More shopping

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Ok after reading Ken's entry I feel that I have to defend myself. It did not sound like a cat, more like a sharp intake of breath.

Bought a "Polo Winner" suitcase to stash all our goodies, including the wedding favors I have to pick up tonight. Ken loves the knock off North Face items - either Mouth Foam, North Facf, or Orth Face. Pretty funny.
Went mountain biking today. It was fun, although the 1 and 1/2 hr ride turned into a 9 hour day due to lack of organization. And we were scheduled to go down the singletrack but the sexist pig (american) tour guide thought we should go down the "smooth" singletrack (to which the thai guide looked at me and said "really????") even though Ken and I were the only ones in the group with any real mountain biking experience. Well, the smooth one entailed 50% dirt road but then some decent singeltrack, all grown over with bamboo. Oh well, had a better day than the Canadian guy who went down the "hard" singletrack and taco'd his wheel at the beginning leaving him to sit up at the coffee plantation all day, then miss lunch.

Tomorrow is the "spoil me" day, I have decided that in lieu of learning thai massage I will just HAVE one, and maybe a facial at a spa. Hard to believe I have turned so soft, but there it is.

Found a good deal to Ho Chi minh (saigon) but will decide what to do from there as travel is cheaper once you get to Vietnam. Hopefully do some beach bumming once there.

Must go now, back to the night bazaar for "best price". The funny thing is the first purchase of the day is the lucky one, they believe that if the first customer walks away then they all will. So I got some good deals yesterday when i went at the beginning. Once you pay, if you are the first customer, they take the bills you give to them and use it to touch all their merchandise for luck.

Hope all is well at home. We miss the pets, take video footage of all the hard done by animals to show so our pets appreciate us more.

Love Caroline (and Ken although he isn't really here at the moment - gearing up for the madness, I guess. Wait until I tell him I want to shop in Vietnam......shhhh)

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Photos

Wat Welcome Party
Statue just outside one of the many wats (temples) in Chiang Mai

Ginger Ale - Thai Style
Ginger Ale in Thai script. Its Schweppervescent!

Streets of Chiang Mai
Caroline goes in search of more deals. In Chiang Mai, the early shopper gets the worm, or rather 'First Customer Discount'

Chiang Mai Traffic Jam
Ok, now you go, no no I insist you first. All they need to do is just apply some Vietnamese strategy here - honk loudly and hammer the gas!

Happy Bloggers at Just Khao Soy
A fun restaurant in Chiang Mai that serves the famous Khao Soy a wheat noodle dish with all the fixins - a Northern Thai specialty.