Sweet and Savory in Chiang Mai

By Matthew Schultz

Chiang Mai is one of the few places in Thailand where it is possible to experience
both the historical and modern Thai culture coexisting side by side – picture
centuries-old chedis and temples next to modern convenience stores and boutique
hotels.

This strange, but amazing, balance can best be seen and felt within the moat-
encircled old city, which retains much of the fortified wall that once protected the
city center as well as the four main gates that provided access to this former Lanna
capital city.

We arrived mid-evening taking a quick taxi from the airport to our accommodations
at The Small Hotel, a fantastic boutique hotel near the city center. After the non-stop
movement that was Bangkok, it was nice to find a place with a slower pace, cleaner
air, and a sense of calm that could only be found in a city rich with Buddhist temples,
monks, and the smell of incense.

We crashed in the hotel for the better part of the night. We ended waking up around
4am rested, ready, and hungry.

Looking out from my hotel balcony in the moonlight sky with streetlamp lit roads I
could feel there was a stillness now, but an impending madness as the city slowly
woke to the new morning.

For what would not be the only time while I was staying at The Small Hotel, I
watched as a small parade of saffron-robed monks with pots for alms make their
way down the boulevard stopped by a local shopkeeper whom was loading in her
goods for the day to pray with her. She offered alms then got down on her knees
while the seven monks prayed with her.

Few people could be seen in the streets heading in one general direction, so we
followed them through the old gates into the city center where we found a large
open-air market that was just starting to come to life. As the sun rose so did the
proprietors and shoppers in search of this morning’s ingredients or their breakfast.

The market came to a ubrupt standstill as voice came over an apparent loudspeaker
system throughout the market speaking something in Thai while everyone stopped
what they were doing and had a moment of silence. As soon as the voice ended they
returned to their hurried stocking of produce, meats, and spices.

We took several laps around the market trying to find the best thing to try first. We
finally found ourselves at a stall that sold fried pork bits, Chiang Mai Sausage, and an
amazing chili sauce that complimented both perfectly.
While eating our second round of pork and sausage we saw a gentleman with an SLR
taking pictures of his food as he was buying it and with a quick introduction Arie
from Malaysia was seated at our table and we were sharing his sticky rice.

He gave us some great advice to rent a scooter for the day. For the equivalent of $5
we could rent one for 24 hours. It seemed to be our best option as tuk-tuk rides
were beginning get expensive and the freedom offered by having our own transport
was too good to pass up.

On the walk back to our hotel we found a scooter dealer of off the main road that
had just opened up. With two hundred dollar bills exchanged as deposits we
grabbed our helmets and powered into Chiang Mai traffic to explore the city.

Driving in Thailand was one of the most harrowing adventures in my life. The
scooters outnumber the cars 3 to 1 and deftly maneuver between traffic as the
larger cars, tuk tuks, trucks, and buses act mostly as if they are not there. One has to
be cautious as well as aggressive to effectively navigate the streets of Thailand.

The important thing to remember while driving scooters through the crowded
streets of Chiang Mai is that they drive on the opposite side of the road as compared
to the U.S. This took some serious adjustment on my part and quickly became a
problem. It took two turns before I found myself driving directly into traffic. I
quickly darted to the side escaping with no more than some angry Thai drivers and
a dose of adrenaline.

In fulfillment of one of my major goals in traveling through Thailand, we took the

scooters up into the mountains stopping first at park and waterfall then on to
lookout points where we could see for miles across the span of Chiang Mai.

It was Sunday early afternoon and the park was filled with Thai’s enjoying the day
with their families or boyfriends and girlfriends eating, drinking, playing the water
and generally having a good time with the backdrop of some spectacular scenery.

From there we rode higher challenging our scooters to keep up on the incline until
we reached a lookout post where we could easily see all of Chiang Mai and beyond.

It wouldn’t be Thailand without a food vendor anywhere people congregate and this
was no exception – there was a crepe stand at the lookout post serving an
interesting mix of sweet and savory.

I had a banana and chocolate that was crunchy, sweet, and delicious. Jorge had a
savory crepe filled with shredded dried pork, chili paste, seasonings, and a trio of
spicy sauces that took his to the opposite spectrum from mine.
After taking in the views and finishing our crepes we set off for the steep decline
back into town.