Chiang Mai..round 1

BKK to Chiang Mai


Erin and I got on a 8:00 PM bus.  We got what we call a VIP bus...so we got pillows, blankets, air condition, meal, water, and snack.  Let me break it down even further for you. We needed as many blankets we could get our hands on the bus was SO COLD. I mean it was ice box.  Thanks to this little magic purple pill Erin and I fell asleep...by falling asleep I mean knocked out for this 12 hour bus ride...so we did not really realize we needed hand warmers and face masks until the last 1hour and half.  For dinner they served....rice and mystery meat. Erin gobbled it up....I sipped my water and hoped the purple pill kicked in. I was ready to sleep.

Fast Forward 12 hours....

We arrive in Chaing Mai. We are both very happy with how the VIP bus ride went.  I had prepared for a bus with no windows or bathrooms....we had both. I even had stopped drinking water like 3 hours before we got on the bus....because I was nervous my bladder was not going to be able to make it.

As we are getting off the bus we realized we probably should have thought this one out a little. We had no clue where we were going to stay....so we got into a tuk tuk and he brought us to one guest house.....it was full. So he then brought us to another guest house...."same same" he tells us...yea but you know there is a "different" which was an extra 100 BHAT. We should have seen that one coming!  Erin and I got dropped off at a nice, clean, not full guest house at 5:45 AM. We got a room and sleept till about 10AM then we woke up, put on our walking shoes and started exploring Chiang Mai.

There are lots of things to see and do!! We saw some temples, art gallery's, 2nd hand shops, cute coffee and tea houses.....some highlights from this lovely Friday.

TASTE FROM HEAVEN
If you know anyone headed that way pass it along....here is their website. As you will see they have lots to offer..not just food! http://www.taste4heaven.com/

My actual plate. Oh boy, I have not seen bread and a pretty egg like that for months.

Vegan and Vegetarian restaurant. I am neither. However, the food here was some of the best I ever had. The simple stuff....good hearty wheat bread, fried eggs, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, and coffee... uhh I will dream about it. We came here 2x for the breakfast....

John Gallery

He is an artist. Pictures. Gray, white, and/or any color you can think of.  He takes saying, quotes...and puts art with them.  He is an older man and his shop is like walking into a secret cave in a jungle that the kids from That 70's Show would have discovered........  I fell in love with his work. Anything from small postcards to big huge painted tapestries were available for purchase.  I have a piggy bank with his name on it so when I go back in April I can splurge on artwork for myself, family and friends.  

One of my favorites

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass...it's about dancing in the rain.

Temples

We went to 3 different temples or Wats. We would take our shoes off and go see statues of buddha and the offerings that the locals or travelers have made. The third wat we walked into, Erin and I decided to get involved. There were little metal bowls lined up in front of a statue. Erin and I each paid 10 THB to get a little dish of small coins. (The money goes towards the monks)

Sooo this is how it worked....before we started putting the coins into the dish you talk to Buddha and ask for health and happiness for yourself, your family and friends. Then you go down put a coin in each bowl.… so if you felt positive vibes coming your way it was because I wished you health and happiness as I went down the line. It was a very reflective experience. 

After walking around all day we took nice long hot showers got cleaned up and went to a little night market.  We ended up at a little bar where we drank cold red wine, played connect 4, listened to some hot beats from the 90's and the bartenders taught us how to count to 10 in Thai. We slept like babies...counting sheep in our with our new numbers.............

Look what I found at a second hand shop in Thailand!!!!I meant to go back and buy it but I forgot.....cross your fingers it will be there in a few months. 

Saturday morning Danny and Brian met us in our hotel room. They had just gotten into town on the same 12 hour night bus and we were now headed to Pai.  We got some breakfast smoothies and hopped in a people snatcher........which looks like.....

 that brought us to an office where we got on air conditioned vans. Danny and Erin got shotgun in van 1 and Brian and I got middle seats on van 2.

Please fast forward again. I need all the picture and writing space I can get for Pai. SOOOO we are in Pai....Saturday, Sunday, get on 4PM bus back to Chiang Mai Monday............

still with me??????????

Danny, Erin, Brian and I stumble back into Chiang Mai Monday about 730PM. I felt like Mary, Joesph, the donkey and unborn Jesus. Every inn or guest house we went to was FULL and we kept getting turned away. I bet we checked 8-10 before we found a place. The good news is we did not have to sleep in a stable. We had a nice big room. The three girls slept in the queen size bed and Bribaby got his own twin bed. We were on the 2nd floor where no shoes were allowed. But you had to remember to put your shoes on the shelf next to the stairs or the dogs would chew on them.  We had a shared shower with the rest of the place and were allowed to use the shower/bathroom on the 1st floor.  I, for some, reason did not feel strange walking downstairs to reception in a towel and using the bathroom to "shower".  It was a toilet, a sink, a shower head..... Oh, oh, and doggie shampoo. I did not really feel all that clean after.... and the holes/vents in the walls, doors and ceiling to the outside makes me feel like there was a peeping Tom....hmmmm

After showering we went and had a few glasses of wine and the boys had some brewskies.  We went to a few different bars, played some jenga in trani ally, met some cute locals.....you know the usual things.

I made it fall 3 out of 4 games. I was the one trying the hardest too!!!! Please notice the curled rat tail on my neck.

 Bribaby and I were really enjoying the night life of Chiang Mai.  I got home after the last bar to see Bribaby had been drunk dialing America. I convinced him.....lets go get one more. Why this was a bad idea...we got lost because we were taking directions from tranies, we bought a full meal from 7/11, and we did not get back home till 5AM. Oh and we woke the whole place up cause the damn dogs would not stop barking at us when we got home.  I almost peed my pants we were laughing so hard...sleep when your dead....thats what I say......

Tuesday. I booked a one way back to BKK. It was about 200THB cheaper...because it was not a VIP.  I was getting picked up about 6PM.  We had breakfast at Taste of Heaven, walked around a bit then I decided it was time to read. I was templed out and since I decided to save $$ and save cooking classes and a trek for April I was going to find a secret spot and read.

Found a cute little Irish bar with a lovely outside garden. I ordered a pot of green tea...I sat there and read and journaled all afternoon.  Brian joined me later for some coffee and Guinness with Moby Dick, his cigs.  We had a great afternoon lunch then it was time to get all packed up and ready to rock and roll...

It may not have been a VIP bus but this was like the party bus!!!! It was all backpackers. I went alone so I did not take any magic sleeping pill.  I talked with some other travelers and was in and out of sleep.  We stopped once at about 12 30AM were I got some noodle soup and crackers.  Got into BKK about 530AM took a taxi to the downtown Campus.  I was right on time to catch the 1st bus up to Bang Na. I had my backpack, my hair thrown up like a crazy person....so I did not look like a teacher....I was not dressed properly to be a student.  I was one of the 1st people on the bus so the "check id" guy was not there. Sure enough the guy comes in and says to me..."ID" I showed him my gold teacher card...him and all the Thai teachers around me were surprised when I had the golden ajahn card....whoops....sorry I was not all dressed up for the morning bus ride to campus!!!

Don't get me wrong I love where I am at...but man do I wish ABAC had a campus up in Chiang Mai....it was such a chill place....felt more homey!!!!  Oh well  I will be back there in no time!!  Now let me tell you about this little town called Pai.