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Up North
As part of our vacation, my girlfriends and I planned
to visit as much of Thailand as possible within our 2-4
week vacation, that included central, north, south, east and
west Thailand. Our northern destination
was Chiang Mai. The Air Asia flight only took an hour but
if we drove, it would've taken us 7-8 hours due to the unpaved,
uneven and unreliable freeway route. It's under-developed
to say the least and frankly, driving would be an extreme
waste of time.
The moment we stepped out of the Chiang Mai international
airport, the first thing we noticed was the delightful drop
in the temperature. There is no comparison to the high heat
and humidities of the compacted and condensed city of Bangkok. Chiang Mai is considered
a more slower paced atmosphere than that of big city life
in Bangkok. It's a collection of spread
out towns, more open rural space and with a bohemian traditional
feel. The dialect is slightly different as well. If you listened
and versed yourself well in the Thai language you would be
able to recognize where someone is from by the way the speak
and the words they chose. Some phrases are specific to regions.
Chiang Mai is famous for its beautiful mountain
top temple Doi Sutep. The drive up took about 30 minutes to
wind up and around the mountain but the view was breathtaking
and absolutely worth the commute. The style of the decor of
the hilltop temple was quite different from ones that I've
seen in the central parts of Thailand. You can tell that there is
rich cultural meanings that represent each region through
their artwork and architecture.
I ordered Pad Seew for lunch and even that dish had
a northern twist to it. It is very interesting to experience
the cultural differences within one culture, varying by location.
Although all Thai people have a history, culture and language
in common, there are so many different aspects of their lives
that vary diversely from one another. .....ÍèÒ¹µèÍ
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