I took the plane to Chiang Mai in the North of Thailand next. I am in love with this city. Situated in a valley in the middle of four mountain ranges, it felt a bit like a second home.

I rented a motorcycle and explored the beautiful landscapes and mountains in the area and even drove up the highest mountain in Thailand, Doi Ithanon. (I had never driven a motorcycle before, and have neither a motorcycle nor a car license. I just sat on it and went!)

I, of course underestimating the temperature difference between 350m and 2500m above sea level, drove in a tee and shorts. It has 35 degrees in the city, it can’t be that cold up there, right?

Wrong.

Not only was it freezing from 1700m above sea level onwards, it also started raining about 2km from the top. For those who have never driven a motorcycle in the rain with a tee and shorts: it hurts. A lot. So me and Joe, the Quebecois who accompanied me, did a short stop at the Thai National Observatory.

There was a tiny museum in there, basically a room with a few pictures and a bit of text, explaining the history. It was not heated, so it was freezing in there as well. I saw a door with a sign saying “Control Room”. Since there was not a single person around, and I did not notice another motorcycle except ours outside, I thought “Why not check that out?”

Much to my surprise, the door opened. I looked inside and what did I see?

There was single Thai guy in there, sitting in a huge chair in front of four connected displays, wearing a down jacket, watching Planet of the Apes in Thai. I must have been standing there dumbfounded for five minutes, before Joe asked for some coffee. (Still not heated, still freezing) He, of course, did not speak a single word english, but we managed to get a coffee with some wild gesticulation. I am still wondering if he seriously gets paid for watching movies all day long - that would be one helluva job.

I finished my stay in Chiang Mai with a cooking course, where I learned to make Tom Kai Gai, Pad Thai and Sticky Rice with Mango. In hindsight, I should have done more cooking courses - South East Asian food is delicious!

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