The Adventures Of Nad& Naddy

It’s been quite some time since I updated my blog, so let me catch you up.

 “The Adventures of Nad & Naddy” took place from the 20^th of January to February 6^th.  While she was in town, my goal was to take Naddy around Chiang Mai to enjoy some delicious Thai food, travel somewhere exciting and introduce her to new friends. We kicked off the two week adventure with a trip to the hot springs just outside of CM. We went to the ones a bit farther out then the infamousSankamphaeng springs (the tourist spot). It is managed by locals and overlooks a scenic rice field, so it’s quite peaceful. After a relaxing soak, we drove back to Chiang Mai town stopping to have northern sausage and grilled pork along the way. Yum!

January 22^nd Climbing lessons at Crazy Horse.

January 23-25^th Motorcycle Trip to Doi Ang Khang: Early in the morning, we rented a Motorcycle KLX 250cc. to drive to Ang Khang. Along the way we stopped to visit my Aunt’s family and walk around the sites of my childhood town. After stretching our legs for an hour we decided to keep driving to our next destination, the Arunothai village.  You can taste the best Chinese dumplings better then what you order in Chiang Mai. So we stopped there for launch and ordered Noodle Dumplings and Fried Dumplings. It was so delicious. Once our bellies were full we hopped back on the bike and hightailed it to Happy House Guest House for a nap. Since we were so close to Doi Ang Khang we decided to drive there and check it out before dark. It was so quiet, not many tourists or people out. That make our stroll around the gardens of the royal project all the more enjoyable. Once we had our fill of fresh air and flowers, we kick started the KLX and rode off into the dark.

Our breakfast rice soup and coffee took the edge off of the crisp morning air; and soon we were on our way back to Doi Ang Khang again. But before retracing our evening path we went to a strawberry farm perched on the hillside that faces the Burmese border. The farm was so beautiful, with rows and rows of vibrant green strawberry shoots boasting juicy red berries. I thought, maybe if I quit my job at CMRCA I could become a farmer here. But there was already a tourist from Bangkok pretending to have that job, he even took over watering the gardens while the caretakers just laughed. J  After our visit at the farm was over, we went back to the royal project for a healthy organic lunch. The food here is especially delicious, as it is all grown in the fields that surround the restaurant. My favorite dish was the Yunnan bean, it is so tasty.

Next stop on the list was 'Chiang Dao Nest." It’s a western style guesthouse with beautiful gardens, nestled at the foot of a towering rock-face. (Soon one of my coworkers will get married here.) For dinner, I decided we should try some street food at CD-town. We ate some "YEN TA FO" pink noodle and for dessert had fried bread. In the morning, we drove back to CM-town so I could get back for work. While we were driving I saw a "Kao Lam" store. Kao Lam is sticky rice and coconut milk stuffed into a bamboo stick and warmed over a fire. It is local food, so we stopped to eat some. It was entertaining to watch the women as they worked to make this treat. One chopped, one managed the fire and one handled the customers. Naddy thought it was funny that the men just watched while the women worked. Once back in CM I headed to work, back to the daily routine. Overall the roadtrip was perfect, I’m glad I took L Steve’s advice.

Since Naddy left, I’ve completed a first aid training course and solo-taught my very first customer. I’m back to training again and planning another road trip this summer. Most likely I will go to Koh Yao Noi or Sara Buri, depending on the time of year. I can’t wait to climb some new rock.

Crank On