it's true what they say about people from the north...

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spent the past couples of days in northern thailand in city of chiang mai. two flights to get there, less then 6 hrs... much better option then over 16 hr night train! chiang mai is an amazing city, full of people and cars, but still has the nature feel...

arrived in chiang mai on sunday the 19th... great day to arrive as there's a Sunday Market, blocking off more then 6 blocks of the downtown for vendors... i have never seen a night market like this. THe market attracts thousands of people, mostly local but also tourists.... the vendors sell everything from cheap food to souvenirs, carvings, clothing, pictures... anything and everything you can think of. spent over 4 hours walking around the Sunday Market... then realized we were on the wrong side... so spent an extra hour weaving our way back through the crowds... amazing first day/night in chiang mai!

we went on a day trip to an Elephant Park which was amazing. 45 mins outside of chiang mai, the elephants put on a 'show' for us... they play soccer, play the harmonica, and paint a picture. we took a ride around the park on the elephant which was amazing but slightly unsettling... you're barely strapped in there. rest of the afternoon was spent going down the river on a bamboo raft. almost sank our raft when i fell in between and the Thai 'drivers' of the raft had to help me out of the water... good laugh for everyone haha. and most importantly the camera was ok!

we also visited the Karen Village, where families from neighbouring Burma are situated. The women there are called Long Necks, and wear gold rings around their necks... they start as kids wearing 2 rings, and by adulthood are up to the max of 32 rings. weighs more then 6 kilos... not sure how they can sleep with those things on.

amazing temples in chiang mai... not as elaborate as the Grande Palace, but definitely worth seeing... the temples are situated within hills and mountains, making the scenery amazing. Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep is situated on a mountain and has an unbelievable view of the city. Temple was built in 1383. I have enjoyed chiang mai so much more then bangkok, the people are so much friendlier and speak amazing english compared to any other spots we've visited... just when i've mastered hello in thai... im off to laos!

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Photos

Sunday Market
local thai lady cooking at the SUnday Market... open until 12 am at least. one dish at the market cost 15B, roughly 50 cents canadian. cheapest dinner i've had yet!

elephant
First pic of the elephants... apparently they love bananas.

entertainer
who knew elephants could use the hoola hoop!?

long neck
i was only holding a quarter of the weight... i think i'll stick to gold jewellery

Wat Doi Suthep Temple
gold gold gold gold

Comments

[Uncle Rick]

Hickey
Is that a "hickey cover upper" around your neck. A turtle neck usually works better. LOL...Uncle Rick