In Chiang Mai, you can get your GiGi waxed:
Day 18:
Ian wanted to go zip-lining on this trip so I told him to have a great time. As much as I would have liked to be told “Just GO!” for eight hours, I declined to join. Instead, I walked to a Chinese food market.
I thought I was going to the Warorot Market but now that I’m looking at my pictures I definitely never made it to the right place. Instead I was at an authentic Chinese market. It looked like everyone there was legit getting their food for their restaurants and were confused as to why a farang wandered their aisles.
Curry Pastes & Pineapples
...Face
There are tiny red and green peppers that the Thais cook with that make you cry for mama. I’m learning I have a super high tolerance for spice, so I wanted to see how far this could go. I asked an old woman selling peppers which were the hottest. She didn’t speak English so I pantomimed eating a pepper, panting and dying. She smiled, revealing her last two teeth and pointed at a barrel of chilis. I asked for one, thinking I was getting one of these bags:
I pay $2 and get one of THESE bags:
One Kilo
That was my only purchase. I headed back to the Diva and saw another market being set up. I did not know it was part of the infamous Sunday Walking Market, and since Ian is OVER shopping for trinkets, I took a gander. I bought a dress and three silk scarves for $8! This never gets old.
I also bought a birth control at a pharmacy! I haven’t been on birth control as my insurance in California wouldn’t cover a low-hormone pill. I consulted with a licensed pharmacist here who spoke perfect English and got a comparable bc that is very popular in the UK. No prescription, $4. Come onnnnnnn America.
So Ian comes home to silks, birth control and a big bag of peppers on the bed. He decides not to comment on my purchases (he gets me!) and instead tells me about his day zip-lining. They drove him to the top of a mountain and he zipped his way down. The last line alone was 900 meters long. Cray. The best part was he made two friends from Switzerland and we have plans to grab dinner with them.
Our new Swiss friends are Laura and Beno, a young couple from Lucerne, Switzerland. They both speak great English. So many people here speak English as a second language- it makes me embarrassed that I only know how to say colors in Spanish.
Beno & Laura (& Ian photo-bombing)
We meet downstairs at Diva and head out to the Sunday Walking Market. This market is actually overwhelming; there are just too many people. The streets are crowded and the people are pushy. There is an uncomfortable amount of retarded or disfigured people singing and dancing for change.
The lone white man
When the crowd cleared around 11PM we finally took a pic:
The market goes around the entire Old City. I spot all the things I have to have eventually, but there was no need to buy everything right now. We’re with new friends so I’m a little uncomfortable shopping and bargaining in front of them- what if they’re rich? What if haggling is embarrassing in their country? What if I’m the only American they meet this trip and they don’t like me? None of those worries amounted to squat. Laura and Beno were super fun to shop around with. Beno loves sweets as much as Ian does. Instant bond.
We head to dinner. Laura and Beno are extremely smart and insightful. They know a lot about America and they've taught me so much about Switzerland. (Seriously, Switzerland has SEVEN presidents. Tell me you knew that?) They are our new best friends. We plan to see them again. Maybe they'll appreciate a big bag of peppers.
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