Chiang Mai Zoo

We went to the zoo today with Samantha and one of her friends who’s a boarder at the school. For Gary and I, the zoo was a bit disappointing, but the girls loved it, and so we all had a good time.

The zoo itself is huge! We had no idea how big it was when we went in, but some other tourist told us that it was over 600 acres, and we should really take the tram. As such, we bought the Tram/Monorail tickets. It was a good job that we did!

We took the monorail first. It was sorta nice to see the animals and Chiang Mai from the top. However, the monorail moved quite slowly, so we got off after three stops and just started visiting some animals.

Walking around the zoo could be quite exhausting. The weather was nice and sunny today, so we were all sweating in no time. The zoo seemed to be organized into different zones, and we figured out that it would be best to take the tram to different zones, and got off at each stop to visit the animals in that zone. Otherwise, there would be way too much walking. The grounds were very hilly so the walk could be challenging at times. However, the grounds were also very beautiful.

We spent almost three hours today in the zoo, but did not really see that many animals. We saw the parrots, flamingoes, squirrels, swans, elephants, birds, white tiger, lion, black leopard, jaguars, bears, gibbons, monkeys, deer, different kinds of birds, and koala bears. Nothing really that special. What was different was how close some of the animals were to humans, even the leopards. The fence was not very high nor very far, separating the animal and the visitors. Even my 7-year old said at one point, “It freaks me out a bit!” We also got the impression that the animals (at least some) were not necessarily well cared for.

Fees:

There are various fees associated with the zoo. The tickets for the zoo will only get you in. Unless you are prepared to walk the entire time, at the very least, the tram/monorail tickets will also be required. The panda requires a separate ticket, as well as the aquarium and the Snow Dome. Here is a list of the various fees:

• Parking: 50฿/car
• Zoo: 100฿/adult, 50฿/child
• Tram/monorail (all-day): 100฿/adult, 50฿/child (located not too far from the entrance inside the park)
• Panda House: 100฿/adult, 50฿/child
• Snow Dome: 150฿/adult, 150฿/child

The place is very big and one should reserve at least 3 hours minimum for the visit. It’s more like a one-day trip to see everything and do everything here.

It would be so much easier if they just sell one ticket that covers everything, or at least have all the tickets for sale at the ticket booth where you first buy the entrance tickets. However, I am not sure if Thailand is like China in the sense that they both view inefficiency as a way to provide more jobs for the people.

Maps:

No one gave us any map when we came in, but it would have been helpful. Try to ask for a map when you purchase the ticket. Alternatively, go to the Chiang Mai Zoo website and print out a copy to take with you.

Attractions:

They seem to cram every kind of attraction imaginable inside the zoo, whether it has something to do with the zoo or not: zip line, Snow Dome, ATV, pedaling boats, water balls, elephant rides, horse rides etc. It is probably better to go to specific places to do these activities instead of doing so inside the zoo.

Food:

There are many stores within the zoo, selling souvenirs, drinks, chips, ice cream, instant noodles, and frozen meals. However, there doesn’t seem to be a restaurant in there.

All in all, the kids loved it so we will probably come back at another time to do the aquarium, to see the panda (they only have one right now), and the Snow Dome.

Visit to the Mae Rim Police Station

Mae Rim Police Station

I am sure that not many people would put visiting the police station as part of their adventure and/or part of the cultural experience while visiting another country. We have drawn up an “Adventure” list since two weeks ago, and the police station is definitely not on there. Nonetheless, we have the good fortune to visit one anyway.

Yesterday afternoon around 4:20pm, we were on our way to pick up Sammy from school when a bad accident happened. Our car was badly damaged, both on the rear and on the left front side. I couldn’t actually open my side of the door. Furthermore, both front seats were bent at and angle. Luckily, no one involved in the accident was physically hurt (at least not much).

I was probably the one most affected physically, and my left leg muscle was hurting. Gary told me that I could try to apply some heat on the muscle. I put some Tiger Balm on the left thigh last night and it has been better today, though it still hurts a bit, it is not as stiff.

Everything happened so fast that we really did not know what to do. It obviously did not help that we could barely speak a word of Thai. We called several people we knew, and we got through to our car salesperson R. She was very nice and tried to speak to the guy that hit us.

Soon, several policemen came and started taking statements. They all tried to speak to me in Thai until they found out that I was not Thai and couldn’t speak the language. Some of the officers seemed to speak a little bit of English. Gary was dealing with them mostly, while I was frantically trying to contact school to keep Samantha with them as we had no idea how long this would take. Thankfully, one of the teachers decided to take Samantha to his house (on campus) with him and we could call him when we got to school.

The policemen were all very nice. After having talking to some people and took down some statements (took pictures of the vehicles involved and IDs of everyone), Gary asked for permission to leave so that we could pick up Samantha. They let us go and told us to come back to the police station once we had Sammy.

Badly damaged as it was, the car was actually still functioning, to our amazement! We picked up Sammy, and the teacher even offered to keep Sammy overnight with his family and offered us his truck. How nice! We declined, but did ask for some strong tape to tape up the car a bit before driving.

By the time we got to the Mae Rim Police Station, it was about 6:30pm. We ended up spending a little over an hour there, telling the officer-in-charge and other different policemen again what happened. The police also helped us call the insurance company. There was a lot of waiting around. We did not really know what the purpose of the visit was, but was eventually told to return to the police station the next day at 1pm and the insurance guy would be there as well.

Tied and hungry, we got back to our housing development and went to the local restaurant for a quick dinner. Of course our good friend Murphy was with us the whole time, so the restaurant had sold out chicken already, which was pretty much all that Gary would eat. He ended up ordering a dish with seafood. It was way too spicy but he ate it. My dish came with an unusually small amount of seafood. Oh well, why we should have expected otherwise?

This morning, we dropped Samantha off in the morning and then drove to the dealership. R. helped us explained to the service department what happened. They would hold on to the car until we got the insurance paperwork to approve the repair. They though the repair would take a month. Gary was not entirely convinced that it could be fixed given the frame seemed to have been bent.

R. then drove us to a local car rental place so that we rented a Toyota Yaris for a month at 18,000฿. We were told that insurance would not cover this.

After lunch, I prepared an accident report on the computer (see below), hoping to help clarifying the matter a bit given our non-existing Thai.

We got to the Mae Rim Police Station again just a few minutes before 1pm. The Silver Truck guy was also there. We were talking to some new policemen on duty and our policeman also came out. Gary handed them the report and he tried to explain the situation again, emphasizing that we were not at fault at all. One of the policemen said that he could speak a little bit English and he had visited New York and Washington. He pulled up Google translator on his computer, and typed in Thai so that the English read, “The first car (Silver Truck) is not making a claim.”

After a little bit, the Black Truck guy walked in with his insurance agent and his entire family (it looks like) of several people. Some more talking among them and the police. They used the report we prepared and asked more questions etc. Unfortunately, even though our insurance guy was supposed to be there at 1pm as well, he was no where to be seen. After many phone calls and R.’s help, some one finally showed up, about 50 minutes later!

Our agent also did not speak hardly any English. We gave him a copy of the accident report that we prepared. He talked to the police and the other insurance guy. After a while, the Black Truck guy paid the police 400฿, and Gary was asked to sign a book for that 400฿. No one asked us for money though.

Some more time passed. After about 40 minutes, the Black Truck guy came over to Gary and said in English, “I am sorry.” They shoot hands and Gary gave him a hug. Our insurance guy came over with some more paperwork for Gary to sign but couldn’t explain what it was for. Gary called R. and she talked to the insurance guy on the phone. She told Gary that everything should be okay. The Black Truck was taking responsibility and it would be fine for Gary to sign the papers. So he signed it. The insurance guy said that he would take the paperwork to the dealership so that they could start the repair. When Gary asked him who would be paying, all we could get out from him was “no worries”.

With that, we shook hands with the policemen and the insurance guy and said our farewell to the police station. Everyone involved was really nice. the police included. I couldn’t help but feel bad for the Black Truck. He (his insurance) probably ended up paying most if not all of the costs, but the procuring cause was really the Silver Truck. People in Thailand just don’t seem to pay attention to the traffic, though they don’t mean any harm.

We were a bit shaken up yesterday after the accident. After all, it was the first big accident we have had in years! We were just grateful that no one was hurt. I couldn’t help but think of the saying, “Live each day as it were your last day.” If the truck behind us were a bit bigger or if it were traveling a bit faster, or if the driver were not wearing his seatbelt, it could have been our last day. Thankfully, Samantha was not with us either, not sitting in the back. There were just so many things to be thankful for.

If I were still working in the States, I would be questioning whether I was doing what I wanted to do if that were my last day on earth. However, we are now in Thailand and I am actively working on some business plan and trying to figure out what makes me happy and fulfilled, I don’t have any sense of regrets. I just pray that this will be our last accident!

Will the Tree Spirit Save This Restaurant?

We arrived at the House of Palm Restaurant (Baan Ton Palm) with great expectations. We had read great reviews about this restaurant on TripAdvisor and some other blogs. Some called it the Best Thai Cuisine in Chiang Mai. From the description about the restaurant, the owners came back to Thailand after having a very successful Thai restaurant in Hollywood. So we were in for a treat, right?!

Since we got here right when the restaurant opened at 11am, it was very quiet. The restaurant setting was indeed quite beautiful and peaceful, a lot of palm trees, a pond, and beautiful decorations throughout.

We ordered our food. They did not have the Chiang Mai Duck that Samantha and I wanted. I ordered some squid instead. For every dish I ordered, I asked for non-spicy since Sammy couldn’t take any spice at all. According to TripAdvisor, this shouldn’t be a problem as the owners knew how to cater to Western taste.

Crispy Prawn Crepe

Spicy Scallop

Stir-Fried Squid with Cashew Nuts

Golden Triangle Noodles

Wonton Soup

Gary ordered Thai Iced Tea and the waiter came back later and said that they did not have it. Gary asked for Thai Iced Coffee instead. The waiter did not say anything, and served everyone water. Oh well, if the food were good, we should just overlook this.

The appetizer Crispy Prawn Crepe was excellent! It was nothing like a crepe, but the dish was tasty. A middle-aged man (probably the owner) came out and asked how things were and we said great! He left without saying much. I was a bit surprised to see how robotic that exchange was given his many years’ experience in this industry.

Then the rest of our food came.

The Spicy Scallop was supposed to be deep-friend, but it was just stirred fried. No matter, Gary did not really want deep-fried anyway. The taste was just okay, nothing special. It was a little spicy like Gary asked.

The squid was spicy! We could see chilly peppers everywhere! I tasted it and confirmed it would be too spicy for Sammy. It was spicier than Gary’s dish even though I asked for no spice.

Then the Golden Triangle Noodles came out. I could see some black peppers all over it. It was not very spicy but Sammy wouldn’t eat it. Moreover, the description said “vermicelli” but what came out was flat rice noodles!

I ordered some wonton soup for Sammy instead and asked again for no spice. The wonton soup came out finally and it was not spicy. Sammy liked it enough.

All the dishes were all just mediocre, quite a disappointment after reading the reviews and the appetizer. The man never came back and asked how everything was. Given our food experience, we decided to just skip desert and have that elsewhere. The total bill came out to be 800฿, more expensive than Nest, even though we did not have any desert nor special drinks other than water.

As we were leaving, I was wondering if there was a reason that all the reviews I’d seen on this place were written back in 2012 and earlier. Maybe people just stopped coming here. Based on the appetizer, we could tell that they could make good food, but maybe no one really cared anymore.

When Sammy and I toured the restaurant grounds earlier, Sammy pointed out something interesting to me.

She was wondering why they put the donut and cake there. Maybe it was an offering to the Tree Spirit. But will the Tree Spirit save this place if the people themselves have stopped caring?