Feelin' Fly in Chiang Mai

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I arrived two days ago in the "Rose of the North." Quite good timing too if I may say so myself. This weekend Chiang Mai celebrates the Flower Festival- supposedly just about the biggest celebration of the year. I arrived in the picturesque old city. There are remnants of the wall which used to protect the local kingdom from ravaging barbarians, and a moat that just won't quit.

The first place I tried to get a room charges 300 baht a night. I went across the street and was quoted the same price. Then I started to walk away. The receptionist said "250", to which I said "200". She consulted with her manager and then agreed. The room is quite nice. It has a balcony, two beds, private bathroom with warm water. And the place has a pool! I think I might stay here for a week and take advantage of my extremely pleasant living situation. Some websites and guidebooks advice travelers to book a week in advance for the Flower Festival. I should be hired to bargain with the People's Democratic Republic of Korea.

After settlin' in and eating a meal I went on a walk. My room is on the east side of the city, so I headed west to try to find the Wat Chedi Luang- the largest building in town. On the way I talked to a Nepalese tailor who greeted me in Hindustani after we exchanged a sideways head nod. I also conversed with a tuk-tuk driver for about a minute. He offered to take me around town for one million baht. Good laugh. Finally, there was a monk who wanted to display his friendliness and a proficiency in English. This is a very laid-back and friendly town. However, I somehow never did find what I was looking for in the windy streets.

Yesterday I finally did find the Wat Chedi Luang. It is by far the most impressive structure I have seen in Thailand. It was built around eight hundred years ago. It used to be much larger before an earthquake knocked it down.

Today was the real fun. There was the grand parade through town. I could hear the music from my room at eight in the morning. There were many tribal people in traditional costume, floats decorated with thousands of flowers, and about a dozen marching bands. They played "Smoke on the Water", some Sousa pieces, and "The Final Countdown". Beautiful.

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