Chiang Mai part 1- Walking around the Wats

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Day 33-April 7th: I didn't get much sleep on the night train from Ayutthaya to Chiang Mai, but I was ready to plow through the day and get a good night's sleep. As the train was getting closer to Chiang Mai, the day was dawning, the sun was coming up over the hills/mountains of northern Thailand. It was beautiful outside. We arrived in Chiang Main around 7:30/8:00 AM.

I met a guy named Anthony at the train station, he and I both weren't sure where to stay in town, so we decided to walk to the Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT) office along the riverfront. We arrived shortly before the office opened at 8:30 so sat and chatted for a few minutes. When the office opened, we inquired about guesthouses and travel agents and treks and the bus schedule. The manager at the TAT office was very helpful and informative.

Anthony and I walked to Royal Guesthouse, which is the place which the guy at the information counter in the train station recommended. It wasn't too far of a walk (though our bags were feeling heavy as the day was heating up!), and we finally found the place. I got a room on the 7th floor for 150 baht, Anthony preferred the 4th floor. Each floor that you go up gets cheaper and with less "extras." I was happy to have a cheap place to stay, and climbing the steps is good exercise! It was weird to have a room to myself, I've been sharing rooms for most of this trip!

Anthony and I decided we both wanted to sign up for a trek with the company PTT Tours, somehow affiliated with Royal Guesthouse. It was a trek that included swimming in a waterfall, visiting and sleeping at hill-tribe villages, riding on an elephant, and taking a bamboo raft down the river. These things are "standard issue" for treks in Chiang Mai. It's what I and many other backpackers come up to Chiang Mai for.

Anthony and I walked around the old city and ended up at the north gate of the old walled city. We took a songthaew (shared taxi) with a couple of other people who were waiting there, and headed to Doi Suthep, a famous wat (temple) outside the city. It's up a hill and promises a panoramic view of the city from the top. After about a 40 minute ride, we arrived and climbed the 290 or so steps to the top. The main stupa is golden and shone in the sunshine. We wandered around for a bit and took photos of the temple and surroundings. The air was a bit hazy due to burning in the hills - a seasonal ritual around here - so the view was less than spectacular. But you could see pretty far and you could make out the runways at the nearby airport, which was cool.

We were scheduled to leave at about 2 PM, so I finished at the top and decided to wander down the hill outside the temple and check out the market. There is a national park attached to/around the wat, but I didn't venture in there. At the market, I had some lovely soup and pad thai, vegetarian of course. I had to use my phrase book for the first time, as this was a non-touristy area. I didn't order the soup, I thought maybe they just gave it to me. But when it came time to pay, I had to negotiate since I didn't want to pay for it. Anyway, I went up and met the others and we headed back into Chiang Mai.

Back in the city, we said goodbye to our Japanese friends and Anthony and I walked around a bit. We headed to Wat Chiang Man, the oldest wat in the walled city, which houses some very old Buddhas. We strolled from there down the street, taking in our surroundings. We hit the moat/canal/klang at the south end of the old city, and made our way along it back to our guesthouse. We had a 5 PM meeting to attend pertaining to our 3-day trek.

Back at Royal Guesthouse, we met the others who would be on our trek with us and got the scoop on what we would be doing. I headed to the internet from there and missed meeting up with Anthony to check out the night market. I got back later than anticipated, walked around the night bazaar for a bit but didn't buy anything, then finally home for some much-needed sleep. I'm getting tired of night markets these days, it's all the same same but different everywhere I go!

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