Oct 20: Night, Chiang Mai
After the rainy weather in Bagan, Chiang Mai
is hot!Air Mandalay is fine. We got a piping hot meal and coffee during the flight. The interior of our plane was so clean, it was gleaming. Most enjoyable flight.
We took a taxi from Chiang Mai
Airport to town. The taciturn driver barely acknowledged us before pulling out of the airport. Along the way, he asked for our destination. There was a short silence after we told him to drop us at Roong Ruang Hotel. Then, the man said, "Roong Ruang old."We kept quiet, wondering if he was thrashing our choice so he could bring us to one of those hotels and guesthouses that paid him commission. After all, some guide books had recommended the place.
At Tha Phae Gate, the driver suddenly stopped his taxi by the roadside and gruffly told us we had to alight. When we told him our guesthouse was on the other side of the Gate, two roads across, he still would not budge another inch.
"Road's closed today," was all he offered in explanation. Then, without another word, he took our bags and left them on the pavement. Clearly, he was determined to get rid of us! But, what is the point of taking a taxi if it is not going to bring us to the doorstep of our destination?
A little disgruntled, we hefted our bags and crossed to Tha Phae Gate. Immediately, we caught the festive air. Scores of people milled around and many of them seemed to be setting up stalls for some kind of fair at the open space by the Gate. Now that we were on this side of the Gate, we saw that our grouchy taxi driver was telling the truth about the road closure.
When we reached Roong Ruang, the gregarious owner (a bit pushy about tours) confirmed that Tha Phae Road was closed to traffic on Sunday for pedestrians, stalls and buskers. Indeed, many were out in force with their violins
, traditional instruments and electric guitars along the road outside our guesthouse. It also turned out that our driver was more accurate in his assessment of our accommodation choice than the guide books. The quality of our room did not live up to the expectation heightened by the attractive courtyard. Instead, our room was rather cramped and stuffy despite the fan.We decided to pamper ourselves at dinner. Strolling, we saw a steakhouse and dropped in. Once our food arrived, we inhaled the generous portions of tasty potato, other vegetables and meat. This indulgence brought to mind how much less food there appeared to be available to the general populance in Myanmar.
In local restaurants, when we ordered fish, it came as half a fish (head or tail portion). On another occasion, we had three sardines (about six to seven inches long) swimming in a voluminous plate. Even the three-star hotel we stayed in on our last day in Yangon could only put out a sparse breakfast spread. The looks of foreign tourists when they appeared for breakfast that morning could best be described as disappointed.
On the other hand, it also cast an unflattering light on the gorging and binging in our affluent societies. We eat and waste too much. And we grow fat and sickly. Annie and I admire the willowy and well-toned physique of many a Myanmarese man and woman. But, what story can each body tell us? How, then, can we find a balance between starvation and surfeit?
Before we got overly morose about the health of our world, Annie and I stopped talking and concentrated on appreciating (and not wasting) our food. Soon, pleasantly stuffed, we left the steakhouse and wandered the streets for a bit, before heading back to our guesthouse near Tha Phae Gate.
Budget (for two in kyat, US$ or baht as indicated)
Stamps >> K100
Taxi to Yangon airport >> K2,000
Yangon airport tax >> US$20
Taxi (CM airport to guesthouse) >> B100
Room >> B350
Drink >> B24
Dinner >> B259
Internet >> B20
Next...
Moving
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