Before moving on to Sri Lanka, we really must tie up the loose ends from Thailand. You have already read about our encounter with elephants and birds, so here are a few more experiences which we would like to remember.
From Siem Reap, Cambodia, we took the bus to Bangkok, and then the night train from Bangkok north to Chiang Mai. We wondered whether this was the right decision because the reviews had been very mixed. However, to us it was another fun adventure and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We also took the night sleeper back to Bangkok before flying out to Colombo.
The Saturday night market was a lot of fun to stroll through and the street food was great. But the highlight was a 1/2-hour foot massage. Ahhh!
A few days later we treated ourselves to a full body massage at a parlor run by former women prisoners. We were pummeled and turned into pretzels and it was great.
We so enjoyed our cooking class in Siem Reap, Cambodia that we also took a class in Chiang Mai to see if Thai cooking would feel much different. We were surprised at the amount of salt used, but got repeated demonstrations of the necessary balance between sweetness, saltiness, and spiciness. Our cooking teacher explained that because it is so hot in Thailand and people sweat a lot, the food can be a lot spicier (makes you sweat to cool you down) and have a lot more salt and sugar to replace what is lost by sweat.
Click here for video with our teacher
And lastly, we were fortunate to be in Chiang Mai for the Loi Krathong (“to float a basket”) festival. It takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar. Our lovely host Joy took us out to dinner and also purchased a floating basket for us, which we launched saying a quiet prayer for peace on Earth. This year the festival also coincided with the the Yi Peng festival, which celebrates the full moon in the second month of the Lanna lunar calendar. It is celebrated by the launching of hundreds of sky lanterns. These are made from rice paper, stretched over a bamboo or wire frame, to which a candle or fuel cell is attached. When lit, the lantern is filled with hot air and at the right moment you let it go so that it sails up into the sky. Together these festivals provided for a magical evening with lanterns flowing down the river and ascending to the heavens.
With our host Joy
Launching with a prayer
Lanterns above Chiang Mai
Click for lantern launching video
Green Edges 