Chiang Mai...

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Flew into Chiang Mai...beautiful, lush green rolling hills, small mountains - completely different than Bangkog! Hotel also completely different - in a good way. Aruntari hotel...low building, 3 stories, much more traditional feel...but the room has all, well most, of the amenities. The bed was hard as a rock...I asked about it at the desk and they said they could change my bed to a 'soft' bed. YaY! That night...tried the soft bed...it was kind of like soapstone....eg., softer, but for this gal with her aching hips...not ideal, but it's been okay. The only other thing to complain about...very minor, but for a wimp like me -they have an old fashioned actual key, connected to a big wooden block...so when you leave for the day, you give them your key...but the key has to be in a special holder in the room for lights and a/c to work...so that means when you get back and you are hot and sweaty...you have to wait for the room to cool down - horrors! I tell ya - the trials and tribulations...(just kidding you know).

Anyhow - I actually feel like I'm in Thailand now! First night went by tuk tuk to The Gallery which some friends had recommended...it was a lovely building, nice setting on the river. Food was fine, the whiskey sour better, although I did enjoy the traditional Chiang Mai noodle dish. Then realized I didn't have enough Baht for a tuk tuk back. So - the waiter was very nice, and they accepted U.S. dollars, which they don't usually , and gave me back enough Baht so I could get a tuk tuk to the Night Bazaar. This is the tourist mega shopping center...it's an outdoors market...but it's HUGE!!! I mean endless - you'd have to have GPS to find your way around. I wandered aimlessly, bought a cloth purse as I needed a different size than what I had with me (it's a girl thing), found a place to change dollars for Baht....wandered around some more and then fell gratefully into another tuk tuk back to the hotel.

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