Thailand - Day 6 - Chaing Mai

Jamie and I finally arrived in Chiang Mai at 10:30, 3 hours later than the bus schedule called for. Trains are notorious for running on time, but perhaps Thailand is different. I personally feel as though we spent more time stopped on the tracks than we did actually moving on them. It was a long long night. Luckily, we were able to book a sleeper car for the trip back to Bangkok on Sunday, December 21. I had told Jamie that I was coughing up the money for a plane ticket before I did that nightmare of a train ride again.

We safely and easier found our little guesthouse in Chiang Mai. It is called the Green Tulip, and I can safely say that it is the cleanest place I have ever stayed except for perhaps the 4 Seasons in Atlanta. Definitely the cleanest Asian place we have stayed. Jamie and I have a little fan only room with 2 single beds sharing a bathroom on a floor for a whopping $7 per night. They have also helped us get some great discounts on some area adventures and booked everything for us for the next 3 days. Here is a little mini schedule of what we will be doing...

Thursday afternoon (Dec. 18) - I decided to just rent a bike and ride around the city seeing some temples, the old city walls, and enjoying the bustling city. As I type this, Jamie is still at a Thai Cooking Class. She has wanted to do this since we arrived in Thailand. All that was time for her was this afternoon because of the other events we have planned. I'll let her do a special report, so stay posted for it.

Friday (Dec. 19) - We will be going to spending the morning and midday on the Flight of the Gibbon Treetop Adventure, where we'll be flying around on zip lines from tree to tree. I'm actually not sure what else we'll be doing, so check back on those days. Gibbon Treetop was featured on Amazing Race Season 3, or so the brochure says.

Friday night, Jamie and I will take in the action of Thailand's national sport, Muay Thai Boxing. More to come on this...

Saturday (Dec. 20) - We have booked a 14 hour trip to see Chiang Rai, the Golden Triangle (Laos, Myanmar, Thailand corner), and the Hill Tribes of northern Thailand, famous for their brightly colored garments, exotic styles, and animistic beliefs.

Sunday (Dec. 21) - our last day in Chiang Mai and we'll be spending it going to the Doi Sathep (high peak temple) and perhaps the Doi Zoo. We leave on a train at 4:30 pm.

So much to do here in Chiang Mai, and we now wish we'd booked more days here. Things can get expensive, but we are hoping they are all well worth it.