Bangkok, Pai and Chiang Mai (Thailand): big toe injured, sunny X-Mas and amazing food

14 December - 6 January 2011

After my terrible trek in Vietnam, I flew to Bangkok to visit my relatives: my aunt, uncle and 4 cousins. That was my third time in Bangkok. Back to the modernity with shopping malls everywhere.
When I got there, my big toe still hurt a lot so my aunt immediatly took me to the hospital and when the doctor saw it, he said "We must take your nail out! Now!" and without waiting for a response or reaction from me, the nurse took a big plier and just pull my nail out... I screamed like I never did in the entire life, I think that was the worst torture ever!

The consequences were that I couldn't walk for a week and had to rest at home... and that I could not go swimming or go to the beaches for at leat 1.5 month. Terrible news as I already planned to go to Indonesia in January for the beautiful beaches in Bali. What a disappointment...
The good news is that I could spend more time with my family. So all we did for a week is eat, eat and eat. What a surprise isn't it? But i have to admit that the food in Thailand is really amazing.
I couldn't really walk but my cousin managed to take me out with her friends' by car.

After one week, my foot didn't hurt anymore and I could walk again so I decided to go to the Northern part of Thailand, in Pai and Chiang Mai.

Pai is a small town located near the Myanmar border. The town is famous for its stunning landscapes as it is located in the mountains. It is also known as the city where you do nothing... well there are lots of different activities but let's say that they are not very physical like massages, manicures-pedicures, cooking classes, chilling out in cafes, smoking marijuana, ...
You can also meet lots of people interested in reggae, every year there is the Reggae Festival in Pai. It is very funny to see Thai people with the look of Bob Marley.

I stayed 2 days in Pai in a tiny bungalow with a riverview, it was very quiet and relaxing especially because during the day, it was almost 30 degrees. After spending 1 week in Bangkok, it really felt good. The first day, I walked around, met a Korean girl, had a thai massage and ate some great food at the night market. Then the second day, I booked a private tour with my Korean new friend and a Canadian guy. We went to see the morning mist (clouds in the mountains) which were really breathtaking. We also went to visit the Longneck Women willage. It was weird to visit the village and take pictures of those women but everytime we did it, we bought something from their little shops... I ended up with lots of small souvenirs that I didn't need at all...

For Christmas eve, we (the Canadian guy, the Korean girl and a couple of South Africa) decided to have western food so we went to a steak house. I got a chicken steak with french fries, mushroom soup and green salad. It was delicious and it was definitely my cheapest Christmas dinner, 3,1 euros! It was my first Chirstmas with strangers but I had a good time with them. Memorable Chirstmas Eve, for sure!

The next day I left Pai for Chiang Mai where I was meeting one cousin. We spent the day eating, shopping and visiting temples.
The day after, another cousin came to meet us. All together we visited all the must-see in Chiang Mai: the Bhuping Palace, Doi Sothep, Sunday Market and some other temples.
The thai massage was also part of the must-do program. For 150 baht (a little bit less than 4 euros), we enjoyed a real thai massage.

We also met other Thai friends of my cousin there. And with Thai people, all we do is eat, shop and take pictures. It was really fun tough.

After almost 1 week in Pai and Chiang Mai, it was time to come back to Bangkok, especially because my cousins had to work.


Next stop: Yangoon (Myanmar)