Chiang Mai Day 1

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Chiang Mai (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_Mai) is located about 435 miles north of Bangkok in a mountainous area of the country. The population of Chiang Mai is about 1 million. We are staying right in the middle of Chiangmai City which was established in 1296 and it is a city with a wall and mote around it. Our accommodations at the Awana House (www.awanahouse.com) are perfect for location, comfort and excellent helpful staff. The place only cost 22 USD/day so it really is reasonable as well. The guy who runs the place came from Holland five years ago to try something new. I would highly recommend Awana House when you come to Chiang Mai.

We rented motorbikes (6 USD/day) to explore a few areas. Fortunately Jeff had visited this area before so we knew a couple of places we wanted to see. Since I am not used to driving a motorbike, this experience was a bit unnerving because of the aggressive drivers, but we had a blast and no scratches.

We rode about an hour north and checked out the Four Seasons Resort which was stunning, but at a cost of $1000/night and up, we decided to stick with Awana House. Our next adventure was a snake farm and show. Since there were only the four of us and another Muslim couple, somehow we became the show. The pictures should tell the story.

After many stops and lunch by a road vendor, we headed up another mountain to visit Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep Temple (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wat_Phrathat_Doi_Suthep), which is an old Buddhist temple that overlooks the entire area. After the navigating the temple steps, we came back the winding mountain road in the dark just in time for dinner at Mad Dog Restaurant. We were in the mood for western food and this place specializes in “farang” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farang) food. Tomorrow is already planned out, and by the sounds of it, you do not want to miss that update.

Since we have so much to try and squeeze in, I will let some of the pictures do the talking. Let me know if you want to see something specific or have more of an explanation about something you see. Until later…

Administrator B testing update.

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Comments

[Todd Wilhelm]

Thailand
Thanks for the updates and photos Phil. It looks like a cool place to visit. I love Thai food and that lunch kitchen photo from today looks marvelous. I could probably do without the snakes!

[John Hallal]

Awesome Pics
Thanks for sharing your holiday.

[Beta]

Hi my friens.... in love with your trip... tks for share... let me know how good is the coffee...:-)

[Beta]

Good Time
In love with your trip! Thanks for share....