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Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai cooking class; Loi Krathong celebrations in Mae Jo, Sansai

By Mithun Divakaran
/
May 25, 2011
/
Chiang Mai, Thailand, Travel

Date: 20th November 2010

At 9am, I got picked up by a songthaew from The Chiang Mai Thai Farm Cooking School, the cooking class I had signed up for.

I chose Thai Farm Cooking Class as supposed to the few that were in walking distance from Rux Thai because after viewing their website, it was the setting that convinced me to go far just to learn how to cook Thai curry.

Chiang Mai songthaew ride — My group consisted of a British couple, an American woman, a bunch of French women, a young German girl and one Indian guy (guess who)

The farm was out of Chiang Mai city but after picking up all the guests, our first stop was at a market.

Chiang Mai Nattaya Phothaphun Thai Farm cooking class guide — Nattaya, our cooking instructor and guide around the market

The market stop was to familiarize us with ingredients commonly used in Thai cooking — which to a South Indian wasn’t unheard of.

Chiang Mai market cooking class guide rice varieties — Nattaya explaining us the varieties of rice

Chiang Mai market Thai green red curry paste — Ready-made green and red paste, used in the curries

After Nattaya ran us through the basics, she gave us around 10 minutes to look around the market.

Chiang Mai sweet dumplings — Sweet dumplings

Chiang Mai market fresh food — How they are made

Chiang Mai meat market plastic bag fans — I was amused by the fans they used — plastic bags with meat & bones in them as the fan blades

Chiang Mai fish market seafood — Despite being in land-locked North Thailand, you still get good seafood in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai market pink eggs — Upon web research, these pink eggs are preserved eggs apparently

We re-grouped and left for the cooling class farm.

Getting to Thai farm cooking class Chiang Mai — The journey takes around 45 minutes from Chiang Mai city

Once at the farm, we were given a brief tour of the surroundings.

Thai Farm cooking class Chiang Mai group — Two group classes are taken every day (while the cat, just sleeps)

Thai farm cooking class Chiang Mai setup — Nattaya setting up our ‘kitchen’

Thai Farm Cooking class Nattaya how to wash rice — Nattaya first explained to us how to wash rice

Thai Farm Cooking class Nattaya washing rice — She was washing the rice in the steam basket itself

Thai Farm Cooking class making rice — Steam cooking the rice

While the sticky rice cooked, Nattaya guided us out to the farm they have in the compound, in which they grow a lot of the ingredients we use in the cooking classes.

Thai farm cooking class Chiang Mai plant — Sorry, don’t remember what this plant was but all I remember is that it’s an important ingredient in Thai cooking

Thai farm cooking class table Chiang Mai Thailand — We all get individual tables of course

Thai Farm Cooking class Mithun Divakaran — …and aprons (Photo taken by the German girl next to me)

Prior to even arriving at the farm, you are given a checklist of 5 dishes you want to learn how to cook. For eg; you have the option to choose to make either Thai green curry or red curry or yellow curry. Similar options for a soup, side dish, spring rolls and dessert. The choices include vegetarian and non-vegetarian (usually chicken or shrimp).

Thai Farm cooking class getting started — All ready to chop up and mash

Thai Farm cooking class grinding stone — The old Thai lady wasn’t too impressed by the old French lady’s mashing skills, so she showed her how to pound a grinding stone the right way!

Thai Farm cooking class chicken green curry ingredients — First up for me, Thai green curry (chicken)

I followed Nattaya’s instructions and 25 minutes later…

Thai farm cooking class chicken green curry Chiang Mai — It wasn’t bad I say 😉

Thai farm cooking class Tom Yam soup ingredients — Next, Tom Yam soup (I chose to use tofu)

After that, I made stir-fried chicken with cashew nuts (Gai Phad Met Mamuang Him Mapaan). And once that was done, it was lunch time!

But as we all gathered around our table, we passed around each of our dishes, so everybody could try out the different dishes one learned to make at Thai Farm Cooking Class. After lunch, we chatted about our respective travels within Thailand and elsewhere. I asked some of them if they had plans to see the mass-release of the khom loys or paper lanterns at Mae Jo. Most of them didn’t know what I was talking about, which was surprising, as I assumed the event was a major draw in Chiang Mai, and everyone knew about it.

I wanted further information about the event and specifically, when exactly it was. And since finding English-speaking Thais is a bit of rarity, I approached Nattaya and asked her if she knew about the events at Mae Jo. She told me she wasn’t sure about when it was but did let me know that she would ask our driver, as he’s better informed about these things.

We still had two more dishes to cook up but Nattaya told us we could take a nap or walk around the property if wanted to. I chose to walk.

Thai farm cooking class Chiang Mai panorama — Panorama comprised of 10 shots

Thai farm cooking class Chiang Mai lazy sleepy cat — As if they weren’t lazy enough… a cat in a cooking class!

After a half-an-hour long break, Nattaya called us back in.

Thai farm cooking class bananas coconut milk — We cooked dessert. I made Kluai Bod Chii (Banana in coconut milk)

The desserts were fairly simple and easy, and quite similar to the ‘payasams’ we make in South India — so nothing unique in taste for me.

Thai farm cooking class spring rolls ingredients — Last up, spring rolls

Thai farm cooking class Chiang Mai rice paper — The big difference between the spring rolls commonly available in India and the ones I made was the use of rice paper

Any Far-East Asian reading this will be like: “Of course it’s rice paper!” but here in India, a lot of the Chinese food isn’t the least bit authentic. So instead of rice paper, a lot of them use wrappings made of wheat or maize dough. The crispness you get from using rice paper makes it taste all the better!

With each of our 5 dishes done, we sat around our table one last time for evening tea and had a bit of what we had cooked last. I say a ‘bit’ because most of us were full from our lunch not too long ago, and so we packed up our dishes for later consumption.

Thai farm cooking class Chiang Mai washing area — We were done with all our cooking by 3pm

Thai farm cooking class Chiang Mai cat sleeping rocks — Sigh, what a life

As it neared 4pm, we left the farm and made our way back to Chiang Mai. Nattaya told the driver to stop on the way and show me where the Mae Jo celebrations would be, because apparently it was close by from here.

Fifteen minutes later, we reach a junction and Nattaya along with the driver got down to show me where the Mae Jo celebrations will be held tonight!

Way to Mae Jo university grounds — That’s where I needed to go

I asked the driver what time the event would be and he told me it would be around 7pm onwards.

Chiang Mai highway 1001 Thailand — The main highway leading into Chiang Mai city

I got dropped back at Rux Thai at around 5pm. I had the bike I rented yesterday returned to the travel agent. I contemplated keeping it for one more day so that I could ride to Mae Jo on it but considering the distance, I didn’t want to risk losing my way in the dark.

I freshened up, re-packed my bag with all my camera equipment and quickly made my way out again. This was the main event, what I came for! I wasn’t going to miss it!

I hired a tuk tuk who offered to wait there at Mae Jo and then drop me back, all for 500 baht.

Chiang Mai highway to Mae Jo traffic — As it neared 6pm, traffic was slowly starting to pile up

Chiang Mai highway to Maejo cars — It seemed as though everybody was on their way to Mae Jo

Traffic jam Maejo Loi Krathong Yi Peng festival tourists — The road leading up the ground was jammed

Traffic jam Maejo Loi Krathong Yi Peng festival — Took over half an hour to get to the end of this stretch

By the time I did reach the parking area, I got down and stored the driver’s number. He told me he would find a spot to park and asked to call just as I’m on my way back out.

Maejo sausage stand Sansai grounds — It didn’t look like a major site where thousands had gathered to release lanterns

Maejo Sansai way to Yee Peng celebrations ground — It was pitch dark with no street lights

Thai crowd walking to Maejo grounds — But I just followed the crowd assuming everybody was heading to the same place

Mae Jo lanterns in sky crowd — It looked like I had a bit to walk

Maejo Khom Loy for sale — The crowds slowly started to grow

Mae Jo Sansai boys Khomloy lanterns Loi Krathong — From here on, people were lighting lanterns everywhere

Maejo Sansai krathongs for sale — Krathrongs for sale

Maejo sansai Loi Krathong grounds parking — Lots of vehicles parked on the other side

Maejo Sansai pork sausages vendor — Lots of pork sausages on sale too!

Loi Krathong Maejo grounds Khomloys crowd — I stopped when a saw a large gathering of people (mostly tourists) lighting the lanterns

Maejo sansai Loi Krathong khomloys — ‘Khom Loy’ is what these paper lanterns are called in Thai

Maejo panda khomloy lantern Yi Peng Thailand — You get fairly cute varieties of lanterns too

Maejo house roof fire khomloy burning — Unfortunately, what goes up, eventually comes burning down

Mae jo roof on fire lantern — And if you have a house near these grounds, you probably dread this festival every year

Maejo sansai tourists lanterns vendors — I moved along further down the road in search of the temple grounds

Maejo Yi Peng lanterns tree — Some will get stuck on a tree

Chiang Mai Mae Jo Loi Krathong Khomloys — The tourist crowds just kept getting bigger

Sansai Maejo Yi Peng khomloy lantern full moon night — It was a perfect full moon night in Chiang Mai

Lantern firecrackers Maejo Chiang Mai Loi Krathong Thailand — Some people attach firecrackers to the lanterns

Steamed rice cakes momos Maejo Chiang Mai — If I wasn’t distracted by the lanterns in the sky, I would be with all the food on the ground

Maejo Loi Krathong crowds towards grounds — I kept moving forward

Maejo Yi Peng burning lanterns khomloys sky — An attempt by a group of tourists to attach and send many up at the same time… not always successful 🙂

Maejo Loi Krathong crowds Thais burnt khomloy — This one didn’t even make it off the ground

Maejo lantern stuck tree Chiang Mai Loy Krathong — If it isn’t trees…

Lantern stuck electric line post Maejo Loi krathong — …it’s an electric line

Maejo Chiang Mai crowds celebrating Loi Krathong — Switched to the 70-200 lens for a bit

Lighter lantern wick Khomloy Loi Krathong — The clarity you get out of this lens is simply amazing

Donuts baked sweets vendor Maejo Thailand — Yum

Soon after I took this photo, and just I was starting to move further, I heard a large crowd cheer in the distance. Everybody looks up…

…thousands of lanterns in the sky!

They released it!!

I couldn’t believe it, I missed it!

I start to run, but so do the others… all of us eventually stalling at a point where there were just too many people. I knew I had to capture something, so I quickly swapped my 70-200 for the wide angle lens!

Thousand lanterns khomloy at MaeJo Chiang Mai — Waited months for this moment… and I couldn’t be there early enough 🙁

Maejo lanterns Loi Krathong Chiang Mai — I couldn’t shoot in auto-focus, so I shot in manual — in such a rushed state of mind

Maejo Khomloys tree leaves shadow — In the few seconds I had before the lanterns were out of sight, I tried clicking as many as I could

I forced my way through the crowds, through the sides, apologizing and excusing myself along the way.

I was desperate to get in to the main grounds no matter what, hoping there would be another launch soon after.

Loy Krathong Yi Peng Khom Loy lanterns — “Jellyfish in the sky”

Maejo grounds big lantern Yi Peng celebrations Chiang Mai — I finally managed to get into the site of the launch

Mae Jo Yi Peng lantern release celebrations — But it was a lost cause. It was over.

I was gutted!

So as the many inside stood smiling, content with what they were a part of, I stood there glum. Disappointed and upset. The frustrating part was that I was so close! Had I walked 5 minutes earlier, I could have made it to the main grounds just in time for the big release.

But it was all over. Everybody was on their way out, and there wasn’t anything else for me to do besides join them.

Maejo grounds people leaving Yi Peng sansai river stream — But getting all the way back was going to take some time

Maejo Sansai Loi Krathong crowd leaving — There were over 20,000 people here

As I walked past the spots I spent watching people light their lanterns, I couldn’t help but feel even more frustrated at having spent too much time clicking them.

I even met tourists and other other photographers who invited me to join them. It looked like so much fun, and I was very keen to join them… but I told them I wanted to ‘head on’.

Maejo Sansai Loi Krathong fireworks celebrations — But as Yi Peng celebrations officially began, I was in no mood for any fun

It took me nearly 40 minutes to slowly walk all the way back my tuk tuk. As soon as the driver saw me, he asked me in his broken English, gesturing with his hands whether I saw the big release and got good photos. I shrugged, and said: “Hmmm…”

Leaving Maejo Sansai Yi Peng tuk tuk — It was going to be another long journey back

I came wearing just shorts and a tee, because it was quite hot during the day. But the journey back proved to be rather chilly since I was in a rickshaw, and I tried my best to avoid getting cold.

Ping river bridge lit up crowds Yee Peng — I asked the tuk tuk driver to drop me near Ping River

The events at Mae Jo kicked off Loi Krathong celebrations in Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai krathongs in Ping river — The next two days will see Ping river filled with krathongs

Yi Peng celebrations Chiang Mai Ping river steps — The river banks on either side were brim with people

Loi Krathong celebrations Chiang Mai ping river bank firework — (That is a camera’s flash and a firework going off at the same time)

As people flocked to Ping river, I headed the other way, back to my room.

Today was a long day. One that started with high hopes and sadly for me, ended on quite a low. To add insult to injury, I could feel my body start to heat up a bit and I feared it was due to the cold breeze I had to endure on the ride back from Sansai. The thought of falling sick lowered my spirits further.

For dinner, I had the left over spring rolls and the banana dessert I made during the cooking class. I was in no mood to eat something better. Took a hot bath and went to bed, disappointed.

P.S: For those who are wondering why it was such a the BIG freakin’ deal for me to not be a part of the launch of thousands of lanterns from the Lanna Dhutanka temple, watch this video (preferably in HD). The ‘moment’ starts at 1:46.

Next posts in this series:

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai Loi Krathong celebrations; first Grand Parade

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai Zoo (Day 4, Part 1)

Thailand 2010: Last day of Loi Krathong; Sunday Grand Parade (Day 4, Part 2)

Thailand 2010: Heading to Chiang Rai by bus, Wat Jedyod and Golden Clock Tower

Thailand 2010: Golden Triangle in Mae Sai; Chiang Rai’s White Temple (Wat Rong Khun)

Thailand 2010: Pattaya — Beach road, Viewpoint, Jomtien Beach, Walking Street

Thailand 2010: Back to Bangkok — Chinatown, Patpong, Platinum Mall and Chatuchak Market

Thailand 2010: Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha, Sampeng Market, JJ market (again)

Thailand 2010: Damnoen Saduak Floating Market tour, Cobra show… and leaving Bangkok

Previous posts in this series:

Thailand 2010: First day in Chiang Mai for Loi Krathong; driving up Doi Suthep

Thailand 2010: Arriving in Bangkok and preparing for Loi Krathong in Chiang Mai

Mythology Thai creature lantern Chiang Mai Loi Krathong decorations

Thailand 2010: First day in Chiang Mai for Loi Krathong; driving up Doi Suthep

By Mithun Divakaran
/
May 19, 2011
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Chiang Mai, Thailand, Travel

Date: 19th November 2010

I arrived in Chiang Mai bus station at around 7am and took a taxi to get to Rux Thai Guesthouse which cost ฿80 (Rs. 118/$2.6/€1.8). Rux Thai is a place I stayed last year as well. It’s located just off Loi Kroh road, which is essentially Chiang Mai’s tourist-filled area with the Thapae Gate at one-end and Ping River at the other.

Since I was going to be spending 3 to 4 nights, they gave me a room I requested on the ground floor (because they don’t have a lift) for ฿450 as supposed to the rack rate of ฿490 (Rs. 700/$16/€11) — which includes Wi-Fi. No breakfast included, but they have a restaurant on the ground floor which offers a decent menu at reasonable prices.

Rux Thai restaurant American breakfast Chiang Mai — American breakfast costs ฿90 (Rs.133/$3/€2)

After a hot shower, I took a nap as I barely got any sleep in the bus (as is the norm for me in any bus journey). I got up as it neared lunch time, unpacked and took out all the camera equipment I had bought.

Camera equipment Sirui tripod Canon lens — Credit card abuse for 2010

Though I did test out the Canon 70-200mm f2.8 lens and the tripod before I purchased them, I didn’t get to play around with them as much as I wanted.

Canon 7d 70-200 lens Sirui tripod ballhead test — The tripod & ball head can easily handle the weight of the Canon 7D and the lens

Rux Thai hotel lamp Chiang Mai — My first shot with the Canon 70-200

I loaded the equipment into my backpack and left the room at around 2pm.

Thai Kitchen Cookery Centre Vipa house Chiang Mai — This is Loikroh Lane 1 Road

Other budget hotels on this lane are Centerplace Guesthouse, where you get single rooms starting from 200 baht onwards. Vipa House (the one with yellow board pictured above) is right next to Centerplace and is priced about the same as Rux Thai. (Maybe I should check out Vipa next time).

Though there was a cookery class near Rux Thai, I had already booked myself into another cooking class (which was one of the things I would be doing in Chiang Mai).

I crossed Loi Kroh road and walked pointlessly through the alleyways on the other side.

Chiang Mai bicycles for rent dog — Lazing in the afternoon

Chiang Mai Wat Saen Fang temple Thapae gate — Wat Saen Fang (‘wat’ is Thai for ‘temple’)

Dirt bike rentals Chiang Mai Thapae road — You can rent these

Kawasaki superbike for rent Chiang Mai — But the more sexy the bike looks, the more expensive they are to rent

Thapae gate road fountain Chiang Mai — I walked all the way around and got to Kotchasarn Road

I chose to eat lunch at the same cosy small eatery I ate at last year.

Chiang Mai Food & Drink restaurant Thapae road — Run by a mother and daughter duo

Chiang Mai small eatery cheap food — It’s inexpensive and the food is good

Chiang Mai rice seafood dry meal Thailand — Spicy prawns and calamari with rice, ฿40 (Rs. 60/$1.3/€1)

After lunch, I rented a moped from the travel agent in front of Vipa House and decided to go on a drive around Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai Marijuana store Thailand — I highly doubt it

Chiang Mai canal Thapae gate road — I parked on the other side to click a few photos

Yi Peng festival announcement Billboard Chiang Mai — The poster (I’m guessing) was confirming that Loy Krathong celebrations were definitely November 20th to 22nd this year

Though, I did ask around to find out when exactly the release of the hundreds of lanterns at once was going to be. From research online, I did learn that the event was something that is held at some University grounds at a place called Mae Jo, but when I asked the people at Rux Thai, they weren’t sure about anything. (Communication is a bit of an issue in Thailand, despite how touristy this country is)

Chiang Mai gate Thailand — Chiang Mai gate

Chiang Mai Thapae gate floats — They had floats in the canals which children were riding and jumping off of

Chiang Mai city canal fountains — I got back on my bike and moved on

I planned to ride up Doi Suthep on the outskirts of the city, which wasn’t too far away. The route is quite simple really, plus I had done last year. Chiang Mai city isn’t as complex as say, Bangkok. As I got towards the road leading up to Doi Suthep hill, I stopped again to take photographs.

Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University Chiang Mai campus — The name of this place? Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University (try saying that fast)

I wanted to drive up the hill as I loved the ride last year. I wasn’t planning to drive all the way up to the temple, just up until the last view point before the temple.

Doi Suthep hill national park temple — Stopped at a small temple on the way

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep national park observation deck — There’s a small waterfall up here

Doi Suthep hill pro-cycling Chiang Mai — Doi Suthep is very popular among speed cyclists

Doi Suthep hill bike riders Chiang Mai — Bikers, cars, superbikes… you’ll see everybody enjoying the ride

This was my ride (฿200 for 24 hours)

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep cyclists — It was starting to get dark

Doi Suthep hill road corner turning panorama — Panorama comprised of 10 shots

It was at this hairpin bend that the viewpoint was located.

Doi Suthep hill view Chiang Mai sunset — You can’t actually see the sun set from this side

I set up the tripod because I knew I would be pitch dark soon.

Chiang Mai Doi Suthep full moon vertical panorama — It was a full moon

Chiang Mai full moon Thailand — Shot at 200mm & cropped

As it neared 7pm, I packed up and left the viewpoint. I drove back down and this time, I took my jacket with me… because last year, I froze! 🙂

Once back in the city, I parked on the side when I saw some beautiful decorations in front of Saun Dok Gate .

I headed back to Loi Kroh road.

After parking the bike in front of the hotel, I stepped out again, this time choosing to go by foot.

Chiang Mai Loi Kroh road Thailand — Walked down Loi Kroh road

Le Meridien Loi kroh road Chiang Mai Thailand — If you want your 5-star fix, there is Le Meridien

Changklan road restaurants Chiang Mai Thailand — At the end of Loi Kroh is Changklan road

Changklan road traffic Chiang Mai Thailand — Plenty of restaurants, hotels and stores here

Night bazaar clothes Chiang Mai — I walked to Chiang Mai’s night bazaar

Anusarn market Chiang Mai seafood restaurant — Plenty of good seafood restaurants here

Chiang Mai night market panorama — The night market sells the usual gamut of clothing, accessories and home decor

I wasn’t hungry and wanted to know where all the major Yi Peng celebrations in Chiang Mai would be. I was told that the major gathering point would be along Ping River.

Chiang Mai night street lamp — I walked away from the bustling crowds near the night market

Chiang Mai full moon night sky lanterns — I could already see lanterns in the sky

Chiang Mai cathedral at night — I ended up taking a turn back to a main road

Chiang Mai night empty streets — To be frank, after 15 minutes of walking, I didn’t know where I was

Ping Nakara boutique hotel spa Chiang Mai — Ping Nakara Boutique Hotel & spa

Wat Chaimongkol temple entrance Chiang Mai night — Walked towards this big temple

Wat Chaimongkol Thai devotees Loi krathong Chiang Mai — Devotees were slowly trickling in to the temple to float Krathongs

As I walked out, I saw a ‘roti’ vendor on the way out and decided to eat something as it was getting late.

Wat Chaimongkol roti vendor Chiang Mai — ‘Roti’ in Thailand is commonly referred to sweet pancake batter filled with banana and other fillings

As I walked back, I realized I took a much longer route as the temple itself was not to far from the night market.

Chiang Mai food garden Anusarn market — I just needed to walk through the food court and come out the other end

Chiang Mai night bridge light decorations — I walked to the bridges over Ping River

Chiang Mai Loi Krathongs ping river bridge Thai boys — Loi Krathong celebrations had already begun… for some

Chiang Mai Loy Krathong firecracker Thai students — Firecrackers are very much a part of the celebrations

Chiang Mai Loi Krathong ping river bridge crowds — I went from one bridge to another

Chiang Mai Loy Krathong Ping river bridge lights — There are several bridges all along Ping River

Chiang Mai Loi Krathong Thai youngsters — Chiang Mai’s youth were all out to enjoy the festivities

Chiang Mai Thais lining streets Loi Krathong — Lined all along the streets snacking, singing and having a few beers with their friends

Chiang Mai Loy Krathong people firecrackers — The banks of Ping river saw its share of revelers too

Chiang Mai Ping river pedestrian bridge night — Moved to another bridge

Chiang Mai Loy Krathong ping river bridge matchbox — No surprises there

Chiang Mai market Loi Krathong flowers on sale — Flowers, lots of flowers

Chiang Mai market Loi Krathong ping river bank — The markets were still bustling at this time

Chiang Mai market snacks for sale — Had to get down to ground level for a closer look

Chiang Mai market Lord Ganesha poster — Switched to the Tamron 28-75 f2.8 lens for the next few shots

Chiang Mai krathongs for sale Thailand — These are ‘krathongs’

Chiang Mai market Krathongs for sale — The base is made using a thick slice of banana plant stem

The Frenchman in the above photo and I got talking, though I don’t remember how the conversation got started. Maybe I was wearing my ‘It’s Football, Not Soccer‘ t-shirt which has my website’s logo at the back and so he gave me his blog’s domain as well.

Chiang Mai meat market Yi Peng festival rush — That is a *lot* of slain pigs

Chiang Mai paper lanterns for sale — Paper lanterns on sale (prices ranges from ฿20 to ฿60 depending on size)

I called it a night after this and headed back to my room.

Chiang Mai Loi Krathong Yi Peng city decorations — Can’t wait to see what the city has in store the next three days

I had my dinner from a rather nice joint on the same lane as Rux Thai. Lovely pork spring rolls and a can of beer (came to ฿200). I hit the sack early because I needed more sleep. Tomorrow was going to be any early morning, for I had to get ready to learn how to make Thai curry!

Next posts in this series:

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai cooking class; Loi Krathong celebrations in Mae Jo, Sansai

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai Loi Krathong celebrations; first Grand Parade

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai Zoo (Day 4, Part 1)

Thailand 2010: Last day of Loi Krathong; Sunday Grand Parade (Day 4, Part 2)

Thailand 2010: Heading to Chiang Rai by bus, Wat Jedyod and Golden Clock Tower

Thailand 2010: Golden Triangle in Mae Sai; Chiang Rai’s White Temple (Wat Rong Khun)

Thailand 2010: Pattaya — Beach road, Viewpoint, Jomtien Beach, Walking Street

Thailand 2010: Back to Bangkok — Chinatown, Patpong, Platinum Mall and Chatuchak Market

Thailand 2010: Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha, Sampeng Market, JJ market (again)

Previous post in this series:

Thailand 2010: Arriving in Bangkok and preparing for Loi Krathong in Chiang Mai

Sukhumvit road Bangkok traffic BTS Skytrain tracks

Thailand 2010: Arriving in Bangkok and preparing for Loi Krathong in Chiang Mai

By Mithun Divakaran
/
May 14, 2011
/
Bangkok, Thailand, Travel

Last November, I decided just a few weeks earlier to go back to Thailand. The main purpose of this trip was to witness the Loi Krathong (or Loy Krathong) festival, one of Thailand’s most beautiful festivals and one that I always wanted to cover. Although it’s a national festival, Thailand still doesn’t get a public holiday for it.

Usually falling in November, I first booked my flights in October via Cleartrip.com which had a really good offer: a return ticket from Thai Airways (direct flight) + 2,000 hotel voucher + 1,000 worth of credit for a Uniconnect Thailand SIM card + an entry to DreamWorld theme park… all for 16,742 ($375/€262). Awesome deal if you ask me!

But, one week prior departure, I won the chance to go see Linkin Park in Abu Dhabi! So I delayed my departure by a few days, and then again after I read Jay Park was going to be performing in Bangkok. I left for Dubai on a Friday early morning and returned to Bangalore late Sunday night. I then went to office on the following Monday and then left for the airport in the evening for my early morning flight on Tuesday!

Inside Thai Airways flight TG325 — The flight wasn’t full, so I had an entire row to myself

Thai Airways flight TG325 inflight chicken meal — The Thai chicken curry meal was yum

Unlike my first visit to Thailand, in which I tried to cover the entire country in 9 days (I did it, but I didn’t quite enjoy the experience), this time around I was only going to focus on North Thailand. Most of my time would be spent in Chiang Mai covering the Yi Ping Festival (as Loi Krathong is called in Chiang Mai), after which I planned to go to Chiang Rai & then a day in Pattaya before heading back to Bangkok.

Arriving Bangkok at dawn — Arrived in Bangkok at dawn

Inside Suvarnabhumi airport Thailand — Hello Suvarnabhumi!

Suvarnabhumi airport Thailand travelator — Sigh, the many travelators you have to cross…

Suvarnabhumi airport Thailand moving walkway — … to finally get to the visa-on-arrival section

Once I did get to the Visa-on-arrival counter, I submitted my form, showed them how much currency I was carrying and got my visa-on-arrival without having to pay the usual ฿1000. After that was customs and then collecting my bags. Last year, I took a taxi from the airport into Bangkok city which cost ฿320 but this time, I decided to take a shuttle bus.

Suvarnabhumi shuttle bus to Bangkok — The private bus going to Sukhumvit cost ฿150 (Rs. 222/$5/€3.5)

Suvarnabhumi airport from afar — That’s Suvarnabhumi airport

Sukhumvit from afar Bangkok Thailand — Getting near Sukhumvit took only 20 minutes

But then, Bangkok’s infamous traffic soon began. And my god did it last long! It took the bus nearly an hour just to get into Sukhumvit road.

I finally got dropped at Nana BTS station. I chose to stay at Thai House Inn, a place where I spent two nights at last year — because it’s 30 seconds walk from the metro station (literally) and its not far from all the malls. I needed to stay here because first on the list of things-to-do was to buy some camera equipment, so I had to have quick access to the shopping centers, especially MBK. Those whole followed my Singapore & Malaysia series must have read that I couldn’t pick up a good camera tripod while I was there. So this time, I just couldn’t go to Chiang Mai without it!

But first, I had to get some sleep! After a whirlwind trip to Dubai and then hopping on to another flight to get to Thailand, my body needed some proper rest.

I got up at lunch time, took the BTS SkyTrain and headed straight to MBK Center, one of my favourite malls in Bangkok.

MBK Center Mahboonkrong mall Bangkok — From Nana, the Siam station is only 3 stops away; costs ฿25

(Here is the map of the BTS service in Bangkok)

MBK houses Fotofile, the store from where I bought my Canon 7D and other accessories last year. Fotofile also manages the official Canon store and two other stores in MBK! List of things to buy included a 70-200 f2.8 lens, another 16GB card, an interval remote, and a good tripod. I went to all of Fotofile’s stores, a BIG Camera branch and jotted down the prices for all that I wanted.

MBK Bangkok food court — I had lunch from the food court which offers a lot of variety (though mostly Asian cuisine & fast food)

I left MBK and thought I’d check out some other stores.

Sukhumvit road Bangkok traffic — The traffic is like this from 8am to 8pm

Ratchaprasong skywalk Sukhumvit BTS bridge — The skywalk bridge connects to a lot of the malls along the Ratchaprasong area

Centralworld mall Bangkok Thailand — I didn’t even step into Centralworld last time

Ratchaprasong pavement Bangkok — I got down from the skywalk

I decided to head to the parallel Petchburi Road where Pantip Plaza is located.

Centralworld Bangkok mall — The side section of Centralworld Mall

Amari Watergate Hotel Bangkok Petchburi road Thailand — Amari Watergate Hotel is located on Petchburi Road

Platinum Fashion Mall shopping Petchburi road Bangkok — Right across Amari Watergate is Platinum Fashion Mall

Platinum Fashion mall Petchburi road Bangkok — Petchburi road is also famous for the Pratunam market area

Pantip Plaza is essentially Bangkok’s equivalent to Singapore’s Sim Lim Square and Kuala Lumpur’s Low Yat Plaza.

Pantip Plaza ground floor shop — Bangkok’s most famous IT mall

I came to Pantip Plaza because none of the camera stores in MBK (and the Siam malls) sold tripods from the brand Vanguard. I had a particular model in mind but even after stepping into pretty much every Pantip Plaza shop that sold camera equipment, none stocked products from Vanguard.

Pantip Plaza ground floor stores — I left Pantip Plaza disappointed

I wanted to try and buy everything I wanted from one store, so that I didn’t have to swipe my card three or four times and incur additional charges for each transactions.

Ratchathewi station empty land Bangkok — I decided to head back to Sukhumvit road

Ratchathewi station graffiti walls Petchburi Bangkok — It was nearing sunset and my body was telling me 4 hours of sleep wasn’t enough

Ratchathewi station platform BTS Bangkok — Ratchathewi station is at the far end of Petchburi road

Sukhumvit traditional Thai dance night — By the time I stepped out of the train, it was already dark. The sun sets rather quickly out here.

Sukhumvit Ratchaprasong skywalk lights Bangkok — I decided to check one last mall before heading back

Centralworld mall interior decor Bangkok Thailand — Centralworld is actually one of the biggest malls in Thailand

Unfortunately, Centralworld was quite badly damaged during last year’s ‘Red t-shirts’ protests and an entire section of the building was off limits because they were renovating it.

I looked up the store directory and saw that BIG Camera had a bigger branch here but unfortunately, it was in the part of the building which was under renovation.

After checking which ever stores were open, I left CentralWorld.

The one good thing I liked about the area I was in is that it’s actually full of Arab visitors, and therefore plenty of businesses exist catering to tourists from the Middle East and Africa.

Bangkok Nana Sukhumvit Arab restaurants — Which meant, plenty of Middle Eastern cuisine for me to eat!

Nana Sukhumvit Dubai center Bangkok Thailand — Yeah, it’s *that* Gulf-y!

I picked up a beef shawarma (฿50) and a drink from a 7-11 and made my way back to my room. I had kept the air conditioner on for a while to ventilate the room and rid it of the Bangkok ‘stench,’ which takes a little getting used to. (The ‘smell’ of Bangkok city is essentially the smell of fish sauce emanating in the air.)

I needed more sleep and I had to wake up early the next day. I assessed all the camera products and all the prices I made a note of. I had to pick up everything tomorrow itself and then leave early enough to get to Mo Chit bus terminal.

Next day

After waking up and breakfast at Au Bon Pain in MBK, I waited for the Fotofile stores to open.

MBK mall bags clothes small stores section Bangkok — Walked around the ‘street market’ stores on the 6th floor to pass time

Fotofile camera equipment store MBK Bangkok Thailand — I picked up an additional 16GB card, the interval remote and an extra battery for the Canon 7D from the Foto Thailand store on the 3rd floor

Fotofile MBK used lenses store Bangkok — Lots of second hand lenses for sale

The telephoto lens I was keen on picking up was the Canon 70-200 f2.8 IS Mark 1. Unfortunately, that model was recently replaced by the newer Mark 2, which was obscenely expensive and thus made finding the Mark 1 a challenge.

So I ended up picking up a brand new Canon 70-200 f2.8 non-IS lens and using the substantial savings to purchase a good tripod instead. I needed one anyway.

Official Canon store MBK collection display Bangkok — I picked up the lens from the official Canon store managed by Fotofile

Canon camera store MBK collection display Bangkok — None of these are for sale, just on display

The Canon store had a few Manfrotto tripods on sale and I considered the Manfrotto 055x Pro B but it was too pricey. I went down to the BIG Camera store and picked up a Sirui tripod for around 7k baht. The model was very good value for money and complimented my newly acquired 70-200 lens well.

With all my shopping done, I went to one of the two main food courts in MBK.

Fifth Food Avenue food court MBK mall Bangkok — Fifth Food Avenue is the name of this food court

Nasi Goreng MBK mall food court Bangkok — I was still on my Malaysia high, so I had Nasi Goreng (although they went overboard with the soy sauce) ฿160

After lunch, I still had some time to kill, so I went to Siam Paragon to find out where the Jay Park concert was going to be held.

Siam Discovery mall interior decor Bangkok — Siam Discovery, which is the older and slightly more wallet friendly mall

Strip Ministry of Waxing Siam Discovery mall Bangkok — Clever ad 🙂

Siam Paragon mall open area Bangkok — Siam Paragon mall is the more posh offering

Krungsri IMAX theatre Siam Paragon Bangkok Thailand — The Royal Paragon Hall was on the top most floor, near the cinemas

Cool gel attack Thai film cinema poster — Hmm, interesting

After finding out where Royal Paragon Hall was, I made my way out.

Audi showroom Siam Paragon Bangkok Thailand — Walked past the luxury car showrooms on the second floor

Lamborghini showroom Siam Paragon Bangkok Thailand — Last year, they had a ‘No Photographs’ sign on the glass

So this time, I went in and got up close to the Lamborghinis. You don’t realize just how big these sexy machines are until you stand next to them. I spoke to the sales girl and I asked her how much the import duties for these cars are and she told me it’s over 100-150%, including the many taxes on these luxuries… making them super-expensive in Thailand. She wouldn’t disclose how many they sell a year but at such prices, I’m guessing not many. I hardly ever saw one on the road in the two trips I’ve made to Thailand.

Once back in my room, I re-packed my bags and checked out. The lady who runs Thai House Inn asked me why I was leaving so early and assured me there would be plenty of buses, but I didn’t want to risk not getting a seat. Going to Chiang Mai early is what I essentially came for.

I took the BTS all the way to till last stop, Mo Chit station, and from there I took a moped taxi (to Mo Chit bus terminal, which caters to North Thailand).

But when I got to the terminal, a lot of the buses to Chiang Mai leaving that night were already full! Especially the luxury buses, and I had to go from one transport company to another to find available seats. Fortunately, I got a ticket in a regular push-back seat bus — it was their last for the night!

Last year I got a seat in a luxury bus which cost me ฿700, for which I just showed up at the station and got my ticket. Of course, the sold-out seats today were due to the Loi Krathong weekend rush. So word of advice, if you want the luxury buses during Loy Krathong weekend, buy the tickets in advance.

Not that the bus I got was bad or anything, it was just one of those regular buses used on overnight long distance journeys, in my case an 8-hour journey.

Bangkok to Chiang Mai bus night journey — A seat costs ฿403 (Rs. 597/$13/€9)

The bus made a rest stop for toilet break and for picking up dinner/snacks. In a few hours, I would arrive at Thailand’s second biggest city, and my second trip to Thailand officially begins!

Next few posts in this series:

Thailand 2010: First day in Chiang Mai for Loi Krathong; driving up Doi Suthep

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai cooking class; Loi Krathong celebrations in Mae Jo, Sansai

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai Loi Krathong celebrations; first Grand Parade

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai Zoo (Day 4, Part 1)

Thailand 2010: Last day of Loi Krathong; Sunday Grand Parade (Day 4, Part 2)

Thailand 2010: Heading to Chiang Rai by bus, Wat Jedyod and Golden Clock Tower

Thailand 2010: Golden Triangle in Mae Sai; Chiang Rai’s White Temple (Wat Rong Khun)

Thailand 2010: Pattaya — Beach road, Viewpoint, Jomtien Beach, Walking Street

Thailand 2010: Back to Bangkok — Chinatown, Patpong, Platinum Mall and Chatuchak Market

Thailand 2010: Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha, Sampeng Market, JJ market (again)

Thailand 2010: Damnoen Saduak Floating Market tour, Cobra show… and leaving Bangkok