Attuning and reconciliating: Chiangmai, Thailand

Airline snafu: filling in the gap.

Having already been to Bangkok and Changrai more than two decades ago, we thought our perspective on Thailand would not be complete without a visit to Chiangmai. After some deliberation we booked our tickets to Chiangmai from where we would later fly to Luang Prabang, Laos (an Asian country we longed to set foot in), and thence to Hanoi, Vietnam. All our tickets were confirmed except from Laos. We waited for a day trying to figure what happened. We did through some desperate calls to our bank. No deduction had been made. What a sigh of relief. Now we had to figure out what to do with a 4 day gap in our itinerary.  Fly from Chiangmai to Hanoi and spend more time there. It worked out.

Making a friend

Chiangmai Airport is clean and quiet in spite of the number of tourists and the increasing number of digital nomads. We arrive early. Our accommodation would not be ready and so we spend a few hours at the airport. The cafes serve good coffee and pastries. The 2 tourist agencies are quiet. I go up to one and discover that the guide there speaks good English. They have the standard offers. She did say it was not the season for going up the mountains well known for their elaborate historic temples and the calm surroundings. I get to know her by her first name and we talk about her daughter’s schooling and how she is picking up English. We discuss a few tried and tested methods to her great delight. I could call her personally anytime I wanted a cab for a personalised tour. 

Almost Shangrila: Next to Shangri-la 

After an hour or so pacing the length of the arrival and departure halls I approach my new found friend for a cab to take us to our accommodation. I pay her the standard fare and in no time at all the cab is at the gates and we are guided towards it, our luggage taken care of. Our driver doesn't speak English. Within 20 mins we are at the entrance to an impressive building just next to Shangri-la hotel. The concierge leads us into the foyer after the preliminary signing in. Our key card is in the locked box. First I have to find out where the key pad is for the box. After some fiddling I find a cover that slides down to reveal the 4 wheels with the 10 digits. Now I have to decide what level the numbers had to be – at the top, or middle?  The key was there all right. It was only 12 pm but according to the host the cleaning would only be done by 2 pm. We go up to the apt anyway and find that the previous guests had left a big mess. So we decide to leave our suitcases there and then look for a cool place to sit it out.  

Suffocating reality

Days before we boarded our flight we were already aware of the high temperatures (42-45 °C) and the smog. But it is a shock, all the same, considering the city is in the northernmost part of Thailand and therefore geographically cooler. But the smog? Slash and burn farming and the highly industrialised outskirts. We thought it would clear once in a while but no! The weather report does not include a pollution index. 

Seeking refuge

Here we are sweltering in the heat despite the cooler foyer. All the service doors have been kept open.  We find our way to the top floor where the swimming pool is, expecting to find shade. But it is equally hot there. A couple are enjoying being toasted and steamed. That won't do. So we walk into the gym which is air-conditioned. A young couple is sleeping in a corner. We sit on the work out equipment breathing a sigh of relief. The young couple stretches after some time and then leaves. Drink takes over the corner. A young woman with a four year old enters and does a workout while also helping the child with easier moves. We become friends. She is a physiotherapist from the Netherlands. They are here for a break,and, goodness me, they love the weather!

I go to check out our apartment. The cleaning ladies have just come on and it just after 2pm, our check-in time. We do not meet our host at all. Just the cleaning ladies. In another few mins we are settled-- the air-conditioning at full strength, the curtains protecting us against the hot glass windows. Fortunately we have some food. We do not have to step out into the furnace.

No spoof!

The sun is entombed behind the smoke. We have a great view of the sparely used Shangri-la's swimming pool and its cabanas surrounded by greenery. We step out after ‘sunset’ in an atmosphere that is still stifling. We get the lay of the land, purchase groceries and we're done for the day.  The night market stalls are just being set up but we know that they offer clothes, footwear and accessories at a bargain.  Not for us.

We have a plan

Seeking refuge in the cool apartment seems to be the order of the day. Hence forth we'll venture out at 5:30 am and return by 9:30 am. Walking along the river would be later in the evening.