Chiang Mai - one stop before the oasis

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I really should have sent this a few days ago but there is always something different to do... Anyways, let's get on with this traveling blurb.

Chiang Mai was a brief episode but definitely worth seeing. I hooked up with two Ozzie guys on the overnight train and so they followed me to the hostel where I had booked a room. One reason why they wanted to hang out together was because it turned out that I knew how to haggle...and they didn't. Just to give you a comparison: my trip from Khao San Rd in Bangkok to the train station cost me 20 BHT (about 30p?) while they paid 100 BHT for the same journey! I personally think they are just too kind. As for me, I don't like to be ripped off and believe that if it wasn't worth it, these people wouldn't be going for it. So, haggle away!

When in Chiang Mai, we spent the whole day walking around the town, squeezing the three of us in tuk tuks, looking at temples, chatting to some Buddhist teacher and getting a suit for David while me and Marcus were discovering Thai street delicacies - very interesting that was... I can't even describe all the foods we saw there and the smells that go with them!

Evening was pretty easy - a massage for me - that's an everyday occurrence so far, and lovely Thai food.

The hostel where we were staying was cool as well - very chilled and of course lots of people to chat to. Most of them were really nice and we decided to hook up with a few others at our next stop in Pai. However, there is always that one, who will just annoy the hec out of you! His official nickname is a Freak and there are plenty of reasons for that: the looks ( I know, I know, don't judge the book by its cover, but in this case you couldn't escape it!), the stuff he says and his life story: had a mental breakdown, so returned to England, got decent money as a safeguard to allow him to get back into the society but he's been using that money to travel and settle in Laos where he smokes pot - bloody bastard is doing it for the taxpayers money - our money!!! He says he hates England, is tribal and generally doesn't believe in any governments. He sounded like derailed John Lennon... So, as I said, there is always that one...

Apart from the Freak, everyone has been absolutely fantastic - there is just something amazing about meeting people who don't pretend they are something else and just talk to you about everything and nothing.

Now, Chiang Mai was a brief stop because at the end of the day, it was just another city and I wanted something different, so I swiftly moved to hippie Pai where the story continues...

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Jak do tej pory, kazde miejsce, do ktorego zdazylam zawitac jest bardzej interesujace od porzedniego. Bangkok jest ogromnym miastem (8-9 milionow mieszkancow), wiec niekoniecznie chcilam tam spedzic wiekszosc mojego czasu. Pza tym, bede tam z powrotem w czerwcu.

Chiang Mai bylo kolejnym przystankiem (12 godz. nocnym pciagem z lozkami), ale znowu jak by nie bylo miastem, tak wiec szybko udalam sie do kolejnego miejsca, o ktorym napisze w nastepnym rozdziale.

W drodze do Chaing Mai poznalam dwoch chlopakow z Australii, z ktorymi spedzialaqm caly dzien zwiedzajac to miasteczko. Wieczorem z kolei poznalam dziewczyne z USA, ktora podazyla za mna do klejnego miejsca i gdzie spedzilysmy kilka naprawde fajnych dni, ale o tym pozniej.

Jak widac na fotkach, zwiedzanie tajskich miast zazwyczaj wiaze sie z ogladaniem swiatyn i roznych psagow Buddy. Tak wiec, pewnie zobaczycie jeszcze calkiem kilka ladnych zdjec buddyjskich mnichow, swiatyn, etc.

Co do pogody, to jest tu naprawde goraco, chociaz generalnie, mozna sie do tego przyzwyczaic. Teraz jest pora deszczowa, wiec zazwyczaj pada w nocy - dni sa sloneczne, chociaz nie mialabym nic przeciwko kilku kroplom dla ozezwienia :o)

Nastepny przystanek: male miasteczko Pai, gdzie zatrzymuje sie na kilka dni, zeby w koncu odpoczac!

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