Suzy and I arrived in Chiang Mai a few days early so we could dig in, get situated and be ready for our culinary adventures at the Thai Cookery School. We checked into the Thannatee Boutique Hotel. This hotel was a true find. Everywhere you look you’ll find antiques, interesting items dated in the 1900’s, Fish ponds, Waterfalls and greenery abound. The designer of this place surely had some great input as it all shows once you enter. We spent several days here and enjoyed every one before being picked up by staff members of the school. We found culinary school to be a once in a lifetime experience; not because it was in Thailand but because of all the people we met and the friends we made there.
Chiang Mai is the largest Northern city in Thailand. Most people would probably overlook Chiang Mai as it is considered by most to be “up in the jungle” as it is about 450 miles North of Bangkok. This city should not be overlooked. Suzy and I found Chiang Mai to be quite a colorful city, full of history, culture, cuisine and entertainment. In the evenings after culinary school, Suzy and I elected to wander around the city. Most evenings Suzy and I were not at all hungry as we ate what we had prepared all day, so what we really wanted was a place to sit, relax and be entertained. The restaurant and bar scene in Chiang Mai we found to be great. On several nights we had found exceptional live entertainment. One evening we took in traditional Thai dancing at the cultural center. On another evening we found a club upstairs from a large mall. We had met the owner of the club and he was a real music enthusiast. He had photos and caricatures of some of his favorite stars; Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Eric Clapton, Otis Redding to name a few. The opening band that night was really quite good. As we traveled Asia we found live music to be copied reenactments of American artists. Not here, these guys were all about the music and the groove. When they played you can feel how well they were into the performance. This was a real treat. At about 11pm, the band broke up and to our surprise, the owner and his buddies manned the stage and started playing. This guy could play a guitar like he was born with it. The band members were session’s players and as the guy played, they were right there for him. For whatever reasons, tonight was a flashback, most of the entertainment were the tunes of Disraeli Gears, a 1967 vintage Clapton fest, and play he did with his own small licks added to make it all his own. Simply amazing, we could not get enough. Some other evenings Suzy and I elected to wander the Night Markets and we had found several. We found Chiang Mai full of wares not usually found in Night Markets. All the goods were hand crafted, not the usual junk. Art was all around, and it was good art, by local artists who work at it by day and sell it by night. Here you will also find clothing abound, Linen Shirts $2……… Silk Shirts $5…. If you’re into watches, you can spend all evening looking as there will be more than a thousand to see in every variety. From its people, its history, the cuisine, artists and shops, Chiang Mai is truly the Rose of Thailand, we will certainly come back.
