Biking in Chiang Mai

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The night train from Bangkok was far too cold because of fierce air conditioning. Next time I will use my down sleeping bag! On the plus side we arrived not too late and were able to book a biking trip. Our biking guide gave clear instruction and the mountain bikes were good. There was a small amount off road on mud and grass, but it wasn't a difficult ride because it was all flat. Before luride we stopped at a modern temple. I side it had paintings including local scenes showing a serious flood in the area over one hundred years ago. We also rode through a pleasant area with small houses and some larger buildings. This was formerly an area for the treatment of people who had leprosy. The buildings are no longer used for this purpose. There are teak trees growing in the area. The leaves of the tree contain a very strong red colour which is used as a natural red dye. Lunch included dragon fruit (second photo). After lunch we contined the bike ride and passed the ruins of old temples from an old city close to where modern day Chiang Mai stands. The ruins have been excavated and reconstructed to some extent. Dinner was at the night market and this involved first buying tokens and then selecting the food from the small stalls. There were also shops in the nightmarket, but nothing really different from anywhere else.

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