Chiang Mai

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After leaving Bangkok, we flew to Chiang Mai, in the northern part of Thailand. We met our new tourguide and driver, Udon and Sumai.

After stopping at our hotel, Tamarind Village (a very cool place), we headed up to Wat Doi Suthep - a Buddhist temple perched on a mountaintop. The temple overlooks the entire Lanna valley, where about 1.8 million people live. Even though a lot of people live in Chiang Mai, it seems very relaxed in comparison to Bangkok. It's also a bit cooler - bonus!

Lynne was feeling a little queasy after the drive up the mountain - hairpin curves for about 40 minutes. But the Wat was worth the trip.

After, we visited a silk shop owned by the family of the Prime Minister, and then we returned to the hotel.

In the evening, Lynne was feeling better, so we walked through a weekend street market that went right up to the hotel.

Our next day, we toured Chiang Mai on our own (it was a little difficult to stay on our own, because many tuk-tuk drivers and other people walk up to you, are very friendly, and want you to hire them to give you a tour.) We visited Wat Chedi Luang, sat through a couple of rainstorms, and had a fun day.

Our next journey is to Pai, a small town that is about 6 hours away due to the windy mountain road. Fortunately, we found a pharmacy with Dramamine, so we're hoping we'll have a great trip.

Until next time, sawadee kaa!

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Photos

Wat Doi Suthep
The grand staircase, with 300 steps leading to the temple. We took an elevator up, and walked down. You can see several monks making the trek up the steps.

Hmong children
These kids sit at the Wat all day, waiting for tourists to give them 5 or 10 baht (about 20 US cents) to have your photo taken with them. It's one way to make a living, I guess.

Wat Chedi Luang
the head of a Naga adorns the end of a staircase. This stupa is in ruins due to an earthquake in the 16th century.