joeyGjourney: Head North... (to Chiang Mai) Young Man!

After a flawless flight to Chiang Mai, we made way to our initial hotel, on the east side of the Old City. They also had a fantastic Night Bazaar right outside our door with tons of cheap bootleg swag mixed with some nice goods and hill-tribe products. We made our way (via tuk-tuk – I need to start a tuk-tuk business in Dewey!) to an authentic Muay Thai fight. But first we grubbed on yet another cheap & charming meal (about $2.70 USD total) of authentic Thai food. Afterwards, we marched into the boxing stadium. The bouts were fun & interesting with all the hoopla before each fight – the fighters do a solid 15 minute ritual of sealing out bad spirits, limbering up, bowing to gods & homelands. There is also eerie live music that accompanies (and often sets the pace) of the matches. Most of the bouts were tame with occasional flurries of sharp knees & elbows. We saw two knockouts and the crowd seemed to be mixed with tourists & locals (who bet on the matches), all drinking (I had my first real Red Bull (which 1) actually originated in T-Land 2) is non-carbonated, & 3) triple the caffeine) and all having a good time at the Friday Night Fights.

Amanda on a bridge

Budandha

Since we were in Siam, I guess these are Siamese cats, right?

Good cookin'
Alright enough of the kittens & cuisine, on with the bloodshed!

They start them young here; these kids were tiny

Extremely good coordination and rhythm needed

They get beat down pretty fierce; each body part represents an ancient weapon

I would not want to p-off this dude...

Trainers & coaches seem to work just as hard

Spectators included tourists, families, & locals (who bet on the boxers)

My Muay Thai youtube video that I took below:

The next day we easily explored Chiang Mai & much of it’s Old City charm. We switched from a hotel to a guesthouse, which was a whopping $18.00 USD / night. This served as a good home base for our planned & unplanned side trips throughout the North. It had a bangin’ breakfast of eggs, toast, pineapple, etc. included too. The city is warm (although people visit here during the hotter months to cool off), welcoming, and had it’s own slew of tourists. My stone-cold-mortal-lock prediction of the trip was that I would see at least one #5 McNabb jersey – but I didn’t. We did meet occasional Americans as we self-toured more wats, side streets, & fascinating sites within the moat-lined city. We spoiled ourselves with a riverside dinner (real chocolate ice cream) as a reward for the miles we put on our New Balances!