Day Thirteen: Chiang Mai

Asia » Thailand » North-West Thailand » Chiang Mai
November 23rd 2005

Published: December 7th 2005

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mollyfied

Panda

Snacking on bamboo.

Today we enjoyed a free day. I joined a few other OAT travelers on a visit to the Chiang Mai Zoo. It cost 30 baht, about 80 cents, for admission. The zoo was quite modern and the animals had good-sized enclosures. Best of all ... they had a pair of pandas! These little oreo teddy bears are just adorable. Nancy and I walked all around the zoo, up and down the hills and all around the perimeter. It felt good to get in some exercise.

We scored a cheap tuk-tuk ride back to the hotel and got ready for our group massage. Thailand is known for their wonderful massage therapy ... some massage is more "theraputic" than others, but by and large, it is mostly a legitimate service. Unlike the states, where massage is private and one rests on a table au naturale, in Thailand, massage centers have large rooms with several mattresses on the floor. You lie down in pajamas and the therapist rubs and squeezes your muscles. Normally, oil is not used.

Most of our tour group was together in a room, both men and women. This was a little too cozy for my taste, but I

Panda 2

wasn't about to complain. I don't suppose seeing me in pajamas would incite a riot. It didn't.

After the massage, we were supposed to take an overnight train to Bangkok, but we found out that the train had derailed and would not be able to take us. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the accident. Ole managed to get us all reservations on a flight out of Chiang Mai the next morning. He said it was just as well, since the train ride was not one of the highlights of the tour.

We went out to eat at a restaurant owned by a friend of Ole's. The food was incredible. One of the dishes was fire chicken, in which a roast chicken was set aflame for our amusement. It was truly the best tasting chicken I've ever had.

It was nice to head back to our hotel for a relaxing sleep before boarding the plane the next day.

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