December 18, 2005

 

Black and Blue in Chiang Mai (Day 80)

A childish cheeky rhyme that brings back memories from high school actually seems fitting for the moment:
It was fun, but now it's done.

In some ways it's fitting for this entire trip, but at the moment I'm refering to the Trio. Yes, it's sad but true, the Trio has split.


After "The Worst Night Yet" we had one of the best nights yet. We had a true night on the town in Bangkok. Starting off with wine, then spicy street noodles, then more wine, then mojitos, dancing and of course lots of reminiscing.

At 3:30 am we found ourselves searching for a last banana pancake for Antonia.

Now, let me give you a quick lesson about western food when you're not in the "west":
Whatever you're expecting...it's not going to be that.

For example, here, "pancakes" are actually more like crepes. In all honesty they're light roti with sweet stuff instead of curry. So, if you're expecting to get a nice fluffy Aunt Jemimas pancake, you better think again. But, then again, if one morning you're really craving a nice light crepeish creation, you're probably gonna get an IHOP pancake. The key to food is to expect nothing.* They are a tastey late night snack though (although I've never purchased my own, bites are sufficent to reach this conclusion). The vendors have these flat grills where they spread out a pizza like dough. As it begins to bubble, they put whatever your heart desires in the center. Jam, bananas, coconut, strawberries, condensed milk, chocolate. Then they fold it in a square, only after adding another pad of butter, and drizzle a bit more sweet goodness on top.

During our search we ran into an English woman about mid 30's selling street food. At first I didn't know what to think of her. I mean selling street food at 3am on the corner of Kho San road seems just about one of the crappiest jobs I could imagine. Unfortunately, during our conversation I didn't get any insite as to why she'd moved from England and chosen this new profession, but I could see she wasn't crazy; which in some ways left me more baffled then when I first looked up to see her handing me my springrolls.

Eventually we found Antonia's pancakes and made our way to bed. One of our best nights yet, too bad it was our last...

Well not exactly our last... Sydney, prepare yourself.

The next morning I work up at 7am to go to the gym which I found was closed upon arrival (just my luck) and then caught a flight to Chiang Mai that afternoon. Whenever I tell other backpackers I flew a look of surprise instantly strikes their face. "But the bus/train is so cheap?!". Yes, but so was my flight. $65 round trip is worth every penning when you're trying to avoid another 15hour bus journey. "Oh yes, I would like some peanuts, thank you."

So here I am on my 6th day in Chiang Mai with a bunch of blisters and brusies. Thai boxing is kickin' my ass! It's a lot of fun though, and that's why I came to Chiang Mai, so the aches and pains are welcomed. After 2 1/2 months of almost never working out, I can hardly stand myself. My body has been crying out in frustration begging me to return to my daily 5 mile runs. Unfortunately it's not so easy in the motorcycle ridden streets of Saigon, the damp back allies of China, or the impoverished villages of Cambodia. So now that I'm in Thailand, I'm taking complete advantage of all the physical activities the country has to offer. Muay Thai (thai boxing), climbing, rafting, trekking, kayaking, yoga, snorkling, scuba diving, you name it, I'll be doing it.

So, for starters I chose Muay Thai. I've been training at a gym called Lanna Muay Thai located on the outskirts of th city. The training is intense and so are the atheletes. They train from 6:30-9:30am and then from 4-7pm everyday except Sunday when they hike. The first day we ran 10km (a little over 6 miles) in the morning and then trianed on the bags and with trainers for the rest of the morning and afternoon practice. The next morning we ran "the mountain". 7km straight up. It was the longest and hardest uphill run I've ever done. That night I got really sick - chills, sweats, stomach cramps, nausea - i'm not sure if I caught something of if my body shut down, either way I've decided I'll only do one practice a day until I'm a bit more fit. Sad, but true, I'm outta shape, but I plan on changing that quickly.

Yesterday Julia and Rich (a guy we originally met in China. He's alone now because his travel partner got Dengue Fever!) arrived in Chiang Mai and this morning I switched to their hotel (the pool was the selling point). Currently, the plan is to do Muay Thai, some climbing, a bit of yoga, and take a cooking class by the time I fly back to Bangkok on the 23rd. And then?...

ChaOs(...)! Just wait and see...

# posted by Jazzytraveler @ 03:16
Comments:
OMG this is hilarious: I am eating banana pancakes right now! the fat american kind. homemade buttermilk pancakes with a splash of vanilla and fresh bananas. you see i'm home 'sick' from work today. actually, i just needed to take an entire day off to catch up on your blog!
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 11:45 AM
 
Hi Jasmine
Sounds like a great time. The kick boxing would be facinating. What a workout. So you have become the ugly American by default. We do have a strange visage overseas, one that has certainly been earned by the American arrogance. The dream you are living is not within the realm of understanding for so many of the people in the places you visit. Who can blame them for their reverse prejudice. Have fun playing the game.
Enjoy
Tim Dunne
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 8:10 PM
 
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