Top North on Moon Muang

---

And so the bus ride began. A 10 hour journey from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok through the country to the North. Chiang Mai is expected to be a much more rural area and much quieter compared to Thailands international hub. I am anxious to experience the change of pace!

So I hope that you have seen Harry Potter 2, because there is no better way to describe our bus ride than that of the crazy red bus Harry road on to Hogwarts. You remember the one that flew through the air and had a crazy talking shrunken voodoo head? Yea that was our bus ride. It was a VIP experience on a double decker bus from the 80's. Of course we got seats on the top, 3 rows back from the front window. I was excited at first but then decided to blog. Unfortunately because I was looking down for so long, as soon as I looked up my head started to spin. I got super nauseausous and had to fan myself and grab a bag just in case. Finally we stopped at a rest stop and were able to get off and walk around. What was great was that our tickets included a free meal from a buffet style open air restaurant run by the local Thai people. Everyone except Cassie and I massed over to the food to grab plates of food. They gave you a spoon full of rice and then you got to choose from assorted vegetable dishes and meats. So I became brave because I wanted my stomach to stop hurting. Cassie thought I was crazy because she feared the food would make me worse. The fresh air and the meal I had made my stomach settle and I felt so much better. It was a spicy sauce with sauted vegetables of some sort and slices for red chile peppers. I love spicy food and the hot food cured me immediately. The bus started to pull away unfortunately so I freaked out yelled for Cassie and we looked like idiots chasing after it. It was only moving to a different parking sport and boy did we feel stupid. We got on it anyways just in case for peace of mind and because we had no idea where we were. The rest of the bus ride was no better. I honestly felt like the bus would just topple over around some of the turns. The countryside was beautiful though and you could tell we were going more North because the foliage changed. The weather became more misty in the evening and instead of flat land we were going up and down hills. Unfortunately Cassie started having breathing issues and we had neglected to buy waters at the bus stop. The lady who was tending to us on the bus offered us a Kool-aid type beverage but the ice in it was not the circular ice we expected. I drank it anyways and I am not sick but she refused to touch it! Haha! I was so excited because at one of our stops a Monk boarded and sat catty corner to our seat. I did my best not to point my feet at him, or speak to him, ive heard that is not appropriate. However, when he disembarked I raised my hands in prayer form to him to show him respect and he did the same to me! I said " Ka Pun Ka" which is Thank you and he smiled and said the same. That definitely brightened my spirits!

The bus ride seemed to last forever! When we finally arrived in Chiang Mai it was dark. We got off the bus and had no idea where to go. Cassie was horrible sick and was having mad anxiety. When we finally found a taxi service they had no idea where the guesthouse was we wanted to go to. They said the road it was on was far away and would be expensive to go to. More anxiety. The lady, however, was very nice and allowed us to use a phone to call Cassies cousin. When we got a hold of her we handed the phone back to the lady and Holly told the lady where she wanted us to go. Finally we were in a taxi and on our way. Driving through Chiang Mai, even at night, was BEAUTIFUL! The city had a beautiful river with water accents right now the main street. There were tons of shops and bars and restaurants in glittering lights lining the streets. It was clean, no rabid dogs, no trash piles, the air smelled sweet, there were flowers everywhere! We were just so relieved. We finally got to Moon Muang street where Holly told us to go and didnt find the guest house she reccommended. But we found something better I think.

Top Door Guesthouse personnell have been so kind to us. They let us pay for 3 weeks in advance and gave us room number 113. My birthday is January 13 so in my mind it was fate! The place has a beautiful swimming pool, a restaurant/cafe, a massage and spa parlor and the room accomodations are phenomenal. Now I say phenomenal because I wasnt expecting what we got. The D&D inn was much cleaner and more up to do but also more expensive. For about 10US a night, Cassie and I have our own beds, a private gated balcony, a private bathroom, a refridgerator, closet, and locks and windows! We are even on the first floor! I am ecstatic! We met up with Holly and her boyfriend immediately, unpacked, unwinded and a calm fell over both Cassie and I.

This morning we woke up and headed to breakfast. For about 3US we have unlimited breakfast from 6am to 12pm, so basically breakfast and lunch free! When we woke up a lady was cleaning the pool, Udo greeted us and speaks almost perfect english. His mate is actually from San Antonio and the food looked amazing! French toast, crescants, cereal, fried rice, coffee, juice, fresh fruit, bacon, ham, the works! After eating we went back to the room to clean up and are now relaxing by the pool talking with family. Our plans are to wait for her cousin to join us and then we are off to explore the city! I cant wait to tell you about this beautiful city, my elephant rides, my tiger adventures, the people Ill meet, the waterfalls Ill see! Stay tuned and join me in Chiang Mai!

---