Chiang Mai Day 2
My first morning in Thailand, I step out of our bedroom onto the balcony. An orchid backlit by the early morning sun – the purple framed by the navy blue cushions behind it. I pause, then move on towards breakfast.
The buffet sits mostly in the open air, sheltered on two sides by the building. Along one open side, tables are set for breakfast, a few already occupied. We sit inside, at a white-cloth table, the room mostly empty.
Steam rises from pots of food, and behind the scenes, a grill sizzles. I make my way slowly through the buffet, reading the labels of unfamiliar food, selecting as I go. A pale pink fruit that looks somewhat like a grapefruit, gets added to my tray. The pomelo’s mellow flavor surprises me.
After breakfast, our guide, Chen, joins us to explore Chiang Mai. We begin at a local temple. Inside, we meet the monk Kuba Sri Vichai again. I’m drawn to the natural light falling on his statue.
A small, unusual Burmese-inspired offering plate makes me smile. I lift my camera, moving around him, looking for an angle that holds the feeling.
I climb into my rickshaw. The first step up tilts the carriage, and I catch my balance. With the driver’s help, I settle into the seat.
Once settled, the traffic is so close I could touch it, the noise all around me competing with my heartbeat. And yet, somehow, I’m alone in the rickshaw, feeling each push of the driver’s pedal.
At the market, whole pomelos with thick yellow-green skin – so different from the soft pink fruit I had at breakfast. Nearby piles of durian – large, knobby, light brown. The smell is so strong that it isn’t cut indoors.
For lunch, I try it at an outdoor cafe.
But it’s the mango sticky rice that stays with me – warm and sweet. I return to it whenever I see it on a menu.
The restaurant sits on a narrow, busy street, easy to miss in the evening light. After a tangled drive, we walk up a flight of stairs to a small room, mostly empty.
The courses come, one after another. Another plate arrives, different from the last in color and shape. This one is ceramic, the last marble. My eye settles first on the food.
Each dish shifts from sweet to tart, from cold to warm, from meat to seafood to vegetables, all new to me.
Asia desk, see link above, coordinated this trip.