CB-Come With Me: Sunday. Exploring Old Town.

It is Sunday, my last full day in Chiang Mai. I can't believe it is coming to an end. I am not ready for it to end.

Most of the group has left. I am hanging out with Mady, a new friend from San Diego, California. Mady is lawyer, a civil litigator and jury selection coach. Kris, you would love Mady.

We have not yet been to the old part of Chiang Mai, the part that is inside the old city walls. So we head out in the blazing heat to walk the short way. We are told it is about a 20 minute walk, however,

whoever told us that did not consider the fact we had to pass dozens of shops and stores on the way. So it took us more like an hour and a half.

Rikshaw bicycles are common in Thailand, too, although not as much as China where they are common place. Here the tuktuk is more common.

A bicycle rikshaw.

Street food vendors are very popular. They are everywhere and you can get many kinds of Thai food from these vendors.

As we reach old town there is a moat. Portions of the wall are gone and a moat is in its place, together they surround the town centre. There is a gate at the West end and the East end where the wall is still intact. Inside are temples, shops, cafes, restaurants.

We find a coffee shop with excellent air conditioning and debate spending the afternoon there. I am thrilled to find a very traditional American Clubhouse on the menu, it even has plain white bread. I am a little pad thai'd out by now. Eventually we decide we are going to have to go out in the heat sooner or later. We are making our way to find a Spa that was recommended for a massage.

We pass a temple we call Temple of Many Tacky Statues, or Wat Were They Thinking, (Wat meaning Temple in Thai) It reminds me of those yards with dozens of gnomes and yard ornaments scattered everywhere. I'm sure they have a cousin who makes cheap statues. I am not talking temple-like statues. There are bunnies and chickens and laughing babies and everything else you can imagine! But it has a beautiful roof with intricate design and carvings.

It is Sunday and there is a Sunday night market. The vendors are starting to set up so we browse, happy to have a sneak peak before the masses of people arrive for the market.

The Sunday street market starts to set up.

I think I will buy this VW van and become a nomad, just travel from place to place, sleep in the back, visit everyone whenever I need a shower.

Finally we find the Spa, but to our dismay they are all booked up and we can't get in. Just so you don't think we had that one coming for not making an appointment, most massage places here are walk-in. Oh well, we passed a great little wine bar on the way so decide that a bottle of wine is the next best thing to a massage. And, we are quite excited because they actually had 6 bottles of white wine! Every place we have gone there are 2 bottles of wine - one white and one red! And the white is a cheap chardonnay which is much better when watered down with a full glass of ice. And heaven forbid if they empty that bottle! I guess Thailand is not much of a wine drinking place... but the Singha beer is great!

Fah Lanna Spa.

We wander back through the streets as it gets dark. The crowds have now descended and it is packed. Along the way street musicians and 'Elder Bands' play classical Asian instruments. We pick up a few last treasures and make our way back. One last feast of Mango with sticky rice at MoMo Thai restaurant and we call it a day.