Chiang Mai, Oh Mai!

For our first school break of the year Tyler and I uncharacteristically veered away from the beaches and headed for the hills, first landing in the mountains surrounding, then in the city of Chiang Mai, Thailand. As word-of-mouth reviews go, Chiang Mai was scoring off the charts, and the promise of cool, fresh mountain air was something our haze-huffing hurting lungs were looking for.

We spent the first couple of days outside the city in a very quiet, very green villa at the base of the mountains. Although the cool mist rolled around and it drizzled the entire time, we were happier than Ned Flanders on a fog-walk. Books were read (for an entertaining read check out The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair), naps were taken and misadventures were found on the ol' two-wheelers. Tyler and I have a knack for biting off more than we can chew about an hour before nightfall...As if the bicycle breakdown and good samaritan curbside service wasn't an indication that we should cut our tour short, we continued the wobbly ride to a roadside resty. After having an amazing Thai basil and chili ridden claypot and beer (which only later added to the comedy of errors), we struck off on our way home...but which way was home? Despite the impressive display of fireflies doing their best to light the way, rice paddies and jungle tend to all look the same after dark.

After spending a couple days in the mountains we headed back into the city where we continued to chill out, which is so incredibly easy to do in Chiang Mai. Again we were loving the drizzle and took the opportunity to buy a sweater (yay!), wandering the old part of the city, popping into temples and cafes. At night we perused the night markets, which were amazing! Yes, for the most part, they were selling merchandise that could be found in any S.E Asian market, but the beautiful thing was no one was yelling at you, no one was touching you, and we could actually fain interest without being immediately asked "You want, how much?" We were more than happy to spend the evenings strolling, getting refitted for tailored clothing, ducking in for a massage er two and watching Muay Thai of varying degrees and quality in venues of equal of lesser quality; From 14 year old Thai boys choreographing a fight in a Ladyboy Bar, to a scrappy Westerner getting chirped by the Thai cabbies in a makeshift ring behind a food-court. Entertainment is always easy to come by in Thailand.

I will say that although everything I had heard about Chiang Mai had met and exceeded expectations, I was, with increasing frustration searching for amazing Thai food and coming up short (I'm sure it's everywhere in Chiang Mai, we just weren't hitting the right spots.) So we made it ourselves; We spent an afternoon and evening grinding our own curry pastes, wielding cleavers and working the woks at a great cooking class. The best Pad Thai, coconut sticky rice, tom yam soup, spring rolls and green curry I ate all week came from our own efforts, which was almost worth the wait. If you want a recipe, let me know!

When on the last day we woke up and saw the sun shining, we headed straight for the pool and did not move until it was time to head for the airport. Although sunscreen would have been a responsible choice, we left Chiang Mai super relaxed and ready to head back to KL.

We weren't in KL a week before a crew hit the road to the food-famous island of Penang. Although great food is usually at the forefront of our missions, it was Oktoberfest that drew us in this particular weekend. Having never been to an Oktoberfest (in Germany or otherwise) we thought it was essential that we throw together some sort of German look...and intuition is rarely wrong. Admittedly, there was a split-second of self-doubt when we realized no one else had dressed up, it quickly dissipated as the steins and bratwurst started flowing and the dosey-doe-ing and arm wrestling got a bit out of hand. Overall, a solid, solid night...Followed by an expected lazy, lazy day at the beach. Happy Birthday Bridgey!

And finally, I am so happy to announce, that on the last day of the month, Tyler and I eloped!



Kidding....but it was another great Halloween  filled with ghouls, goblins, witches (good and evil) and this random couple that fell out of the sixties ;)

Railay Beach, Krabi

There is always a reason why the beaten path is so well traveled;  Thailand is a perfect example. When we told friends that we were headed to Krabi, we either got one of two reactions. 1) Ew, Why? or 2) Go straight to Railay Beach. With such consistent reviews, we booked into a resort and headed directly for Railay. Thailand hotspots are always great; they're comfortable, clean and convenient. The food is great, and the cocktail list is extensive.

We left our condo at the ridiculous hour of 4am, but it was all worth it when we found ourselves waiting for a longtailed boat, drinking our lattes beside the Andaman Sea by 8am. As we rounded the shores of Krabi we were in awe of the limestone formations and cliffs jutting up through the sea. It was a picture-perfect, all-too-Thai tourist moment. Again, there's a reason why these places are inundated with tourists (unless you are touring during the rainy season, which I highly recommend).

As it was low-season, we managed to snag a beauty of a bungalow in a nice resort for a decent price (although it seems that we are always willing to spend a bit more on accommodations when we are away for just a few days). For the next four days we were lucky enough to dip in the pool when the emerald green sea was just a bit too tepid, sip on cocktails, and finally got to catch a Muay Thai fight.

Usually we are hard-up to find the odd Canadian rambling around KL amongst crowds of Australians and Brits, but it was Canadian night at Railay Beach. As it was a **slightly younger crowd of travelers, we sat back and watched the pre-fight entertainment including girls and guys volunteering their bras and boxers in exchange for free beers, and an amateur boxing match which concluded with (and I could not make this up) one of the Canadians exclaiming 'It's like I'm wearing a fuckin' parka in here, eh?' There couldn't have been a moment where I was more proudly Canadian. 

 Oh, except for being Canadian in Malaysia right now in light of the au naturel Canucks who are moving mountains (check out the National Post's article). Not caring to take a stance on either side of the debate, I will say this; However oblivious, stereotypical or tacky things can get (we too have had our time to shine), I can say that the Canadians we have run into abroad have, at the very least been harmless, void of ill-intentions and always up for a good time (however misguided that maybe). And for the bad-seeds out there, have some regard for the cultures you've traveled across the world to experience- Just as in retrospect it wasn't cool to peroxide your hair in high school, this too shall pass, Slim Shady. You will return to the real-world and realize you looked and were acting like a tool. Try to save the streaking for the Jays home-opener, eh?

I've digressed... So after a few days of Thai curries and a healthy dose of Canadian-isms, Railay Beach held up to its recommendations. Its got all the great bits there is to love about Thailand compacted into a scenic little peninsula...just enough distance for a cheeky naked mile ;) 

More Phuket, Please.

To ease the hurt of having to get back in the swing of things for another school year, we took advantage of the first weekend back in Malaysia being a long one. Tyler and I hummed and hawed about destinations and flight prices right up until Friday afternoon, booking a flight for later that evening to Phuket, Thailand. This meant that Ty needed to race home at lunch (thank goodness for the 3-hour lunch break on Fridays due to Jumu'ah, the special Friday prayer for Muslims), and pack for the two of us. It also meant the we wore the same outfits for the entire weekend.
While waiting at the airport Starbucks, to my amusement both Hutchy and Danielle ran by, also buying last minute tickets. With the gang haphazardly assembled, we downed a latte and boarded for the quick 50 minute flight.

Since we were only going to be away for a few nights we decided to splash out and stay at a pretty decent resort (opposed to being at the mercy of a budget, and perhaps on the less classy side of things). And stay we did. Still feeling a touch jet lagged from our journey back from Canada, it was a perfect way to relax and get back on Asian time.

We had heard some serious mixed reviews about Phuket, and were pretty curious about the island that everyone seems to have an opinion about. We stayed in the main tourist area, Patong Beach, and from what we saw, we loved it!The beach was clean, the people were friendly, we felt safe and the curries were savory! I do understand that particular recreational activities in Thailand can be off putting to some, but as a crew not looking for seediness and certainly not reading too deeply into the nature of the entertainment business, Phuket at face-value is a ball!

By day we ordered room service and floated around the private pool attached to our room (did I mention we were aiming slightly above our regular budg?)Ty and Hutchy spent a day diving, we got spa treatments, hung out at the beach and ate massaman curry every chance we got!By night, we hit the main drag, Soi Bangla where the possibilities are endless. With the typical night market for dinner, fire shows, karaoke and street performers, the Chang beer, buckets and comedic situations were flowing.

Spending three days in Phuket was long enough to relax and see the lights of Patong Beach. Spending three days in Phuket was also short enough to ensure we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for flight sales. Until the next weekender, Phuket!