Preface: We did not research this, but you need visas to go to Laos and Cambodia. If you are going anywhere outside of Europe, you probably need one. Luckily they do not have to acquired beforehand, but can be purchased at the borders of those countries. You also need passport photos for this. We had to spend some time trying to find a place, so my advice is to have all this prepared before you go.
As a treat afterwards, we ate some street food. A woman made us the most delicious Pad Thai. My sister is allergic to peanuts and had never been able to eat Pad Thai, but they make it less sweet and peanutty(I know that’s not a word). We were able to communicate that my sister would pass out into convulsions if she ate peanuts, so the lady got it, and held the peanuts. I cannot express how delicious it was, or the joy my sister took in trying Pad Thai for the first time: priceless. The egg rolls were fantastic too. Our hotel also made the most delicious Thai iced tea, which was double the price you paid on the street, but enjoyable to drink in an air conditioned café. We were on a roll for gastronomic experiences that day…
Of course when you are in Thailand, you must get a Thai massage. There are places everywhere, so we picked a place close to the hotel. Disclosure: it is very different from a massage that you would receive in the states…we do not view privacy the same way. Kristina and I undressed (just our tops) in front of the masseuse, and laid next to each other with no curtain separating us. I could barely contain my laughter when the massage therapists were walking on our bodies and slapping us. They turned us around and had our heads lay in their laps…this was awkward…Kristina had a guy giving her massage. Plus, they were talking to each other, not creating a relaxing environment. However, it was one of the funniest experiences I ever had. I regularly get deep tissue massages here, and the atmosphere is totally different. It cost us about $10 a massage, and was totally worth it since it was a hilarious experience. You can go to a beautiful spa for privacy, as we did in Cambodia, but it will be more expensive.
That evening we had to catch the overnight train to Chiang Mai. This was another hilarious escapade since there were 30 of us lugging our suitcases, and lining them up in the train hallway. We had to create a work chain to get everyone’s stuff a board.
The food was terrible, and my sister ended up having a reaction to the pineapple she ate, and had to go to the washroom to give herself a shot. So try to buy food before and bring it on the train since you will not eat well. The time on the train was a great time for journaling, reading, and talking…some people brought cards games to pass the time.
Later, our seats converted into bunk beds. I ended up squeezing into Kristina’s bunk at the bottom since we made a fort with our bags and stuff. The strange part is we both had the most amazing sleep on the train…maybe it was the motion…The best part was in the morning when they started kicking people off their beds, and converting them back into seats. We thought it was funny since some people were still sleeping, and they just started pushing them off the bed.
After this journey, we arrived at the Empress Hotel in Chiang Mai. A great spread awaited us for breakfast… I waited in line for my custom made omelet that was so worth it…sometimes you need something from home. It wasn’t check in time so we had to shower in the bathroom by the pool, which wasn’t the best experience, but also worth it to wash the funk of the train off of us. After all, we had some major sightseeing to do that day, as you will soon find out…