Greetings from Chiang Mai!

After our long journey we finally touched down in Thailand and were welcomed with open arms by the De Wiang Kum Kam guest house staff. The owner, Teeraphan, has made us feel immediately at home in our new surroundings. In Teeraphan’s words, he runs his guesthouse “not as a business but from his soul,” and we have felt that since the moment we arrived — we were greeted with leis of Jasmine and orchids at the airport, and a personalized sign celebrating both the upcoming birthday of the Thai princess (hence the purple, her royal color) and our arrival! We have settled into our guesthouse nicely, which will be our home for the first entire week of the program. Nestled in a quiet neighborhood, our accommodations sit across the street from an historic temple, and adjacent to several other temples and stuppas built over 700 years ago during the reign of the Lanna Kingdom.

The first few days have been extremely busy to say the least!

Our first day started with a group orientation in a lush park on the grounds of Chiang Mai University, where we got to know one another and dove into learning about the culture of Thailand. We brainstormed and discussed both our personal and group goals for our time here, and went over our exciting itinerary for the next couple of weeks.  We then drove up the winding mountainside to visit the famous Doi Suthep temple overlooking the city of Chiang Mai. Beneath the gilded golden spire, several students took the opportunity to be blessed by a senior monk in the adjacent temple. Our amazing group of students also took the initiative to donate to the construction of a new temple on the mountain by way of purchasing and inscribing a roof tile with the words “Putney Student Travel 2015 – Sabai Sabai.” Sabai sabai is a Thai phrase which encompasses the worry-free lifestyle that prevails here and makes visitors like our group feel so at home. Temple donations are a common way for Theravada Buddhists to gain merit for themselves and their families, and this was a valuable cultural experience for the group.

From the temple we wound our way back down the mountain and enjoyed a late lunch of northeastern Thai cuisine including traditional sticky rice, spicy papaya salad, and a specialty dish of grilled chicken paired with a spicy tamarind sauce. We capped the day with a trip to a local market, where students were challenged to explore in small groups and purchase the most items they could find for under 20 THB (around 70 cents). While they found this challenging, groups returned with funny jewelry and knick knacks.

Our second day was just as busy and we awoke early to make our way to a local market to purchase fresh veggies and ingredients for a full day cooking class at a local organic farm outside of the city. As we navigated the winding aisles of exotic fruits and spices, we stumbled across a stand of maeng kee noon, deep fried insects, and a few adventurous eaters decided to try a few! We made our way to the foothills of the Chiang Dao mountains for our cooking class under an outdoor canopy, and made five different dishes under the guidance of our chef, P’Ning. As a group we created (and devoured!) green, yellow, and red curry, pad thai, tom yum goong and tom kah gai soups, spring rolls, sweet and sour chicken, chicken with cashew nuts and basil, and then the grand finale of coconut sticky rice with mango.

After a relaxing afternoon, we headed to another night market for a quick meal, where students were challenged to order food on their own from the different vendors. We ate on the fly so we could catch a ceremonial Muay Thai boxing fight, which is a unique and traditional national sport to Thailand. Muay Thai is celebrated in Thai culture both for it’s historical significance and competitive spirit. Muay Thai is fought using knees, elbows, and high kicks as opposed to punching as is customary in American boxing. Students train at local gyms beginning at a young age, and often take on the surnames of their gyms as a sign of respect to their teachers. We were able to see several matches ranging from younger novice trainees to older and semi-professional boxers, as well as a few ceremonial dances in honor of the sport.

It’s been an amazing start to our journey, and as we continue to explore we will send updates on our adventures as a group!

Kap kun na kaa,
Anna and Ryan

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