Getting Here

There were lots of ways our trip to Chiang Mai could've gone wrong. Marc had been following the flights and noticed that they were often (if not most often) late, which would be bad for us, since our connections were all on the tighter side. We left our car at Craig's and flew from Newark to Toronto, to Taipei, to Chiang Mai, and if we missed either (or both) connections, which seemed very possible, we would be stuck for a whole day. Cut to the end: it all went perfectly.

We flew United to Toronto, and then EVA for the remaining legs, and our bags were checked through all the way. In Toronto, the gate agent called us back a second time with what seemed like concern about our bags. And, in fact, the bag-check option in the United app didn't show the bags ever again, after they arrived in Toronto. But we boarded the plane, plenty of time, and prepared for the 16-hour flight. Marc and I both had window seats, one in front of the other, on the very full plane. Unfortunately, Marc was seated next to a very old Chinese couple, and the old man was sick, with a loud, juicy cough, and refused to keep his mask on. Poor Marc. The guy was hacking and coughing and his spit was all around Marc, who kept telling him to put his mask on. Finally, the flight attendant told him to wear a mask, and the couple dealt with it by switching seats, so the old man was on the aisle and Marc was next to the old woman. Better, even if still not ideal. Somewhere along the way, something bad happened to my gut, about which that's enough said.

We've made these long-haul flights often enough to know how the transfer happens in the major Asian hubs, especially in Hong Kong. We've flown EVA through Taipei before, but this connection -- a tight one -- was stressful, and we only got to the gate on time because Marc was willing to cut the long, long line and talk to someone so we could jump ahead of everyone. Had he not done that, we never would've made our connection (although once we got to the gate, the flight was delayed .... but we didn't know that when we were facing that long line in security). We boarded the flight and landed in Chiang Mai and our luggage arrived, and the driver was waiting for us, so all the stressful possibilities failed to materialize.

Our first hotel in Chiang Mai was a sweet little place called Baansuwanburi, a family-run place that's so lovely and lush, and a quiet little oasis of a place even though it's very near a busy highway. But you wouldn't know it inside the property. We were in that weird head, disconnected in time and space, exhausted from the trip (even though we both got some sleep on the plane), so we spent the cool first day dozing and relaxing and just kind of letting ourselves find ourselves. 

the landscaping is lush, with amazing huge ferns and plants

several sweet sitting areas

and lanterns hanging all around the property

these orange macaws were just stunning -- and there
were other cages of birds, including some raucous parrots

As always, Marc identified a couple of restaurants very near the hotel for our first night, and we decided to eat at the one called We-La-Dee, a five-minute walk. The restaurant has a Michelin star, and we were a bit concerned that it was too fancy for exhausted us, in blue jeans and casual clothes. OH GOSH. It was fancy, and we were the only not-Thai people in the very busy place (until right before we left), and the menu was huge. Everything looked so good, and I was torn between several dishes but wanted to be gentle on my gut so I decided against some of the spicier options. Marc and I both ordered fish -- tilapia for me, and sea bass for Marc. SO SO GOOD. We'd hoped to get dessert, but it was just so much food. We noticed people at other tables ordered the same dishes we ordered, but they'd get one of our dishes and split it among three or four people, and have leftovers to take home.

That display case on the back wall holds toy soldiers, kind of
like GI Joes (but not -- maybe Thai versions). The restaurant is
very large, and as the evening went on, it filled up completely.

One funny thing we noticed was that it took two people to get our food to us. One would bring the drinks over on a tray, let's say, and she'd stand there and wait for another person to come take them off the tray and put them on our table. A little weird, but it seemed to be the way they do things.

Marc's sea bass, with a bunch of fried shallots sprinkled all over it,
and a bit of sauce underneath it. It was good, but.....

....THIS, my tilapia, was just amazing! So, so delicious.
The fish chunks were perfectly fried, and stayed crisp,
even under the sauce (raw ginger, cherry tomatoes, lime, 
dried shrimp, red onions, red and green chilis, and cashews) in a 
lime juice/fish sauce/slightly sweetened sauce. 

After dinner, even though we mostly rested and dozed all day, we crashed early and slept all night long, really unusual. It's like we have zero jet lag.

When we checked into the hotel, time-shattered and dazed, the lovely young woman who checked us in asked what time we wanted breakfast and said that since we are American, we'd probably prefer the Thai breakfast. Her mom is the cook and she said her mom is a great cook, that we'd enjoy the breakfast. I always hate having to make that kind of decision at check-in, especially when we've just made a 26-hour trip, but we said 8am, Thai breakfast is great.

I didn't take photos of the breakfast, in part because of the bright sun making photos a bit tough, but also because it was just so delicious I didn't want to slow down. She made a beef penang curry that made my eyeballs roll back in my head. Steamed rice, that curry, a delicious egg dish, juicy mangos and papayas, a cappucino, and a bit of sesame candy for a sweet ending. It was so, so good. So good.

I spent some time after breakfast working on an art project, then we swam and walked over to the "organic coffee bus" -- not a bus at all, a three-floor restaurant with organic, farm-to-table ingredients -- for coconut smoothies. (Not all that great, but it was a nice little jaunt anyway.) Marc was dazzled by all the dishes that were being served all around us, every one looking so delicious -- but we're going back to We-La-Dee tonight.

Such a sweet place to work!

The Organic Coffee Bus -- no idea why they call it a bus!
Each of the several dining rooms was bright and airy,
and everyone was eating such good food.

When I first saw our coconut smoothies, I thought it was a pile
of whipped cream on top -- gilding the lily, I thought -- 
but it was strings of coconut. It wasn't very flavorful, not even lightly
sweet (or coconutty), but it was OK. I think Marc was happy
just enjoying seeing all the food around us.

Tomorrow we leave this little hotel and go to a different one closer to the old city in Chiang Mai, so that'll be a very different kind of experience. I wonder what we'll order at We-La-Dee tonight...