BANGKOK

We had just two short days in the exciting, worldly capital of Thailand. Together with our friends, we packed it in.

An important stop for me was the Jim Thompson House. This American ex-pat helped bring Thai silk to the world after the second world war, and his company has become an institution in the design industry. His house is made from reassembled traditional Thai homes, and is filled with an impressive collection of Asian art. It was beautifully decorated and although the tour was insanely boring and no photos were permitted inside, I enjoyed seeing it.

We also visited the royal complex of temples and palaces. Incredible architecture, a mix of the 18th and 19th century 'Bangkok' style with European influences. The Thai take the monarchy seriously. Photos of the king are everywhere, all over the country.

These huge buildings were filled with intricately painted murals. So delicate and constantly being restored.

Street scene!

The flooding had mostly subsided, but we did see some flooded areas near the river during high tide. It was interesting to speak to people about the causes and repercussions of the floods. Most feel the blame lies with a political system mired in corruption that prevented proper preparation.

As evening arrived, we hit the streets of Chinatown for some mind-blowing food.

That included durian, the world's most stinky fruit. Not a favorite.

We also explored the night flower market.

I think we ate two dinners. Or maybe three. Afterwards we wandered around the red light district of Patpong and saw things we never want to see again. The night ended with a harrowing tuk tuk (motorcycle taxi) ride back to the hotel at 3am. Bangkok knows how to have fun, for sure.

The following evening we went to a Thai boxing match, which was a lot more entertaining than I thought it would be.

As much as watching the fighters, who were elegant and skilled, watching the spectators was just as much fun.

On the way out of town for a couple days we stopped at a floating market. The market we visited seemed to be Thailand's biggest tourist vacuum and something I recommend avoiding, unless you are looking for cheap tea shirts and tacky souvenirs.

We spent two nights in a tented camp 3 hours from Bangkok in the Kanchanaburi province. The camp is located on the infamous River Kwai, where the Japanese forced POW and constripted laborers to build the "Death Railway" to Burma during World War II.

More nightmarish monkeys.

Our last night in Bangkok (and Thailand, and of our trip) we had a great meal in a quiet residential neighborhood near the royal palace.

The restaurant, Chotechitr, had a lot of forign patrons, but turned out to be delicious nonetheless.

Chicken with coconut flower.

CHANG MAI

Chang Mai is Thailand's second largest city and the former capital of the Tai-Yuan kingdom of Lanna (as opposed to the southern Tai-Syam kingdoms of Sukhothai and later Ayuthaya). Lanna means Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields, and although Chang Mai is a large city, it feels green and manageable, surrounded by farmland, much of which is quickly being transformed into suburbs and shopping malls. The old part of the city is loaded with over 300 temples in an area 6 miles square. Buildings are not allowed to be built higher than the tallest temples and stupas. It still has a bustle, but is a pleasant and highly walkable town.

Lanna architecture is exquisite. There are some similarities with Lao temple design, but the flourishes and details, as well as the quality of craftsmanship, reaches elaborate new heights. Many temples are restored, but few were completely destroyed like they were in Laos. Lanna fell into alliances and wars with its neighbors (see this map of the area in the 13th century for reference) and influences from Sukhothai, the Shan states, Burmese Ava, and beyond can be seen.

Here, a temple built entirely out of teak. Despite quite a bit of logging over the centuries, the woods of Chang Mai province are in some of the best shape of all of Thailand, and beyond the rice paddies are beautiful forests and mountains. More on that in a moment.

Another typical home converted into a museum. In this case, the Center for Lanna Architecture. This home from the 19th century shows traditional Lanna details in teak on the upper floors with a more European flair on the lower floors. The people of Thailand, in the face of colonialism, quickly adapted new technologies, fashions and political mechanisms which ended up keeping Thailand from becoming a British or French protectorate.

Chang Mai has a bit of an earthy, hippy-ster vibe. There is lots of organic produce, loose raw cotton clothing, and "namaste" style bad art. There is an earlier tradition in the area for craftsmanship, carving, and furniture making, however. This interesting antiques and art shop, Srivalee, on Ratchapakinai road, was fantastic and I found all kinds of great textiles and wood carved antiques.

The number one draw to Chang Mai, however, has got to be the food. For the most part, it surpassed anything else we had during the earlier part of the trip (with the possible exception of a few meals in Vietnam). Not that it is a competition... we have had great food everywhere... just that in Chang Mai it was so varied and so new and so consistently great. Above, our guide Thong took us to his family's restaurant, Laab Lung Pan, on the outskirts of town. They specialize in Laab, or minced meats in a variety of spicy sauces.

Thong cooked for us himself. So much food!

Tom yum kai with chicken and banana flower.

Laab! Chicken, pork, gang aum nuam (buffalo), isan (NE Thai with pork & beef), and the local specialty, gang um mu (pork with 16 different spices). Chang Mai was on the southern spur of the Silk Road for much of its history, and the flavors here reflect an ability to get all kinds of ingredients from the sea to the mountains, and China to India to Indonesia. Incredible.

And for dessert, freshly fried bamboo worms. Our new favorite snack.

We also had delicious mango with sweet sticky rice.

Sick of all the northern Thai delicacies (just kidding) we opted for a southern Thai restaurant one afternoon. It showcased totally different flavors. Above, panang curry, gang dai pla (fish organ soup), catfish curry, green curry with buffalo, pork curry and fried pork with sugar cane.

My husband's favorite restaurant, Somtam, was visited twice at its pretty riverside location.

Khow soi ruam. The world's most delicious combination of noodles, curry, coconut, and chicken. I don't know what they do to this to make it so amazing, but we devoured ours.

Two types of papaya salad: Somtam tod, at bottom, and tam kong tod, at top. Tam kong tod is sliced green papaya with crispy river shrimp and peanuts. Somtam tod is crispy papaya with the restaurant's special sauce. They were even better when mixed together.

Tap tim, or steamed snapper from Pla Po Pak Sod restaurant, also on the outskirts of town.

Pad cha, or spicy snapper with red chili paste and vegetables.

And a southern import, pu sen, or crab with glass noodles.

We also saw an impressive amount of food at the famous Chang Mai night market.

We were full, but tried this delicious grilled banana.

The nature surrounding the city is also not to be missed. One day we drove up to Thailand's highest mountain, an 8,500 foot high peak that is part of the Himalayan mountain chain. The weather on top was actually really cool, and the plant life almost alpine like.

We hiked around, past a number of waterwalls and through flower farms deep in the woods that used to be opium plantations. The Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields really was impressive in its culture, nature, food and architecture. I am so curious to compare it to Bangkok and central Thailand, as well as the Malay-influenced south, where we are headed next. There will be a lag in posts, as I will be off the grid completely for the next week. Until then!