We pulled into Chiang Mai railway station about one hour late.
It was so nice to be out of a big city. It was indeed around 5 degrees cooler and didn't feel nearly humid. I said my goodbyes to my travel companions and swapped blog addresses with Joey. He was considering going to Vietnam so my travellers tales may help him make the right decision.
Travel agent Sarah was true to her word and there was indeed someone waiting at the station holding up a card with my name. This is a first for me. Quite strange.
I jumped into his vehicle and off we went. My first stop was another hotel where I was met by a loverly lady who checked my documents and flight details for the transfer. Tried to sell me a couple of trips but was not pushy at all. It was a new experience after 24 hours in Bangkok......
Elle, the Thai lady gave me an itinerary for the next couple of days, told me that if I needed anything I could call her 24 hours a day. Now that's what I call service.
As I was leaving she shook my hand and told me that Sarah had told her to look after me. Very charming.
I was to be met at 6.00pm this evening by the trek guide and tomorrow morning would go out into the jungle and visit hill villages. This would be a two day,one night trek. No long but a great way to taste the area.
After this stop it was on to the hotel. It was beyond my expectations. Lovely room with a great view. I do feel a bit of a backpacker fraud, this is not quite what I expected.
WiFi access was available in the room but at a price I would check out town and maybe find a bar where I could check e-mails etc.
Quick shower and then out exploring and a spot of lunch.
I took a tuktuk to the old city, it is charming, there is a street market on Sunday, none of the fake stuff, real ethnic wares. Stopped off at the De Nanga cafe to download e- mails and check if the releasing of four birds at the Golden Buddha had brought me enough luck to win the £7 million on last nights lottery. 'Fraid not!!
Lunch of satay and a beer, (hydration!)
There appears to be a lot of westerners and Australians. Chatting to an Aussie lady in the lift, she was from the sunshine coast and here for a conference, could think of worse places. I told her I had once driven from Cairns to Byron Bay, NSW,down the Bruce highway.
' right past my house, next time you must pop in for a VB.
Although I loved Bangkok, this is more to my taste and if Sarah lives up to her word I am looking forward to the next three weeks. Maybe the planned Feb return may be extended even further. Would love to see more of Thailand, next time would have to be true backpacker guest house though due to funding!!
One really noticeable difference here is the lack of pushy selling. Nevertheless, still got my wits about me!!
As I was walking through the sunday day market I was starting to feel a little stressed, you know how it is, can't decide what to have for dinner, should I take a tuktuk or a taxi back to the hotel, that sort of feeling.
In the market were number of stalls offering massages, given my experience in Egypt and the tight paper pants in Borneo I decided to plump for a head, neck and shoulder massage to relieve the stress of deciding what to eat next.
30 mins for 60 baht. About £1.20.
Wonderful, and she didn't get familiar once!!
The sunday day market
Tha Phae gate. The main gate into the old city
The old fortifications of the old city
Later In the afternoon I sat in a bar, there was a pissed up Irish bloke chatting at the bar and he shouted over to an american:-
' so are you sorry for what you did in Vietnam '
A potential issue was quickly diffused by another Irish chap.
' hey, you're getting out of line'
He replied-:
' sure, sorry! '
Only to be followed by-:
' so what's it like having a black president, bet you're pretty pissed egh'
People watching...... Priceless!
At 4.30 I headed back to the hotel by Tuktuk. My timing was perfect, at that point the heavens opened big style.
I planned on visiting the night market this evening and perhaps pop back to the old town for dinner. You are never short of places to eat here, apparently Chiang Mai is renowned for its food. And beer is half the price it is in Bangkok and about 20% the price it is in Singapore and KL.
My evening in Chiang Mai was wonderful. I went to the night market which was not too busy and some great buys, got my torch, walking socks and rafting shoes all for under a fiver with some hard bargaining , fun was had by both parties. Also bought some ethnic pants and shirt for sleeping in, again, 'cheap as chips'
Dinner was prawns, chicken and veg with a couple of large beers. Less that a fiver. I'm quite excited about the trek. Having dinner was an experience in itself, I wasnat the side of the marker observing various techniques both the buyers and the sellers. It was fascinating. Ladies in ethnic clothing kept wandering by with instruments that sounded like frogs in the night. To be sure it got a bit irritating after a while. Met the guide this evening who gave me a list of what to bring which i got from the market. 'Jobs a gud un'
I saw a torch for the trek, asked how much
' 350' was the response'
' no, he's selling it for 150 back there'
' OK'
Deal done. All my purchases went the same.
I'm sure one of the guys had terrets. He kept making strange noises as we were striking a deal.
I think I'm gonna have to ship some stuff home DHL!!
I was back in the hotel by 10.00. A good nights sleep me thinks!
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Location: Chiang Mai - thailand
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