Chiang Mai Day 2

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Yesterday we drove to the city of Chiang Mai and are staying in a hostel. Before we left our last hotel, I took a shower and thought there was some lint or dirt in the shower. I went to move it and it started jumping all around the shower. I FREAKED out and thought it was some kind of giant jumping bug or something that was going to murder me. False alarm. Turns out it was a little baby frog. We had a nice shower together and then he went back to hiding in the bath mat.

Once in the city, we walked around town, visited a temple and got a Thai massage. 1 hour for 7 dollars! It is quite different than what we are used to. Instead of massage tables, I had a thin mattress on the floor. They give you white linen pants and shirt to wear. They climb on you and really dig their elbows in! They brought Jacque upstairs because she was having a massage with oil. I was waiting in my area (the mats are sectioned off with curtains). The area I was in had 2 mats and I didn't think much of it until Kevin waltzed in. You could imagine both of our shock. We just went with it and had a lovely couples massage haha. I think Jacque had the right idea with the oil massage upstairs. Sounded much more relaxing. Perhaps I will try one of those today!

At night, we went to the night bazaar which was really cool. It is a great place to buy gifts and there is lots of street food. You have to bargain for everything because it's is really marked up, which took some getting used to. You even have to bargain with the cab drivers.

That area of the city has a lot of night life. There were a lot of "working women" outside some of the bars. We also walked past a bar with the Thai Hells Angels. I didn't even know Hells Angels are here. Needless to say, we passed on that place.

We went to a rooftop bar called THC. Don't worry, Dad, there wasn't actually weed there. It's more of a place for travelers. The floor was woven with straw and there were pillows on the ground by very low tables. All the walls were covered in graffiti and you had to climb up 3 flights of steep stairs to get to the bar. You leave you shoes outside, as with all places in Thailand. I really wish I had, had a pair of socks with me, but live and I learn. I survived. The toilet was also interesting. There was a big bucket next to it that was filled with water from a hose. You had to scoop water out of the bucket and into the back of the toilet to flush.

We met a big group of backpackers in the bar. They were from all over Europe and had met each other backpacking Thailand. They travel the country until their visas run out and then move to somewhere new. They stop and work for a bit to save and then move on to the next place. They were really nice and fun to talk to. They gave me lots of tips on my leg in Amsterdam.

No more dogs or cat friends. My dad texted me yesterday and told me to stop playing with them cause they aren't vaccinated and I'm gonna get rabies. So bossy, even from halfway around the word :/

Today we leave Chiang Mai for the beautiful beaches in the south. There was a huge storm there and it is still very rainy. Hoping that things clear up soon!

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