no dip for us (that's ok, it smelled like rotten eggs anyhow) but we warmed up alot just being close to the springs. And with that, we jumped back in the pickup and headed back to Mae Sariang. A wonderful day that left us feeling grounded and at peace.

Mae Sariang is very small. You can easily walk around town and you only have to turn the corner from the few touristy hotels to get back to authentic Thai cuisine. Our favourite haunt was Mama's. Her restaurant is not called this (it's called something unintelligible in Thai) but this is how she referred to herself (in the 3rd person) and how we came to refer to her. She has about 3 words of English (which beats our 2 words of Thai) and we went back time and again to partake in mimed conversation and her amazing food - finally not dulled down for tourists. We found that even when we asked for things to be spicy in a tourist restaurant, the food would come back bland and completely without heat. Before leaving, we stopped in to pick up a meal to bring with us on the 12-hour bus ride to Bangkok and we left with that, big hugs all around and some little extras thrown in for good measure. Our Thai mama.

Our time in Mae Sariang allowed us to really take stock of what has happened over the past year. This trip has meant so much to both of us. We have changed in ways that we have difficulty describing and we have learned so much more than we had even hoped. The value of a smile. The value of looking at things in the light of day. That it doesn't matter what a person's intention truly is - if you assume it's genuine, you end up with a genuine experience (even if the original intent was not). You don't have to see everything or do everything - sometimes you see or experience more just by staying put. Humans are remarkably adaptable. Kids are amazing all over the world. And, a year is a long time and no time at all.

Here we are, at the end of this particular adventure feeling as though we've done a good job. We're tired, but in a good way. We feel grounded and peaceful. We have made friends and memories that will keep us thinking and wondering. What more could a person ask for?

Would we do this again? Absolutely. Just let us rest for a bit first...