Beautiful Ancient City

---

Geo: 18.7904, 98.9847

My first impression of Chiang Mai is good, it seems a beautiful place even though I'm tired when I arrive, I'm looking forward to exploring. It's got temples galore, they're everywhere, at least 300 of them - amazing. The roads are full of red pickups which are like buses as far as I can tell, plus pimped out tuk tuks and cyclos with their flashing neon lights and lots and lots of cars, vans etc. they may even out number the motorbikes here which will be a first for me in the past number of months!


I try and get into a routine of having a walk in the evening around dinner time when it's cooler and more comfortable but I never really venture out of the ancient city walls which are surrounded by a moat. Realistically I don't have to as there are temples and monks everywhere, lots of lovely shops, nice places to eat, and there's the Sunday Walking Street which is a market filled with locally produces items for sale, lovely. Out with this area there are pubs, clubs, massage and beauty parlors, more temples and night markets and bazaars, which I will venture out to yet.


I meet Robert from Auckland who is in Chiang Mai getting medical treatment at one of the local dentists, I mean he is getting the works done with lots of teeth pulled out, plates made and fillings, and is roughly in the same shape as me with limited energy and pain control issues. He's good company and gives me loads of good advice on vitamins I should be taking to help me recover and it all makes sense, anything to aid my recovery can only help. He comes out walking with me and we have a routine of good places to eat healthy food and have great shakes with all sorts of nutritional values.


Chiang Mai is the 5th largest city in Thailand and there is a good mix of locals and westerners that have lived here for many years, it's laid back and nice to relax in, I suppose I'm not in any hurry. There are adverts for the tourist for all sorts of zip lining through the jungle which I would have loved to have done but I can't even think of that yet unfortunately! There are lots of Elephant Treks, visiting Hill Tribes, Trekking in the Mountains, the nearby Doi Suthep Temple, Chiang Mai Zoo and the Tiger Kingdom, it's all so tempting.


I manage to up my walking to the daytime also and visit some of the many temples which are beautiful, there is a real sense of peace and serenity around them which is nice and they are incredible gold laid buildings with stunning gold or white stupas, with incredible detail and work inlaid in every aspect. I managed to get my camera working again (well to a degree) so I can take some pictures, I bought a new charger which is taking care of the battery however the screen is still cracked so I can't change the mode from auto meaning the flash goes off every shot and I can't find anywhere to fix it, so the photos are the best I can do at the minute.


Before I know it my second week is up and my visa is due to expire, I can't believe I have been in Thailand two weeks already, I've not even been to the hospital here for a checkup yet, so I decide to do a visa run which entails getting a bus up to Tachilek in Myanmar (Burma) for the day and returning. The bus is easily booked at one of the many travel places, it seems there are lots of adverts for visa runs and I book my ticket for the day mine is due to expire, nothing like cutting it fine. With all the sleep I've been having I've completely lost track of time!


The bus arrives the next morning at my guest house and it looks like everyone is in the same boat, staying on the bus all day to renew their visas. It's around a 5 hour journey to the border which goes through Chiang Rai which is on my list of places to see however we only stop at a gas station, shops etc. outside of the town before zipping through it and onto the border, before I know it I'm off the bus and heading for the Burmese border. Looks like I will need to organise another trip for Chiang Rai and the White Temple when I'm ready to leave Thailand.


Onwards to Burma...

---