Despite the onset of 30 or so taxi drivers as we stepped out of Chiang Mai train station, we very intelligently decided to walk to the old town. Looking at the map it didn't appear to be all that far .....it turned out it was 3.5km!
With a heavy backpack and tired legs from the uncomfortable journey it felt like a lot further so near to the old town we finally opted for the sensible solution and jumped in a shared taxi.
This was a wise move as it turned out no one in town could find our hotel (the taxi driver failed to find the right street, as did the tourist information stand and every other random person i asked). Fortunately our saviour was a lovely tuk tuk driver who was very strategically positioned to get us there in just a minute or two! As we jumped out she kindly told us that if we couldn't find it again then she would wait around the corner. Luckily we both mastered the art of navigating and got ourselves back to the Gord Hotel each day.
We were immediately impressed with the surroundings - our beautiful hotel was down a nice quiet side street with a cool cafe next door where we would have breakfast each day. Bliss after all the travelling and the chaos of Bangkok. The staff were extremely friendly and willing to help in any way they could. I really do love the Thai hospitality - they are so laid back but so welcoming.
We continued along the same vein as in Bangkok by walking and walking until we knew Chiang Mai like the back of our hand!
On the second day we used the free bikes at the hotel to explore the surroundings - well that was the intention but the front steering on both our bikes was a little unsteady so we went round in circles for a while before deciding to ride as slowly as possible to avoid an accident. Whilst taking in the beautiful countryside and the side streets around our hotel we took a wrong turn down a cul-de-sac which was lined with dogs of all shapes and sizes (this is something you get used to in Thailand as every area seems to have tons of what appear to be guard dogs). They appeared to be sleeping in the 35 degree heat so we carried on until one dog got spooked by the bikes and immediately began barking, this set all the others off and then they started to chase us - they looked quite fierce (even the tiny poodle) so we cycled as hard as possible back onto the main street with them (and the kids who found it hysterical) chasing us all the way!
Similarly a few moments later Nat decided to turn up a side road which turned out to be someones driveway with some guard dogs also - hadn't followed her up this one but she came back pretty promptly with some dogs in tow and i took this as my queue to start cycling! Shortly after this we took the bikes back and went for a drink!!
Another great way to see the sights was to follow the Saturday and Sunday markets which are vast and have so many arts and crafts to buy. We decided to copy all the other travellers and buy some comfy baggy pants. It may be a coincidence but since buying these we haven't been asked once if we want to buy a suit so i think they now know we are penniless backpackers not tourists with loads of cash!
With a heavy backpack and tired legs from the uncomfortable journey it felt like a lot further so near to the old town we finally opted for the sensible solution and jumped in a shared taxi.
This was a wise move as it turned out no one in town could find our hotel (the taxi driver failed to find the right street, as did the tourist information stand and every other random person i asked). Fortunately our saviour was a lovely tuk tuk driver who was very strategically positioned to get us there in just a minute or two! As we jumped out she kindly told us that if we couldn't find it again then she would wait around the corner. Luckily we both mastered the art of navigating and got ourselves back to the Gord Hotel each day.
We were immediately impressed with the surroundings - our beautiful hotel was down a nice quiet side street with a cool cafe next door where we would have breakfast each day. Bliss after all the travelling and the chaos of Bangkok. The staff were extremely friendly and willing to help in any way they could. I really do love the Thai hospitality - they are so laid back but so welcoming.
We continued along the same vein as in Bangkok by walking and walking until we knew Chiang Mai like the back of our hand!
On the second day we used the free bikes at the hotel to explore the surroundings - well that was the intention but the front steering on both our bikes was a little unsteady so we went round in circles for a while before deciding to ride as slowly as possible to avoid an accident. Whilst taking in the beautiful countryside and the side streets around our hotel we took a wrong turn down a cul-de-sac which was lined with dogs of all shapes and sizes (this is something you get used to in Thailand as every area seems to have tons of what appear to be guard dogs). They appeared to be sleeping in the 35 degree heat so we carried on until one dog got spooked by the bikes and immediately began barking, this set all the others off and then they started to chase us - they looked quite fierce (even the tiny poodle) so we cycled as hard as possible back onto the main street with them (and the kids who found it hysterical) chasing us all the way!
Similarly a few moments later Nat decided to turn up a side road which turned out to be someones driveway with some guard dogs also - hadn't followed her up this one but she came back pretty promptly with some dogs in tow and i took this as my queue to start cycling! Shortly after this we took the bikes back and went for a drink!!
Chiang Mai has hundreds of temples to explore so we spent the next day seeing as many as we could. They are breathtaking and walking from one to the next was a great opporunity to see some areas we handed already been to. We tried to take part in the Monk chat but it was Sunday and we couldn't find any around.
Another great way to see the sights was to follow the Saturday and Sunday markets which are vast and have so many arts and crafts to buy. We decided to copy all the other travellers and buy some comfy baggy pants. It may be a coincidence but since buying these we haven't been asked once if we want to buy a suit so i think they now know we are penniless backpackers not tourists with loads of cash!
After another day of sightseeing and some chill out time we decided it was time to move on and explore Pai, further North.
2 comments:
Eagerly await the next update.
Dont be bringing the baggy pants back with you - they never seem to look good over here :-)
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