One Last Time in Chiang Mai

It was a third time in Chiang Mai and it started to feel a lot like home and Chiang Mai treated us like it we were home. I woke up early with plans to take a cooking class but was inconvenienced by a parking ticket on my motorbike.

The ticket was accompanied by a chain which ruined my plan of ignoring it. Apparently the perfectly nice spot we parked our bikes during the day was not a spot to store a bike overnight. Luckily a trip to the traffic station and a reasonable fine freed our bikes.

After unlocking our bikes an aimless ride brought us to a waterfall. While exploring we stumbled upon an American studying in Thailand. He told us if we kept riding we would reach Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, one of the holiest temples in Thailand. Legend claims a white elephant carrying a relic to Buddha trumpeted three times and dropped dead at the temple site. The ride to the temple brought us winding up a mountain. We took a few scenic stops to look down on the city of Chiang Mai.

After riding to the top and climbing 306 steps we had made it.

The view from the temple was spectacular.

Everywhere in Thailand we had seen advertisements for local Muy Thai fights. We bought tickets on the street and were ushered down a alley. The alley opened up to a boxing ring sorrounded by bars. It felt like some sort of underground boxing ring but it was legitimate for Thailand, I think.

Two middle school aged kids entered the ring for the first fight. It was a little unsettling to see how young they were but I was in no position to stop them. One of the fighters had a prefight ritual/taunt which included a bunch of choreographed moves ending with a look over his shoulder and head nod at his opponent. The taunts weren’t enough to intimidate his opponents. A kick to the chest sent him down and ended the fight.

As the night went on the fighters got bigger and the punches and kicks got harder. It was clear there was a lot of respect between the fighters. After each knockout they were genuinely considered and checked to see if their opponent was alright.

Sometime during our stay in Chiang Mai we had decided we were going to Malaysia. Tickets were purchased for Kuala Lumpar the capital city. We didn’t know much about Malaysia or previously have plans to visit it but the best way to learn is through experience.