Chiang Mai by Bicycle

I decided to rent a bicycle. I wasn't quite ready to try a motorbike in Chiang Mai traffic. Even a pedal bike was intimidating at first: getting out of the old city is a nightmare. Chiang Mai's old city is a walled-in square mile, full of guesthouses, restaurants, and temples. Portions of the old wall, built in 1800, are still standing and the entire square is surrounded by a moat. Yes, just like a castle. But being inside the walls sometimes feels like being trapped in a box. Must. Get. Out!

Getting outside the box is tricky on a bicycle. It involves crossing two busy one-way lanes of traffic on roads where rules either do not exist or are simply not followed. I had to psyche myself up a bit before plunging in, sweating bullets in the heat and actually pulling over once out of exasperation. 

I can do this. I can ride a bike in Chiang Mai. I've jumped out of a plane. I've hitchhiked across western Turkey. I've worked retail. This is not that hard.

Sometimes a little self-assurance is all it takes. I was off into the traffic, white-knuckling it the whole way as motorbikes and cars sped past me. I had a rough idea of my destination: west, towards the university and a forest temple I'd read about. Along the way I stopped to get my bearings and ended up at a large temple complex. Curious, I rode around for a photo and found a monk, dressed in an orange robe and smoking a cigarette. He asked me where I was from.

"USA," I replied.

"Ah, USA. Smoke?" He said and offered me the cigarette. 

This gesture was perplexing for a couple reasons. First, I was being offered a cigarette by a monk. This doesn't happen every day, at least in my experience. Second, there was the assumption that as an American, surely I was a smoker. Or that's how it came across at the time. In retrospect he was probably just being nice and didn't have any preconceived notions whatsoever about the smoking habits of American citizens. 

I declined, of course, and we attempted to converse but had very few common words between us. He finished his cigarette and walked off towards the temple, leaving a storm in his wake.

                                  

I wasn't expecting a storm. The forecast said cloudy and hot with a chance of thunder in the evening, but it was midday. A fierce wind kicked up, blowing hot, dry dust up from the street and into my face. Locals took shelter in their homes, holding a bandana or shirt over their noses and mouths. I had only my bicycle. Better find shelter fast.

Squinting into the dust, I pedaled slowly around to the temple's entrance. There, another orange-clad monk wielding an enormous digital SLR camera was taking photos of the havoc and debris. I smiled, pondering my own ignorance of modern Buddhist practice in Thailand. Monks smoke and own smartphones and cameras. They're human. 

I found shelter at an overpriced coffee shop with wifi, AC, and a toilet. Perfect. I Skyped with my sister and waited for the storm to pass. By this time it was raining quite heavily, a tropical thunderstorm out of nowhere. I wasn't about to ride in it. 

Back on the road an hour later, I headed straight for Wat U-Mong, a forest temple. Ever since playing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as a kid, I've secretly hoped to visit a real-life forest temple. U-Mong did not disappoint.

                               

I chained my ride to a tree and set off to the temple on foot, removing my flip-flops before entering. The temple is comprised of a network of brick-lined tunnels said to be built around 1380. Ancient. Above these tunnels a large, impressive stupa presides over the complex. I explored the grounds and ended up at a lake surrounded by hundreds of hungry pigeons. 

On the way back I purchased an ice-cold water bottle at 7-11. I placed it in the basket above my front wheel, thinking it was better off there than weighing down my backpack. Wrong. Speeding down the highway on my bicycle with newly gained confidence, I hit a bump in the road and the bottle flew out into traffic. Oops. I'm sure someone hit the bottle and it exploded, but I was moving too quickly to turn back for a look. I had only taken a couple sips and was waterless once again. Major bummer.

Water woes aside, I was having a great time. I stopped by Chiang Mai University for some more water and a few selfies, then pedaled back into the old town.

For dinner I met a Couchsurfing acquaintance, Laury. She'd heard of this great vegetarian restaurant called Cooking Love and recommended we go there without any knowledge of my self-imposed dietary restrictions. Perfect!

Cooking Love's tofu fried rice was among the best meals I've had in Thailand. I highly recommend the place. After dinner we went to an Irish pub for a beer. I was disappointed to see that Guiness cost twice as much as domestic brews, but wasn't at all surprised. I begrudgingly ordered a Chang, sat down, had a beer and felt sorry for myself (not really).

Laury and I met a French girl at the bar, Rosianne. We got to chatting about plans in Thailand and the girls decided to meet up the next day for a tour. I was leaving for Pai the next day and couldn't join them, but agreed to meet Rosianne in Pai later that week. Little did I know that several days later I'd be cruising up the highway on motorbikes with Rosianne, Sergio, and another character you'll soon meet. This is the backpacker life, where strangers become instant friends. This is Thailand.