Chiang Mai

I spent about a week relaxing, and of course running a marathon in Chiang Mai. And it was pretty great. I heard good things about the city and am glad that I decided to run the marathon there, which forced my visit. I arrived at the bus station from Chiang Rai and got a songthaew into the Old City. I was crammed on there with a bunch of other people. No different from any other type of transport I've taken on this trip.

The way to get around Chiang Mai.

I got dropped off at Tha Pae Gate and walked to my accommodation, which wasn't too far luckily. I chose a guesthouse to stay in and cancelled what I had previously book since it was a little pricey. I was trying to balance budget with comfort. With the marathon, I definitely needed somewhere quiet and I didn't want to share a room. But I had to compromise and I did have to share a bathroom. It wasn't that bad though and I rarely saw the other guests. 

My home in Chiang Mai.

I was on a relatively quite street and the neighborhood had lots of restaurants and cafes. Of course a lot of catering to Western tourists, but that was ok. I knew I was paying more, but I also knew I could get some pasta to carbo-load later in the week. After arriving, I headed to a cafe to catch up and met up with one of my friends from Pai. After a bit, we headed to the Night Market and I went Christmas shopping. I tried to buy what I needed, but didn't end up doing it. Luckily I still had the Friday Flea Market, the Saturday Market, and the Sunday Walking Street to hit up before I sent my package home. We hung out at this really cool plaza with food trucks and live music for a while. I tried some more papaya salad, a very delicious mango shake, some ok pizza, and yummy sangria. A little pricey, but pretty good overall and the atmosphere was great. And there were hay bales everywhere, which was kind of cool and reminded me of home. 

A great place to hang out to eat and listen to live music.

The following morning I met up with my friend Jane from NYC who used to be on my running team. She's currently training in Thailand for the national team with the hopes of going to the Olympics. Which is pretty awesome and impressive. She took me to a legit running specialty store in Chiang Mai. I've been on the lookout for one for months and haven't come across any. So this was great. I got some Gus for the marathon. I had run out months previous. But didn't want to risk trying anything new for the race. Wanted the tried and true. 

Found a running store. 

We hung out nearby in another part of Chiang Mai where there were a lot of shops and restaurants. We stocked up on some race essentials and tried some local Thai food and desserts. All so good. We also got a little bit of shopping in. Of course. 

More dessert.

The next day, I got in an easy 4 miles around the Old City. The square is just about 4 miles, so it was perfect to run around the perimeter. And I got to check out the race course a bit. It was a pleasant run and not too terrible weather wise, so was hoping for the best for Sunday. After some breakfast, I headed to the expo, which was at Tha Pae Gate. And it was definitely low-key. Some people were still setting up actually. I picked up my bib with no issue and wandered the expo for like 15 minutes. There wasn't much to see. The following day, there would be more to see. And it was all outside, which is very unusual since at home the weather is typically much bit cooler. Not for this race though. 

Marathon expo.

I explored the city a little bit and checked out the Friday Flea Market which was held at a temple. I came across it as I was looking for the Thai post office (which I did not find). And I did some more Christmas shopping. Go me. I was getting there. Goodness. I should have done this a month ago, but some things don't change even when you are traveling and have seen markets everywhere you've gone. Since the market was at a temple, I also got some words of wisdom as I shopped. 

Shopping and some advice at the temple.

On Saturday, I got an easy 3 miles in, my last run before the marathon. I did an out and back along the moat. I felt good, but there's always a twinge of tiredness, nervousness, and whatever thoughts that go through your mind pre-race. I tried to brush them off and just told myself that it was happening and I was as ready as I was going to be. I've been eating a lot of Western style food, which I feel weird about sometimes. I think it's strange for people to visit a foreign country and not eat the local food. But I wasn't taking any chances with the race. I got as much Western food as I could in the days leading up to the race. Right after the race, I was reverting back to Thai food immediately. And beer of course. 

I met my friend Jane at the expo which was definitely more lively than the day before. We met a few folks and I checked out some of the stalls. I didn't end up buying anything, although I did contemplate it. I decided I didn't need more running shorts at the moment and didn't need to carry anything extra. Even though it was cheap. But I also saw knockoff brands, so you did have to be careful on what you paid for. 

We headed to the Saturday Market, which was pretty great actually. Some nicer stuff, and of course I bought some more items. We also snacked a bit and had dessert before dinner. I still haven't tried durian, but my friend recommended trying the ice cream first to see if I would like the flavor. And I did. it's a little different, but not bad. I actually got another one the following day. 

Trying durian ice cream.

After we had our fill and decided we were on our feet for long enough, we went to get some pasta dinner. I wasn't too hungry since we snacked at the market, but I needed to try to get to bed at a decent time. I picked up some race food and headed to bed.

Race outfit.

I woke up at 2:15am, ate some food, talked to my sister, and ran the marathon. The recap will come in another post though. 

I didn't too much else in Chiang Mai after the race and before I left town. The evening of the race I headed to the Sunday Walking Street to consume back all the calories I lost during the marathon and to buy final Christmas presents.

Sunday Walking Street.

I did some more wandering on Monday and checked out the Wat Srisuphan, a temple made completely out of silver. It was pretty cool, except for that fact that since I'm a woman, I wasn't allowed inside. I'm not sure how they decide what temples women are allowed into or not. And why do they have that? I know it has a religious basis, but I still don't like it. This young French girl was there with her mom and grandma and was also wondering why we weren't allowed inside. I hope there aren't too many things in her life that she won't be allowed to do because of her gender. Even with that, the temple was still very beautiful with the sun sparkling off of it. 

Wat Srisuphan.

I was pretty tired, so took a short nap in Suan Buak Haad Park. The weather was perfect in the shade, so found a bench to relax on for a short while. After a while I decided to make a move since I had to use the restroom. I spent my final night back in the Night Market and got some khao soi (a Northern Thai specialty) before heading out of town. I also got some more papaya salad (level 3 out of 4), and that was the perfect level of spiciness. It was spicy, but just enough to wash it down with my beer. 

Khao soi and Singha beer.

I think I would have in Chiang Mai for long enough under different circumstances, but since I had the marathon, I think I could have used a couple of extra days. There were things I didn't really do since I was either resting up for the race, or too tired after the race. I figured renting a motorbike the day after the marathon wouldn't be the best idea. But I still had a good tie exploring the city and enjoying myself. I was also ready to head to the beach and truly relax. Like with most places, I'll just have to think about coming back someday.