Chiang Mai: April 2006

Our wisdom and well being correspondent, Bud Wiser, talks with Ray and Nikki mid-way through their Teach English course to find out why they decided to take a travel break and go back to University. He catches up on what else they have been up to since they left Bangkok at the end of March and finds out about their views on life in Chiang Mai.

After being on the road for over five months, with the last three weeks being spent in one of the most chaotic cities in the world (Bangkok), Ray and Nikki decided it was time to head north to check out the quieter, more rural city of Chiang Mai. Although this lovely place is the second largest city in Thailand, it has a fairly small population of about 160,000 people (about the same as Swindon in the U.K.!).

Above: Chiang Mai, in the northern part of Thailand is a gateway to many attractions and an ideal departure point for onward travel

"We had mostly heard great things about Chiang Mai from other travellers" said Ray. "During our first five months in Thailand, we had effectively been through the whole country, from the southern border, all the way north to Bangkok.  For us, Chiang Mai was the last major city to visit and the probable departure point for the next country to go and explore". 

I asked Ray what their priorities were on arrival in the city. "There are quite a few places that are easily accessible from Chiang Mai, and it was our intention in coming here to visit the ones we were really interested in. Apart from our travel itinerary though, we had a secondary purpose in coming to Chiang Mai, which was to decide if it could be a place where we could live for a while and study in order to acquire a TEFL qualification".

Above: A birds eye view of Chiang Mai - a beautiful city surrounded by mountains

"Learning to be English teachers was something we both had been thinking about since we left home" added Nikki. "We thought on the one hand that it would be a very rewarding thing to do, and on the other hand, it would give us a way of working and earning in order to sustain our travelling" she told me.

So the two of them started investigating the courses on offer and narrowed the field down to two particular courses that seemed to match their requirements.  After much debating about the pros and cons of both, including sitting in to observe the teachers at both establishments, they decided to enroll on the 5 week, Thai government approved TEFL course at Chiang Mai University.

Above: The main entrance to the Language Institute, on the campus at Chiang Mai University

"There were many reasons behind our choice, not least of which was the growing respect there is for the University's qualification in Thailand and the rest of Asia - an important factor in our ability to get jobs" Nikki explained. "We really fell in love with the University campus, the teachers and the people at the Language Institute who run the course" said Ray. "I never went to University as a youngster, so this experience is helping me complete my past and gain a useful qualification for the future!" he added.

"I cannot wait to start!" A very excited Nikki (above) stands outside the Language Institute, who run the highly respected TEFL course at Chiang Mai University

Ray leaves the University after successfully completing his interview during the application process.  The teaching staff commented on how excited they were to have attracted students of Ray and Nikki's calibre!

Once the decision had been taken that Chiang Mai was going to be their base for a while, Ray and Nikki started looking for longer term accommodation.

Like most travellers, the pair of them had been used to staying in guest houses all over Thailand and had been lodging in one of these inside the old city, until they signed up for the course. "Even though accommodation in guest houses is relatively cheap, we thought we might be able to save some money if we could rent somewhere for a couple of months, and get more space so we would both have our own area to study and work in without getting on each others nerves" said Nikki.

Above: Ray outside the Chiang Mai Bow guest house in Soi 9, which is suitable for travellers passing through, but too small if there are two of you and you have a lot of studying to do!

They spent a day or two riding round the city on a motor bike, looking at places and getting frustrated because they were unable to locate the kind of place they were looking for. At this time of year, Chiang Mai becomes incredibly popular due to Songkran, a four day national festival which is celebrated all over Thailand and more intensely in Chiang Mai than any other city.  Consequently, it was the worse time of the year to be looking for rented, furnished apartments. However, our dynamic duo persisted and a chance meeting with an ex-patriot led to a conversation with someone at an apartment block called Hillside 4, which became Ray and Nikki's new, temporary home for the duration of their University course.

"We've found it!" Nikki stands outside Hillside 4 Plaza and Condotel, on the Huay Kaew Road.  It is a very popular residence with the Farang (ex-pat) community. The red circle identifies their apartment

The Hillside 4 development was only completed fairly recently and has been finished to a very high standard, which has meant that Ray and Nikki not only have a great place to stay within minutes of the campus, but they are able to make use of the rooftop swimming pool, gym, Internet Cafe and various shops in the building. "I think we were very lucky to find a place like this" said Ray.  "It meant we could get settled before our course started and would be well set up while we were doing it" he added.

Above: Wachara Tantranont, (seated front) presided over the Buddhist blessing ceremony of Hillside 4 Condotel on Friday April 1, 2005. 9 buddhist monks started the blessing ceremony in the reception area, followed by a lunch for invited friends, guests and well-wishers

Above and below: Ray and Nikki's apartment is very modern and clean, and comes with air-conditioning, rooftop pool, cleaner, TV and DVD. Who said life for travellers was tough!?

I asked Nikki how she felt about moving in to the apartment. "Very happy" she said. "It is clean and modern, and I really love the facilities on offer, like the pool and the gym. I've got a little kitchen area so I can do some of my own cooking - I have not had a decent salad in ages! The balcony is lovely and there is a great view over Chiang Mai and the mountains from our floor (11th). It is a great space to be studying in, although if there is time, Ray and I are quite excited about being able to watch a few DVD's. I think Ray has started getting a bit worried about me becoming too attached, as he saw me go to the market to get incense and bubble bath.  He has said firmly that I am not allowed to buy any slippers!"

Above: Nikki makes herself at home in the kitchen area in their apartment at Hillside 4

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Having moved into Hillside, Ray and Nikki decided to start exploring Chiang Mai and getting to know the place a bit better. It is relatively small compared to Bangkok and quite easy to get around.  There is a river running through the city which has become very popular as a leisure destination, due to the many cafes, bars and restaurants along both sides. "We were out one day and came across an absolutely delightful Cafe called Regina's Coffee Shop, which made us think of one of our friends in America with same name" said Ray.

Nikki outside Regina's Coffee Shop (above) which has a beautiful garden by the river (below)

"There are so many great places to eat in Chiang Mai, I am sure we are going to have lot of pleasure trying them all out" said a mouth watering Nikki. The city is well known for it's vegetarian cooking, markets, shops and spas. "One place we have tried already is called The Jerusalem Falafel and is in the Lonely Planet guide because it is so popular, although they exploit their reputation by charging double what everyone else does so I don't think we will be going back there" said Nikki.

Above: The Jerusalem Falafel on the Moon Muang Road is very popular, but expensive

Above: Where can you get a really good, inexpensive massage in the centre of Chiang Mai? At the Women's Prison, of course!  Yes, it's true. Ray and Nikki had their feet massaged by inmates at the prison shortly after their arrival in town.  It is one of the best things for female prisoners to train in, to get a job after they leave prison.  Most of the women are incarcerated for minor drug offences.

Above: You may remember that Ray and Nikki were searching for Thailand's mysterious Giant Policeman in an earlier issue of The Daily Lama (The Funny Thing is Part 2). Here, they think they have found his hideout in Chiang Mai and prepare to investigate

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Written by our fashion reporter, I. Candy

With accommodation sorted and still three weeks to spare before the start of their TEFL course, Ray and Nikki decided they would make a short, two week trip out of Thailand, to explore the neighbouring country of Laos, and we will be bringing you highlights of their trip in our next issue of The Daily Lama.

I spoke to Ray about their preparations for the trip. "For some reason, planning for the visit to Laos really got me thinking about having my head shaved! Lots of travellers do, and it is hardly surprising with this heat over here" he added. 

Although his hair is usually quite short, Ray told me that he had never had his head completely shaved and was a bit worried that it might look awful. "There were three things that tipped me over the edge and made me decide to go for it" he told me. "The first was that Nikki had been through a similar decision in Bangkok, obviously not to go bald but to have her hair cut very short. Her new style looks great and she feels really happy about the way it is now" he said.

Above: Before and after - a reminder of how Nikki used to look (left) and how she looks now (right).  Her decision inspired Ray to do the same!

"The second thing that convinced me to do it was that I kept on meeting guys who had shaved heads and it was as if a message was being sent to me" he said eerily.  "Matthew Kay, who is head of the faculty at the Language Institute is a total baldy and very pleased about it.  I thought maybe I could get some extra marks in my assessments if I looked like him".

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Above: One of the many bald guys Ray and Nikki have met on their travels.  Ronald is a graphic designer from Holland, who spends about 3-4 months a year in Thailand

"The final reason I used to give myself permission was that Nikki and I had been invited to an April Fool's party by the swimming pool on the top floor of our apartment building and the fancy dress theme was 'foolish'. This made me think that my haircut could be the foolish thing that I had done to legitimately gain admission to the party.  If it did turn out looking terrible, at least I would have three weeks for it to grow again before going to University!"

Above: "Be gentle with me!" Ray is quite nervous as the cropping process begins

Above and below: "I hope I have made the right decision!"

Above: Before (left) and after (right) - Hello Glasshopper!

Below: "That's much better - bald men are definitely sexier, even if I have to say so myself!"

Above: Oh no! Ray has second thoughts on the way home from the barber shop. "I wonder if there is a way I can get it all back?"

Not wishing to be outdone by Ray with the best 'foolish' idea for the Hillside party, Nikki rushed off to the market to find something completely ridiculous and found the headgear in the picture below. "I was really looking for something that was right for the spirit of things but would not take too long or too much effort to get ready - the headband was perfect" she explained to me. "It also had to be something I could wear so that I would look foolish on the one hand, yet still amazingly attractive at the same time, as I wanted to be on good form to meet the other guests at the party".

Above: Nikki looks amazing and ridiculous in her headgear!

Below: Ray and Nikki about to leave their apartment to join the party on the roof

The rooftop party at Hillside provided Ray and Nikki with the perfect initiation into the social scene in the 15 floor apartment complex.  The party host was a socialite called Steve, who lives on the 15th floor and looks after their apartment for them. He does lot's of work for local charity's and had organised a fancy dress competition and a raffle so that money could be raised for good causes.

Above: The rooftop pool at hillside provides a welcome respite from the fierce daytime sun and a wonderful setting for an evening gathering

Above: Party host Steve (left) holds up Nikki's hand as he asks the audience to vote for the best fancy dress costume

In the next issue of The Daily Lama, we will be bringing you a report about Ray and Nikki's adventures in Laos during their two week visit in April.  Then, in our June issue, we will be bringing you "University Challenge Part 2", which hopefully will contain full coverage of Ray and Nikki's graduation from Chiang Mai University and the conclusion of this exciting story, which we understand is also being covered in the Thailand edition of Hello! magazine.

Editors Note: Thought you might like to see a sneak preview of the cover for Hello! magazine's planned coverage of Ray and Nikki's graduation (below).  I think our coverage in The Daily Lama is definitely going to blow those guy's at Hello! away so keep looking out for the updates we will be sending to you.     MOZZIE BYTE

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