Temple. Temple. Temple.

Chiang Mai

I love it here! I think it’s safe to say that I much prefer Chiang Mai to Bangkok at this point. The folks at the hostel are great too, including the management. I was messing around with my guitar on the little platform over the koi pond when Ani (she works here) came over and showed me a song she could play. That turned into youtubeing some of her favorite songs. These included Zombie by the Cranberries, Torn by Natalie Imbruglia, and Don’t Speak by No Doubt. 90’s music - breaking down barriers and connecting worlds one hit at a time. Thank you!

The next day, I explored the city by foot. There are so many amazing temples here - too many to show them all! It’s hard to not feel something when you’re in the grandeur of these places:

Later in the evening, I walked to the 7/11 to grab a beer and ran into some fellow backpackers staying at the hostel who I ended up spending the rest of the evening with. Which transpired to be quite a hoot :)

After an hour or two of playing games (which we added a drinking element to every one, of course) someone ended up suggesting that we go out. First we hit a local reggae bar with live music, and then a couple of clubs. I think I sweated out the beer from just dancing - it was effing hot! Ryan, one of the guys, did some kind of dance move that resulted in him splitting his chin open on the dance floor. We all carried on, but after seeing the damage during a dance break, his girlfriend, Charlie, convinced him that we should head back. Charlie and Ryan are great - my favorite folks on this trip so far. They are proud, passionate owners of a cupcake business - Get Cupcaked - from Torquay, Devon in England. Here’s a link to their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/get.cupcaked.1. Our walk back to the hostel was hilarious and probably too inappropriate for some readers of this blog...

In the morning, we all grabbed some breakfast together along with Amy, a fellow west coaster! She’s been teaching English for the last five months in NE Thailand and is here on break. Breakfast included two eggs, toast, two sausages (small hotdogs), two bacon, slice of ham, french fries, grilled tomatoes, and a hot tea. All for less than 5 bucks.

Charlie and Ryan are headed up to Pai - I was bummed to see them go :(

Ryan and Charlie

I think I may cut my reservation short and head to Pai myself. I’m learning that booking seven nights at one place is just too limiting when the opportunity to change plans comes up. Pai is a small mountain town to the North, and I've heard it's a great destination for backpacking. I think I'll take the three hour bus ride on Sunday.

I went to Chiang Mai’s huge Night Bazaar last night with three other girls who are solo traveling. This morning I got up a little earlier and headed up the mountain to see Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep - a gorgeous temple on the side of the mountain. Here are a few pictures of the many I took: