Chiang Mai - Thailand ❤️❤️

First, I want to say that we ♥️♥️ Chiang Mai. We actually could see ourselves living there. We arrived in Chiang Mai by train around 11 hours from Bangkok. Nothing to complain about, they actually served us 2 snacks and lunch. It was a nice way to travel and take in the countryside. We saw sugar cane, banana, bamboo plantations, rice paddies. We saw a town overrun by monkeys – they were everywhere. Not sure if they are doing something about that. The last third of the ride was a long slow climb into the highlands. On the train, we met a couple from BC who were also travelling like us for 3 months.

As soon as we arrived, we felt a nice vibe in the city and became very comfortable almost right away. The people are very friendly, and you feel safe. As a matter of fact, anywhere in Thailand, we have visited, not once did I feel unsafe.  We stayed in a lovely guest house with a very nice host & his family. There is so much to say about Chiang Mai the city of endless temples. Everywhere you turn in the Old City you see a new temple to discover. The amazing part is that the temples are all different. We couldn’t get enough of the beauty of these temples, some more ornate than others. Everywhere we ate, we enjoyed our food, so delicious. We found an ex-pat bar where the owner was British and married a Thai woman. We spent happy hour every night there and met a British couple who were at the end of their 3-month trip. We had some great laughs, meeting fellow travellers always makes trips interesting. So much to share!

We hired a driver who drove an electric tuk-tuk (the only one we saw in Thailand) and went up the mountain to visit the temple. It was a fabulous very peaceful place. If the tourists (btw-we are in  high season) were not taking over the place it would have been a Zen visit. And we do not mean that spitefully, crowds are a part of travelling almost anywhere you go. 

We went to both the Saturday and Sunday night markets and they were just insane with people. The Saturday night was more chaotic, to the point that you couldn’t even see the vendors as it was just too crowded. But like all markets in Thailand, we ate some great street food. Ed was able to get some great pictures to show the market’s true life. A different way to shop but very normal in Asia. It seems people do most of their shopping in these markets because big department stores do exist but are not as common as in the west. Same with grocery stores, they exist but there is no question, the locals shop for groceries mainly at the markets. It took a bit of getting used to, seeing raw meat hanging in the open air but it’s a way of life here.

On one of our many walks, Ed’s sandal broke and we had to find him some flip flops which were a bit of a challenge because of his mutant sized feet. It was also his only pair. I think that after visiting all the Temples and being respectful, Buddha helped solve our dilemma. We happened to walk right in front of a shoe repair shop, and he had Ed’s sandal repaired the next day for $2. 

We did so much walking in Chiang Mai that we walked from our guesthouse to the river Ping, going through the tourist shopping area. We also crossed the Old Wall at the East Gate where the girl from Alberta tagged the wall and was caught doing it and sent to jail. As far as we know from reading it in the news, she had to pay a $10,000 fine to get released. We aren’t sure if her British friend is out of jail, apparently, he had problems raising the money for the fine. The point is that it isn’t smart to break the law in a country ruled by its military.

We maybe back someday Chiang Mai!!!!

~Travel like nobody's watching~