[The following post is from the archives of my In Search Of Incredible blog, originally published on 28 November 2016]
Day 2 – 16 October 2016, Sunday
We woke up early this morning to have breakfast at our hostel. It was a simple affair of toast with peanut butter and jam and a cup of hot coffee, just the way I like it.
After that, we waited for our transport to arrive to take us to the outskirts of Chiang Mai for our most anticipated activity of the trip – bungy jumping. At about 8:35am, a van arrived at our hostel and we hopped on for the 40-minute ride to X-Centre Chiang Mai. There was another lady already in the van and her name was Snoopy. She is from another part of Thailand and was on vacation with a few friends but they did not want to join her for the bungy jump so she came alone. She was a bundle of energy and easily excitable, and was looking forward to bungy jumping for her first time.
There was a slight drizzle when we reached X-Centre Chiang Mai at about 9:17am. We proceeded to the reception to sign an indemnity form and insurance coverage. We were also asked which package we were going for. All the packages come with a Certificate of Courage and a T-shirt. You can check out the various prices on their website here but here’s an overview:
– Jump only: 2,000 baht (approx. S$80)
– Jump + 40 digital photos: 2,300 baht
– Jump + DVD movies: 2,500 baht
– Jump + DVD movies + 40 digital photos + free 2nd jump: 3,300 baht
As it was AL’s first time bungy jumping, I encouraged him to go for the package with photos or video so that he has something to remember it by. In the end, both of us chose the 2nd package, because they allowed us to use our handphones to take videos from below. After a quick visit to the bathroom (it is important to empty your bladder first so that there won’t be any unfortunate accidents during the jump!), we were ready to go.
The bungy jump is 50m high and we would jump from a platform perched atop a crane-like structure into a small lagoon below. According to the website, it is not a crane but a permanent structure with deep, steel-reinforced concrete foundations for absolute safety. My previous two jumps were over rivers and they were more scenic for sure, but they were not as high as this one (the first time at Taupo, New Zealand in 2007 was 47m and the second time at Killiecrankie, Scotland in 2014 was 40m). As I was the only one who had previous experience, I volunteered to go first.
After taking my weight on the scale, I sat down on a chair to have both my legs bound together. After wrapping a piece of soft foam around each leg and fastening it with velcro, they used a thick nylon rope to tie both my legs tightly together. The result was that I could not even take small steps and had to hop from one point to another. It was a different way of securing the bungy cord. Previously, in New Zealand and Scotland, my legs were shackled and I could still take small steps and walk normally. The Chiang Mai method felt simpler but it was very tight so it was very secure.
After hopping my way to the lift cage, I took a seat inside and my jumpmaster, M, went up with me. The cage ascended very, very slowly. All the while, I was thinking, “How much higher to go?” but it kept going up and up and up. It seemed an eternity before it finally ground to a halt. As M used his camera to take photos of me, I gamely put on a brave face outside while trying to compose myself inside. No matter what, it is still scary each time you’re up there. However, I must say it wasn’t as scary this time compared to the second time because the gap between the jumps this time was shorter (2 years compared with 7 years) so I could still recall the feeling and sensation of falling from height quite vividly.
The scariest part of bungy jumping is not the jump itself, but it is the moment before you jump. After jumping, everything goes by very quickly so there’s nothing to be afraid of. It is when you’re standing at the edge of the platform, just before you jump, when you have to summon all your courage and mentally tell yourself that you are not jumping to your death. It is challenging because you are have to make a conscious effort to step off the platform and it is an act that is totally against your survival instincts.
As I inched my way slowly closer to the edge, M told me to focus at the mountains in the distance instead of looking down. Nevertheless, I looked down just to see how high it was, and boy, did AL and Snoopy look tiny standing on the ground below, armed with their smartphones and waiting eagerly for me to jump. After a short pause, I decided it was time to do the deed.
I was determined to execute my jump perfectly this time. For my previous two jumps, I kind of stepped off the platform and my feet went down first, so this time, I wanted to fall gracefully headfirst. I stretched out both my arms at shoulder level, looked at the mountains ahead of me, took a deep breath and leaned over. I fell forward as I intended to and my feet left the platform. Before I knew it, I was flying through the air. I could not help but let out a shout of elation, to release the pressure inside me. Before I knew it, I was bouncing up from the first recoil. It was the greatest feeling in the world.
When I finally finished bouncing, they lowered me towards the ground. One of the staff members extended a bamboo pole and I grabbed it. They pulled me in to the side of the lagoon and lowered me gently before removing the harness from my legs. I then rejoined AL and Snoopy and had a good laugh when I watched the video of my jump, because I had shouted so loudly.
AL went next. After reaching the top, he practically jumped off immediately without even pausing for a moment. Steady! Snoopy, on the other hand, took a very long time to compose herself. I was helping her shoot a video on my handphone and my arm was almost cramping from holding it in position for so long haha. Finally, she did it, and she screamed loads too. So funny.
Snoopy later showed us the video of her jump that she got M to shoot on her handphone. It was shot from the platform so it looked much better and dramatic than our videos that were shot from the ground level. Actually, X-Centre is pretty relaxed about videography and they even allow you to bring your own GoPro camera to hold it in your hand when you jump. So if you’re thinking of bungy jumping in Chiang Mai, do bring along a GoPro camera. The footage will turn out great!
After receiving our Certificates of Courage, we went back to the reception area to choose our free T-shirt (it comes in black or gray). As our package included digital photos on a thumbdrive, we used a computer terminal to check the photographs that M shot before making payment. As our transport back to the city would only depart at 11am, we had about half an hour to spare so we went to the restaurant to have a drink and dessert first.
We told our van driver that we wished to drop off at Nimmanhaemin instead of our hostel and he acceded to our request. We alighted at the junction of Nimmanhaemin Road and Manee Nopparat Road. Located at the opposite side of the road was the huge MAYA Lifestyle Shopping Centre. We decided to check it out as we had lots of time to spare.
Its façade resembles our ION shopping mall at Orchard Road and it is perhaps the most modern shopping mall in Chiang Mai. Its has six storeys and a basement, and they house many international brands like American Eagle, adidas and Levi’s, and a huge cineplex and supermarket as well. However, it was very quiet and there weren’t many shoppers around. I guess most tourists in Chiang Mai prefer to shop for cheap stuff at the street markets rather than for more luxurious goods at air-conditioned shopping malls.
We then proceeded to look for a café called Ristr8to, which was recommended by my friend. Apparently, the founders of the café were from Australia and they took part in latte art competitions and won several awards. The outlet that we visited at 15/3 Nimmanhaemin Road is the Ristr8to Original outlet and there are three other outlets in Chiang Mai. In fact, the Ristr8to LAB outlet is located just a stone’s throw away from the Original outlet.
The café was almost full when we went at noon time, but we managed to find seats at the back of the café. The décor was very nicely done and it wouldn’t look out of place in Singapore. I ordered a 6oz Ristr8to Blend White Coffee, costing 98 baht (S$3.90). I expected the latte art to be jaw dropping beautiful since they had won some competitions, but it turned out so-so. The coffee was smooth and fragrant but I would have preferred it stronger. After finishing our drinks, we realised that we were hungry and we walked around Nimmanhaemin Road in search of lunch. AL was craving for some meat so we went to check out a few restaurants.
In the end, we settled on a very ordinary and local eatery. It sold fried stuff like sausages, chicken, pork and fish cake and it smelled real good. It was like “Yong tau fu” where you could pick what you liked, but everything here was fried. We picked a piece of chicken, pork and sausage to share and a serving of rice each, and the bill came up to just 95 baht altogether. That’s less than S$4 for two persons, so cheap!
I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that the rice was served in a small, cute bamboo basket. Inside the basket was a ball of sticky rice wrapped in plastic. I thought it would be normal white rice but the sticky rice was something unexpected and different. The dish was also served with fried kaffir lime leaves, which added to the flavour. It was a very satisfying meal. Cheap and good!
After lunch, we decided to head back to the hostel to freshen up for the second half of the day. Prior to the trip, I had researched on record shops in Chiang Mai and I found out that there was one, and only one record shop in Chiang Mai called Wualai Records, and it was conveniently located at Wualai Road, near our hostel. So from Nimmanhaemin Road, we flagged a songthaew to take us to Wualai Records, costing 80 baht.
I forgot to take a photo of the songthaew’s exterior but it is basically a covered pick up truck with two rows of seats in the back facing each other. It is an alternative to the tuk tuk and considerably more comfortable too because it comes with windows so you are sheltered from the exhaust fumes of other vehicles. You also won’t get wet if it rains. It is also not uncommon to see the songthaew driver picking up other customers along the way, like an UberPool or GrabShare ride if you wish.
Wualai Records is located at 137/1 Wualai Road. It has a big range of International and Thai music. When we arrived, it had started to rain heavily so we were stuck inside the shop for a while. I browsed through the racks and shelves of records, hoping I could unearth some rare finds. However, I was sorely disappointed as there weren’t any MJ, Janet or Jackson 5 titles in there. In the end, I bought a tote bag with the Wualai Records imprint on it just so that I wouldn’t walk away empty handed. We then took a brisk walk in the light rain to get back to our hostel.
After a shower and some rest, we decided to head out once again for another massage. Yesterday’s massage was rather basic so we thought we would go for something better today. We researched and found some very luxurious and high end ones that cost at least 2,000 baht but we didn’t want to overindulge ourselves. Eventually, we chose one called Nimman House that was within our budget. So we took a tuk tuk and went back to Nimmanhaemin Road again.
Nimman House was tucked away from the main road and it was in a building on its own. The waiting room was quite nicely furnished and we were served water when we arrived. We went for the Nimman Sbay Sbay (Package 4), which consisted of a foot massage for 30 minutes, body scrub for 1 hour and oil massage for 1 hour. It cost 900 baht per person, which is only about S$36.
Unlike the cheaper one we went to yesterday, this one had more privacy and we each had a room to ourselves. The scrub was quite painful at times, like rubbing sandpaper against your skin, but I felt as smooth as a newborn baby after that. After the 2.5-hour session, we were served hot tea and a biscuit so it was a nice experience. Well, it wasn’t a 5-star hotel spa package but it was decent enough.
As it was coming to 6pm, we were hungry once again. AL was craving for some beef noodles this time so we tried to find it. We walked along one of the side streets and were about to turn back when we saw a shop at the end of the street that said “牛肉” so we continued walking towards it. It was like an old school coffeeshop and they were about to close for the day. We were lucky they accommodated us. I ordered a beef bowl with kuay teow noodles for 100 baht (S$4) and it was the best beef noodles I’ve had in a long time!
After that, I felt like having some mango sticky rice so we went to a restaurant along the main road and ordered one to share. It cost 89 baht and we would later see stalls at the Sunday street market selling it for only 50 baht. But the one we had was nice because the rice was warm and the mango was very sweet, so I would say it was still good.
As we milled along the main road thinking of where to go next, we saw a pushcart stall selling meat on sticks. It was like satay but the meat was so much bigger and much more tender. I just had one stick of chicken to try and it was awesome. Only 10 baht (S$0.40), so shiok!
We then spotted another pushcart stall across the road and decided to try it too because there were many people buying from it. We just ordered one stick of sausage to try (7 baht) but it was a bit weird because there was some rice filling inside. I must say I enjoyed the chicken satay better.
With our cravings satisfied, we then took a tuk tuk to the Sunday Walking Street Market. It is on Ratchadamnoen Road leading to Tha Phae Gate, and it is closed to vehicular traffic from evening till midnight every Sunday. It is a massive street market with hundreds of stalls, and it can easily take two hours to complete it.
Thankfully the market was open. It was very crowded and the atmosphere was great. It drizzled briefly but the rain didn’t last long. We didn’t buy much stuff, but mostly spent our money on even more food and drinks. One of the interesting things we tried was the Mini Ice-Cream, which came in a set of five mini ice-cream cones complete with toppings and it cost only 20 baht (S$0.80). It was so cute!
We also saw a stall selling fried milk for 20 baht and we knew we had to try it. How on earth do you fry milk? Unfortunately we did not get to witness the lady frying the milk so we didn’t find out the answer, but we bought a serving that was already prepared and tried it. Its appearance resembled crispy tofu and its filling was gooey. And they spammed condensed milk over it, so it was super sweet. Thais really do have a sweet tooth!
At about 9:30pm, we left and went to Anusarn Market, where I purchased five more of the personalised passport covers from the same stall as the day before, as gifts for my family members. We then went back to our hostel and ended the night with a can of Chang Beer each from the vending machine. Yes, the vending machine sells beer and it cost only 40 baht (S$1.60), how awesome. End of Day 2!
