Chiang Mai Superstar

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I am in Chiang Mai now staying with some family friends. It is great having local tour guides! They drove me all around Chiang Mai the last 2 days showing me places I would never have seen and taking me to great places to eat that I would never have found. It is nice getting a locals perspective.

On Sunday Jim, May and their son Jake picked me up at the airport and we first went to get some food at a great Vietnamese place. We then went to a Wat (temple) outside of town that was excavated after a landowner found a brick in the ground. There were a number of these temples found underground about 4 or more feet down. We took a buggy pulled by a pony to see them all...it was pretty cool! I wish I could remember the name of the temple. After the temple they took me to a silk factory, which was really cool except we got there at the same time as an american tour bus, so it was crowded. Next on the list was a trip to the mall where I got a cellphone, yes, I now have a cellphone...but I don't think you can call it overseas, I will find out though. The shopping center also had all these pirated programs...I think I may stock up before I leave. If anyone wants anything... We then went to the flower festival and looked at some amazing floats all decked out in, yes, flowers. We also saw a very large protest of the new prime minister and got yelled at for desicrating a sacred monument, pretty fun.

A great dinner and the night market came next. It was full of crap and lots of people outside in a parking lot and on the streets. I bought more stuff and we got massages for dirt cheap!

I stayed at a hostel the first night. But the next morning they picked me up and now I am staying at a house. Yesterday (Monday) was a buddhist holiday. We went to Doi Suthep, a temple on a mountain which is accessed by a very long set of stairs. We then did the traditional ceremony for that day, which was to walk around the buddha three times and pray. Then, we lit incense and candles and prayed. Another cool thing we did was to find our lucky number we shook this box of sticks, and whatever stick eventually fell out was your lucky number, which had a fortune. Mine was 13!

After that we went to chinatown and to the market there. We were supposed to go to a waterfall after but I spent way too much time checking out fabric. I am headed back there once I get off the computer to buy some things! After Chinatown we went to a cultural dinner where we sat on the ground and watched people dance and play music. It was really cool! Touristy, but I am really glad I went to it. At the end of the night we lit these huge paper lanterns and made a wish and sent them up into the air. It was a great end to a great day.

Now, I am off to see more of Chiang Mai. I will be here until Thursday morning and I am going to fly down south and beach it up. I also think I may be extending my trip for one more week before I leave here. I think I have to. And, that is all...

Actually, let me add onto this... I forgot...I went to the Chiang Mai flower festival and looked at flowers and floats...pretty cool, see attached pics. I went back and bought more fabric yesterday and also made 2 more skirts! I took the fabric to a tailor and it cost me like 5 bucks a skirt. The material cost me maybe 2 or 3 dollars each too. Today I am going to another market to buy silk for Kathy and mail it home. Tonight I will be staying at a hostel because May, Jake, and Jim are leaving for eastern Thailand tomorrow to get married on elephants! Pretty cool. They have been GREAT hosts...and I don't know what I am going to do in Thailand without them! They have been so great to hang out with and they have been touring me around. I feel bad for them since they have been spending so much time taking me touring and shopping! But, they don't seem to mind and I am happy about that! But, I will be sad to leave here. It is a great start to my trip though and making me comfortable here in Thailand. I think now I will have to start speaking some Thai though! So far I have been pretty mute and nodding and smiling a lot.

So, tomorrow I will take a plane to Phuket and get myself to the beach. I woke up sick yesterday, finally got the cold I have been fighting off for 3 weeks! I should not have gotten that massage. Oh well, it isn't so bad, nothing the beach can't cure. Anyway, until then...

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Photos

Me, May, and Jake
Me, Jake, and May at Doi Suthep

Doi Suthep
Bottom of long stairway

The sunken ruins
Cannot remember the name of this place

Cannot remember this either
Pretty...

Magic numbers
Trying to get my lucky number! It was 13.

Float at flower festival
All made from flowers!

Comments

[Anna]

Cool!
That sounds awesome! You're so lucky that Judy's cousin is being such a great tour guide!

[mom]

talked to judy - she already had your blog - she had talked to sally -jim and mae said they had a great time with you - glad that worked out - did they tell you they where getting married on valentine's day- they are going to have a tradiontal wedding in the county - i guess they will arrive on elephants - sounds exciting. where are you off to next - are you staying with jim until you leave chiany mai

[Shaun B.]

Great Pictures.
Very cool pictures. I'm jealous.

[Kelly]

Wow
This is great Jeanette! It looks beautiful and you are so lucky to have family friends to show you around!

[Eric V]

13
Juanita, my birthday is on the 13th. We are totally connected now. How come i haven't seen a picture of you on an elephant yet? I'm totally jealous you get to spend so much time there. Maybe when elliot doesn't need to be carried around all day, we can take him there too. Have fun on the beach!

[Cassie]

fun times!
Sounds like you are having a good time! I am curious... what did you end up bringing?

[Tod]

Lucky
Those photos are amazing, it must be breathtaking to see the sites in person.

[Jim, May and Jake]

Hi Jeanette, It's your new buddies from Chiang Mai. The name of the temple we visited by horse carriage was Wiang Kook Kam. During the Burmese rule in (1558-1774A.D.) the Ping River had changed direction and the city was destroyed by great floods and buried. Here's a link that has some cool pics: http://phatdanai.multiply.com/photos/album/10#3 Sawadee Krup Jim, May and Jake