Chiang Mai/Sukhothai - the train

We took a train from Chiang Mai to Sukhothai, and then from Sukhothai to Bangkok. We remembered our romantic train experience 12 years ago traveling from Bangkok to Surat Thani, and wondered if it would be as romantic now that we're older.

It was. There's something so relaxing about riding a train. It's not about getting there quick - an airplane ticket is better suited for that. It's not about control or making decisions - a car gives you that. It's not necessarily about price - buses sometimes have them beat. But a train gives you the luxury of sitting back and spending some time watching the world go by in a way that no other form of transport gives you. It's out of your control, which somehow makes the time pass more acceptably. It's right on the ground level, so you get a feel for the details of terrain and the local conditions of weather and life that you don't get on an airplane (though airplanes give you a fabulous big picture view). It's a great way to travel when you don't need to be there right away. And we really now feel like we get what northern Thailand is like compared to central Thailand, and what grows (and is grown) where, and what small town Thailand looks like. Plus there is nothing like the rhythmic motion and sound of a train for encouraging a good sound nap.

And the food was not bad at all.

Chiang Mai/Sukhothai - signs about foreigners

Some sights in Thailand have higher admission prices for foreigners than for citizens. In some other countries this is also the case, in some other countries it is illegal. Many people have opinions about this.

I'll say that on balance Thailand and it's people have been gracious hosts to us during our time here, and the money we've paid to see the sights that charge foreigners extra has not caused us an undue financial burden. I don't think these policies are meant to be taken as personally as some people chose to take them. And the sights we've paid extra to see have been worth the price. As far as I understand, the idea is not to try to exclude foreigners from the sights, it's rather an attempt to include the Thais that cannot afford to pay what for them can be a meaningful amount of money to see a national heritage site.

So - for what it's worth. It always surprises me to see such signs since the US is one of the places where it is very illegal to charge a foreigner, or someone of any different group (ethnic, religious, etc) a different price for anything. Sometimes the sign has Thai script with the Thai price (sometimes the Thai price uses Thai numerals as well - like on the Sukhothai historical park sign), so sometimes people who don't read Thai are unaware whether Thais are paying as well, and if they are, what price they are paying. This may lead foreigners to think that non-foreigners are not paying anything, when in fact they are.

Chiang Mai - the cost of labor

It struck me as I saw this street cleaner, that I had never seen a street cleaning truck where the water was placed on the street manually.

There could be many reasons for this. It is possible that it is cheaper to hire someone to manually place the water on the street than it is to purchase a truck or machine to automatically put the water on the street. Or perhaps there is a strong union, or the US is particularly quick to spend on street cleaning technology, or perhaps there is another reason. But from what else I've seen in Thailand and southeast Asia in general, and what I know of average salaries and per capita income in Thailand, my guess is it's simply more economical to hire someone to manually perform this task.

No comment - it was just a striking sight to see.

Chiang Mai - signs IV

Great brands at the 7-11

Chiang Mai - signs III

Signs to help you act politely.

Chiang Mai - signs II

It could be Chicago.

We didn't go inside the elephant showroom to see if the 2010 models were in yet.

Cer

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nice

sign

This billboard showed air quality metrics. It cycled through a couple chemical compounds (carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, etc) we knew, but PM10 stumped us. It turns out it stands for particular matter, so I suppose we weren't as asleep in Chemistry class as we felt.

All of the metrics were happy faces, which I assume means it was safe to breathe.

It's probably not fair, but an image flashed into my head of Tom Po beating them all handily.

Yup, the Hello Kitty mafia is alive and well even in the north. You want a ride to the airport - kitty gotta take her cut. If my blog posts ever stop abruptly one day, you'll know I was paid a visit by one of her cute pink hit kitties.

A sign at the hotel protecting its nice smell.

Chiang Mai - signs I

Signs around Chiang Mai requiring no further explanation.