Post by Dom:
We're REALLY liking Chiang Mai! The 14hr train ride up here from Bangkok wasn't so bad because we had a private sleeping car. It was actually fun! We didn't see any of the landscape during the night, but once the sun came up we still had a couple hours left before reaching our destination. The countryside is filled with forest. The occasional house and herd of cows can be seen...with cherry blossoms in the distance. I love the traditional style teak houses, with their big windows and large porches.

We're staying in the "old city" part of town, which is fortified...surrounded by a wall & moat. It's the 2nd largest city after Bangkok, but it's so much more mellow than in Bangkok, and it's also cooler & less humid. The constant buzz of motorbikes (aka scooters) can be heard all day & night. It is the main method of transportation for the locals. The women ride around with their high heels & over sized handbags, while chatting on their cell phone. Some people even ride around with their pets...or children. It's rare to see anyone with a helmet on, and even though it's hot as hell the locals cover themselves up with long pants and long sleeved jackets. We decided to rent a motorbike for a couple days. It's fun riding around on the back, while Tony drives us around. But, I'm having even more fun with the ridiculous looking helmets. I unknowingly put one on backwards when we first tried them on. I'm glad Tony set me straight or I would have felt like a big fool walking out of the bike shop! Another way to get around the city is in a songthaew...a pick-up truck with benches in the back. The old city isn't very big, but temples are everywhere. Stray dogs run around all over the place. Locals seem to treat them like pets. Some temples have donation boxes to help provide food & medicine for the dogs.

Thailand is the land of street markets. They're everywhere. You can practically go to a different one every night. It's best to go early before the crowd gets thick...that's when the locals go. The local art & handicrafts are so unique. You can find hand painted umbrellas, hand carved soap that look like flowers, and really cool paintings. The smell of grilled meat & sweet waffles is enough to lure anyone to the market. The food is cheaper than at restaurants and just as tasty! We're starting to get used to how spicy the food is. Everything is going to taste bland when we get back home. You can also get a foot massage at the market...1/2 hour for $2. I'm not usually into having strangers touch my feet unless I'm getting a pedicure. But, we just couldn't pass it up after 2 weeks of walking around Thailand. It was worth it!

There is some major nose-picking that goes on here. I mean serious picking...at least a knuckle deep. Thais don't worry about public etiquette. If they're gonna pick, they're gonna make it worth the effort. At first we were appalled to see such digging, but we have come to realize that it must be part of the culture because we witness it every time we turn around. Check out the guy in the background of this picture!!
Have I mentioned the coffee yet? It's soooo good. Coffee is a specialty of the northern region, so it's especially yummy in Chiang Mai. Even a cup of regular 'ol coffee is way better than anything at Starbucks. So, it's surprising that the biggest Starbucks I've seen is here...3 floors!



We took the motorbike up to see Wat Phra That Doi Suthep today. The temple is at the top of a mountain 5,500 feet high. The ride up was a lot of fun. The air got cooler the higher we climbed, and the temperature change from warm & humid to cool & crisp was refreshing. There wasn't any traffic, so we had the road to ourselves. It was a peaceful & beautiful ride. Our little scooter didn't go very fast, but we made it! But, Tony was really missing his motorcycle. The temple was crowded by the time we got there. It is one of the most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage sights, so there were more Thais than foreigners. The smell of incense filled the air, as Thais prayed to several of the Buddha statues around the temple.














Chiang Mai Pictures