Palace and Protests

I set the clock so I could be at the Grand Palace for 9:00 AM. Bought an all day ferry pass which allows you to get on and off the ferry system until 9:30 PM. It was 150 BHT (less than $5 Cdn). Unfortunately, I didn't realize the Tourist Ferry doesn't even start running until 9:00 AM so by the time I got to the Palace it was around 9:30 and there were already thousands and thousands of people wandering around as it opened at 8:30 AM and closes at 3:30.

Entrance fee was 500 BHT which is pricey for Thai standards, but throughout Bangkok there are two pricing tiers: one for citizens of Thailand and then a much higher price for tourists. Same is true for the ferry system too. Tourists pay at least double what citizens pay.

Pictures will never do the Grand Palace justice. You really need to see it in person to appreciate just how significant an architectural piece it is. I can see why it is such a popular tourist destination.

Only a minuscule portion of the Grand Palace.

The Palace was first constructed in 1782 by King Rama 1 who decided to move the capital across the river from Thonburi. The Kings of the Chakri Dynasty resided there in its three main quarters. The now King of Thailand does not live on these Palace grounds but his main residence is not very far away and it is pointed out on the Bangkok map but it is private and you aren't allowed in the near vicinity of it.

Part of the Grand Palace.

This is the detail of how the buildings are decorated.

Part of the Grand Palace.

Paintings @ the Grand Palace.  

This doesn't do justice to the enormity of what you can see.  The paintings are vast, detailed and go on further than the eye can see.

Everyone conforming to the dress code (and bare foot).

The dress code at the Grand Palace is very strict. Females cannot have their knees showing; no bare midriffs, no short sleeves, no tight clothing. All the rules I read also said no flip-flops and no shoes that don't have a back strap and no open toed shoes allowed but they've obviously relaxed that rule because those were definitely present. For people who don't dress appropriately, you can rent clothing at the entrance. The clothing consists of loose cotton Thai pants which are popular with tourists, or sarongs.

It took about two hours to tour the Palace. I get back on the ferry with an intention to try to find Sampheng Market which I had read about in guidebooks. It's somewhere in the vicinity of Chinatown. The guidebook gave a general direction on how to find it but I wasn't sure if I was on the right path or not. I walked for about 10 minutes and voila! Well to say it was shear chaos would be an understatement. Sampheng Market is known for selling the cheapest wholesale goods in Bangkok. I don't spend much time here because I have a real uneasy feeling. It is massive, massive, massive. Again, the pathway is the width of a sidewalk but there are motorcycles trying to make their way down the sidewalk alongside the pedestrians and the motorcycles are laden with enough goods that could fill 1/2 the box of a small pickup truck. I'm just feeling uneasy about the situation and there is absolutely nothing in this market that I would want to purchase. Each shop specializes in a particular product: hair accessories; handbags; gift wrap; false eyelashes; umbrellas, earrings. There are also food stalls parked on the sides of the narrow sidewalk which is no wider than 8 feet wide. So with food stalls, some with hot burning fires cooking food, pedestrians, and motorcycles, I really need to find an exit out of this place.

Sampheng Market

Soon I spot a busy car-laden road that looks "normal". I see I am now in Chinatown. I don't want to be in Chinatown at all and just want to get out of the area but have no idea which direction I should be going to the ferry terminal. The Nancy Chandler map I am carrying has been a good guide but it doesn't detail every road or soi in Bangkok (how could it?). I had kind of thought about checking out the Bang Baat area to check out the handmade Monk's alms bowls. From looking at the map it appeared a taxi or tuk tuk was the only viable way to get there.... but it's sort of in the Chinatown vicinity. At some point I decided I wasn't going to go all the way to Bang Baat just to look at Monk's bowls but once I flagged down a tuk tuk it seemed like a good idea while I was in the close vicinity. The tuk tuk driver is an elderly gentleman who doesn't stop smiling at me from his rear view mirror. He has a photo of who I presume is his granddaughter hanging from the front window. He charges me only 100 BHT to take me to Bang Baat. It seemed like a bit of a ways as the ride probably took 15 minutes but it was in grid-locked traffic much of the time.

He drops me 1/2 block from the Monk's bowls place. Apparently there is now only one shop remaining that makes Monk's bowls by hand. The rest of them are mass produced. There are three people working at this outdoor shop with only a roof overtop. I stop and look and two of the men approach and haul out every bowl they have for sale. 

It takes two full days to pound a bowl into shape and I already know that in Thailand their work days are not a cushy 7 or 8 hours long. All the bowls they are selling are quite large, probably the size of a rather large salad bowl. They are relatively cheap though considering the labour that goes into making one of them, $1200 BHT. I don't know if I really want one as they aren't exactly what I was expecting. I was thinking of something 1/2 the size. But for less than $40 I decide I will buy one although I have no idea what I am going to do with it. But where else in this world am I ever going to have the opportunity to purchase a hand-made alms bowl? Nowhere! The only shops in this area appear to be woodworking shops: shutters, doors, fancy scroll work.

It's well over +30 C. and I'm standing on the street looking at the map trying to plan my next move and a tuk tuk pulls up. He wants 200 BHT to take me to the ferry terminal. I told him "no" and reduced it to 150 BHT. Fine as I just want to get out of this part of town and get back to the river where it's familiar territory.

I get on the ferry and take in the sights knowing full well I may never sail the Chao Phraya river again. What an enjoyable way to take in part of a city.

I land at Taksin Pier and get on the BTS train back to National Stadium which is the station closest to my hotel. I decide to walk in the opposite direction from my hotel because it's now 3:30 PM and I haven't eaten since breakfast. I am on the other side of the road from the MBK Centre and once again I find myself in a shopping mecca. I'm thinking that man, shopping must be a hobby for Thais because it just seems to be every single place your eyes can see. 

Siam Shopping Centre

I wander and wander and don't find any Western food at all with the exception of a restaurant purporting to be A&W.  I'm skeptical... I don't trust their beef nor their condiments.  I'll keep looking. I just can't stomach the thought of another Thai meal.

There were about 4 burgers on the menu I recognized and then the rest of the food was some Thai version of fast food I presume. I wasn't convinced an A&W burger would taste like it does back home so I keep on walking. 

The roads here do not have pedestrian crossing signals. In the area of the MBK Centre, you cross the road via overpass. I cross the overpass and find myself at Siam Centre. OMG! I have never in my life been in the likes of such high end shops: Prada, Jimmy Choo, Salvatore Ferragamo, Gucci; Valentino; Hermes; Pucci; Dolce & Gabanna; Louis Vitton; Fendi; Armani; Burberry; Dior; Valentino and all the other places that you read about on the pages of Vogue. Oh my word... I never knew all these high end shops could exist in one location. By now, it's 5:30 and I still have not eaten since breakfast. Finally, I find a place that has pasta on its menu. I settle on spaghetti with pork meat sauce. It was good and was just over $6 Cdn. At least it filled the stomach.

It's time to head back towards my hotel from Siam Centre. I'm not really sure where I am but while I'm on an overpass I see the Mercure hotel sign off in the distance and I know that is just down the street from my guesthouse. I head in that direction and then WHAM I am smack dab in the midst of the Bangkok protesters. Oh my gawd! I wasn't scared but there were moments when I could feel my face tingling from the stress of finding myself in that situation. The protesters were only 1/2 block from my hotel and I thought I could cut through the train station but the platforms were jam-packed with protesters and I couldn't even move so I turned back and towards the usual staircase that I would take. OMG! 

I was clutching my purse to my chest. I have never in my life ever never been in such a large crowd of people. It was a peaceful protest. They were all wearing white shirts and holding burning candles. There were 10's of thousands of protesters of all ages, families, seniors... it was something to see. I couldn't help but think that here again is evidence that when citizens are passionate about their cause they will stand up for themselves unlike Canadians who like to b**** and complain but will very rarely ever take a stand to back up their b****ing and complaining. I admire all citizens who stand up for the issues they are passionate about. As I am trying to make my way down the staircase which is wall-to-wall people, I am following a news crew who is cutting a path. The people start singing John Lennon's "Imagine" and I record it. I am in awe that here I am on the other side of the world witnessing that famous song of Peace being sung so loudly. What an amazing thing to witness. I recorded it on my IPhone but the video ended up sideways. It was quite the sight with all the candles aglow. What normally is about a 5 minute walk took me 45 minutes to make my way through the crowd.

By now it's 8:00 PM and time for another 90 minute Thai massage at the place across the soi from my hotel.

I'm typing this at 8:15 PM on Saturday, January 10. No time to tell about about today as my taxi has been waiting for 45 minutes - but he's super early so he can darn well wait for me as my flight doesn't depart til 12:25 AM.

In any event, today entailed riding a fast boat down a canal, the best facial I've ever had in my life which entails a gold mask, and a pedicure at some sketchy place, Pizza cooked in an outdoor brick oven for dinner.

There are no tourist SIM cards in Japan so I may be out of touch unless I can get wifi.

I'll be in Tokyo at 8:00 AM - 12 hours from now.

Chiang Mai, Thailand ~ December 24-28, 2013

It's a really strange feeling to find yourself in a strange city not know the lay of the land at all. Chiang Mai has proven very difficult to figure out because of all the "sois", which are similar to side streets or alleys. There is no rhyme or reason to them here. They are illogical, they don't run congruent to the main streets, they curve, and come to sudden stops, one soi turning into another soi. Very easy to get turned around here.

Upon checking in to the Top Garden Guest House (which came recommended on Trip Advisor), I went off in search of dinner. Victor, owner of this guesthouse, recommended a couple of nearby places. I dined at the first one I came across. $1.50 for rice with cauliflower and shrimp. Mind you, the dish only had two shrimp but it was tasty anyways.

I awoke Christmas morning with a full blown cold. The sore throat that had been with me every day since I arrived in Thailand was finally mounting to something more. I didn't have a plan for this day so decided I would go to one of the 4-5 large malls that are in Chiang Mai. I went to the Airport Plaza mall and took a red Songathew (pickup truck) for 20 BHT (60 cents). Songathew's are Chiang Mai's bus system. The rate is between 20 BHT and 40 BHT depending on distance. I have yet to pay 40 BHT, all rides seeming to charge 20 BHT.

I arrive at the mall at 10:30 AM and wait until 11:00 with all the other people who arrived too early. The mall hours are 11:00 - 7:00 PM Monday-Friday, Saturday and Sundays it opens at 10:00 AM.

First stop is in TOPS market. I wander the aisles looking at the offerings. I was hoping to find some oatmeal for my stay on Koh Chang but no such luck. I did buy a box of ginger tea, and because it was Christmas and I wanted a wee experience of Christmas Day I bought a box of Walker's Shortbread cookies. I stopped at the Pharmacy inside the grocery store and bought some Vitamin C. Each pill is the size of a nickle. The Vit. C. comes in a long metal tube, I would guess there may be a dozen or 15 pills in the bottle at most. The Pharmacist, who spoke some English, also gave me some other pill to swallow 3X/day. I took my items to the checkout and stood behind another "farang" (Caucasian) at the register. He was buying some food items as well as some kitchen gadgets (vegetable strainer, spoon etc). His bill came to 1500 BHT ($45.00) which I thought was a bit pricey for Thai standards but I guess that's the price you pay when you're unprepared and buying household items at a grocery store. No different than at home.

I was looking to buy a sweater because Chiang Mai is experiencing its severest cold snap in over 10 years. I had been wearing my winter coat every day since arriving, I had been wearing my polar fleece (and have had to sleep in it some nights too!), and today it was in the laundry. It goes without saying that I'm not exactly the size of the vast majority of Thai women. Finding a style that I liked and that would fit, well my options were slim. I went to Robinsons which is a huge department store. First, I'll backtrack a bit, the Airport Plaza is humongous. Four floors of shopping and the mall is gigantic. Probably the size of our biggest shopping mall back home. Anyways, Robinson's is very, very nice. I could've spent hours in there. I found a couple of sweaters I could've settled on but none were really my style. I find a clerk who is wearing a sweatshirt type hoodie and I ask her where could I find one. She doesn't understand English. I point to her hoodie and say "where?", and she points towards the denim department. Never found the hoodies but settled on a zip up jacket from Body Glove in bright pink. It was less than $30.

On a whim I decide to get a manicure and pedicure. There are 3 ladies working in the shop which has 5 chairs. Pedicures are done the old fashioned way here. No vibrating massage chairs. After I'm seated I have a clear view as to how they do things here. They do have an autoclave to disinfect the utensils but they don't have any running water. I see dirty water being poured into a huge 45 gallon garbage bin and then clean water scooped out of another 45 gallon bucket. How they empty and fill those containers I have no clue. First red flag is I don't see disinfectant being used anywhere. No disinfectant to spray the foot soak tubs, none to clean the containers they put product in. Hmm..... anyone who knows me knows I am a hospital grade disinfectant gal who errs on the side of being cautious when it comes to communicable diseases. Well the lady does remove my utensils from the autoclave so that's a good sign, right? They use OPI products so that's another good sign. I don't want polish on my fingernails so opt for clear. No clue what the hell is going on but as of today, Dec. 28, my fingernails have started to turn black. I don't mean the actual nail, I mean the colour of the clear polish. It's the oddest thing. Never seen anything like it.  I'll have to find a place somewhere in my travels that can remove the polish. I tried to scrape some of it off and it is not my nails turning black, thank goodness!

Hmm do you think the OPI name on the bottle was a knock-off?

December 25, 2013

I'm sick and this few hours of being at the mall has exhausted me. Time to return to my guesthouse. I hop on a songathew, four Aussies join me. They're young guys wanting to know where to get an authentic Christmas dinner. I suggest the Four Seasons. They've already sussed that out and tell me it's about $80 for 6 courses. Too pricey for them. Oh well.... I imagine I'll be eating rice for my Christmas dinner. Gotta say I don't miss not celebrating Christmas. I could quite happily skip the retail frenzy, the stress of planning for a big meal, the shopping and decorating. Don't miss any of that stuff one iota.

December 26, Boxing Day, I hire a private driver that is arranged through my guesthouse. Kwan picks me up promptly at 8:30. I want to go up the mountain to Doi Suthep temple. I also want to see the Tiger Kingdom and hopefully the silk farm and umbrella factory. Kwan isn't all that eager when I tell him my itinerary. In his hard-to-comprehend English, he tells me that I want to go north, south and east. Yah, but I still want to go to all those places so I don't see the issue. He tries to push off the alligator farm, snake farm and monkey farm on me. I told him I have no interest in seeing any animals but the tigers. He takes me to Doi Suthep as our first stop.

Doi Suthep sits 950 meters up on the mountain. 309 steps to the top where the temple sits. There is an option of taking a cable car to the top but I'm up for the exercise. At the top it is jam-packed with tourists, Thai tourists. It's very true what I had heard, that Thai's like to travel for the New Year. It's another beautiful site and I was enthralled watching the Monks walk around the chedi chanting with non-monks following behind.

The Chedi at Doi Suthep.

When these clang together they sound like heaven.

We drive in the opposite direction to the tiger farm. The entrance fee is priced by which tigers you want to see. The more tigers, the different sizes, the more expensive. I meet Louisa from Brazil in the payment line and she is alone too so we agree to go together, swap cameras and take photos of one another. It worked out well. Talk about (dis)organized chaos though. Everywhere we went it was "wait 30 minutes", then you walk back and forth between the different sized tigers looking to see if your number has come up in the queue which gives you and idea of how long you'll be waiting. The tiger farm was okay. Would I do it again? No. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience though.

By now it's finally starting to get warm. The first warmth I've felt since I arrived in Thailand.

Final stop of the day is to the silk factory. It was very interesting to see how silk is derived from silk worms, watch the women weaving silk and then shopping in the showroom. The showroom was huge. With my birthday money I received from some generous friends I bought the most expensive silk/cashmere scarf I will ever own in my lifetime. It was $180 Cdn! The one I truly loved was $600 and the salesman was trying his hardest to sell it to me but I stood my ground. I know I probably won't even wear the less expensive one too often but I will cherish it knowing that I bought it in Thailand and it was a gift from friends.

Back to my guesthouse and I'm ready for a nap. This cold has zapped my energy. I had been wearing a surgical face mask all day because I've been coughing up a lung and being I was in a car with Kwan I didn't want him to catch my germs. Wearing a face mask here, people don't give you a second look. It's common, probably due to the exhaust fumes. After a nap I want to go to the Night Bazaar. I hop on a songathew and it's only about a 15-minute ride. I am dropped off into another world. Never ever seen anything like this in my life. It goes on for miles and not just in a long straight stretch, but it goes back deep too. I spent four hours there and am certain I skipped much of it. I ate my favourite Thai dish, Tom Sum Gai for dinner. I told the man I didn't want it spicy and he said he would make it very mild. Whew... I ate most of it but it was still too spicy for me.

Friday, December 27 I sleep in til 10:00. I've been up and out of bed by 6:00-6:30 AM every day since coming to Thailand. Can't believe I slept 1/2 the day away. I decided that I'll skip breakfast and have lunch at AUM Vegetarian by the Thai Pae gate which came recommended from my co-worker Susan. I can walk there from my guest house and then from AUM I'll walk to the famous Warowat Market. I eat green curry for lunch. A first for me! Those who know me know that curry is definitely not to my liking.

I stroll along Thae Pae Road browsing in and out of shops all the while perusing my map as it's become a common theme that I bypass the road or shop I am looking for because everything is so crammed together here. I stop in a shop that catches my eye and the lady is listening to American country music! I comment on the music and she says she really likes it. The radio station is from Chiang Mai. Luke Bryan is playing, then Zac Brown Band comes on singing "Sweet Annie". She asks me what they are singing about as she doesn't understand the words. I decipher the song for her. I buy a few items from her and we wish each other "Happy New Year".

I find my way to Warowat Market. More of the same except this one is for locals and not geared to tourists as was the Night Bazaar. Frankly, I'm about marketed out. I don't spend too much time here but am wandering. Quite by fluke I find myself back on Thae Pae Road and I easily find my way back to my guest house. I nap again as the afternoon heat has zapped the energy from me. In the evening I walk a different direction and come across "authentic Mexican" food. I give it a try with enchiladas. The tortillas are made by hand and rolled out by hand with a huge rolling pin. It was okay. I've had worse. 

After dinner, I stroll back to the local market that I visited on my first night in Chiang Mai. I decide to have my first Thai Massage. 170 BHT for an hour (less then $6.00). Later, after the massage, as I am drinking my complimentary tea (it is common in Thailand that after receiving a service you are offered tea), I chat up the woman who massaged me. Her English is pretty good. She is from Burma. She learned Thai Massage in two days and has been practicing it for 5-6 months. I was none the wiser. Being it was my first Thai Massage I had no clue what to expect anyways. We have a nice chat and I tell her about LomiLomi Massage. We watch a YouTube video of LomiLomi on her phone and she is completely enthralled and says she wants to learn it.

Now it's Saturday, December 28. I have a 2:00 PM flight to Bangkok where I'll overnight. Last night I looked up the route on how I'll take the trains from the airport to my guesthouse. Poor planning on my part, which I realized many months ago. I wish I had booked more time in Chiang Mai and less time on the island of Koh Chang. Oh well, live and learn.

My suitcase is packed. It's now weighing in at 55 lbs! It was 37 lbs when I came to Thailand. So far I have carried a ton of sunscreen and bug spray and haven't used any of it. I imagine Koh Chang will be hot and sunny though as I can feel the Thai heat already this morning and it's only 9:45 AM. I'm sitting at an outdoor cafe eating oatmeal with fresh fruit and coffee that tastes like espresso. Coffee is popular here but man do they ever make it strong and you only get about 6 oz in a cup here so one cup does me.

I am allowed 66 lbs of luggage on Bangkok Airways but Air Canada only allows me 50 lbs but I can take two, 50 lb bags no charge. I'll be buying another piece of luggage when I'm in Bangkok in 11 days from now, before I head off to Tokyo.

When I'm on Koh Chang I'll have to spend some time with Telus and get my email working. I've been completely out of the loop since December 18 except for Facebook.

Off to 7-11 for water, then I'll probably walk to the market for a fresh fruit shake then relax in the lobby of my guesthouse until my taxi arrives at noon. They offered to call me a Tuk Tuk but I am not keen on that smoggy exhaust-laden bumpy ride with a huge piece of luggage.

Next stop Bangkok.

The Road to Pai

Thought I would post for yesterday and today but yesterday's post (Saturday) took me so long to type that I will post for only a single day. If I awake early enough in the morning I'll tell you what I did today. Let me just pique your interest and tell you today was the hi-lite of the trip thus far.

Yesterday (Saturday), my guide Sutthi picked me up at 8:00 AM sharp. He took me on a very quick little tour of Chiang Mai and we visited a very large Temple that had been built thousands of years earlier. It certainly looked to be of historical significance from looking at the decay and restoration process. On the same property a newer Temple was in use and I got to witness the Monks chanting. It was a beautiful thing to hear.

Sutthi was a Monk from the ages of 15-21 and he's taught me a lot about their lifestyle, the rules they have to follow, why they become Monks etc. In Sutthi's case, his parents were deceased when he was 8-years-old, and he was raised by an older sister and her husband, who were farmers and had a young family. It was a struggle for them to feed Sutthi too as there were 8 siblings all totaled so he decided to become a Monk where life is very simple and they do not want for material possessions. I'm really enjoying learning about Buddhism philosophy from him and the things that he is showing me along the miles of our 4-day journey.

Leaving Chiang Mai we did the "tourist trap" things that are about a 20 minute drive out of Chiang Mai: The elephant camp and the orchid farm. Both were interesting. The elephants are in quite an orchestrated show and honestly I could've done without witnessing that bit of it but I did enjoy seeing the elephants walk down the river to have a bath. Further down stream there were 3 ladies with big plastic baskets that looked similar to laundry baskets. Their job was to catch the elephant dung so that it did not float further down river into the village. What a job, but I guess someone's gotta do it and it beats unemployment.  

Paintings done by the elephants were sold in the gift shop.

Second stop of the day was an orchid farm. It was enjoyable. I had no clue how an orchid is grown from a seed in a bottle not dissimilar to a whisky flask and then transplanted into soil. They need very little soil to grow. The orchid farm was massive. So many stunning colour combinations and hanging from practically every object.

With it being lunch time, we stopped in a little town and perused their farmer's market. It was an excellent market. So many weird and wonderful things from bugs to worms to live frogs in plastic bags. My thoughts immediately turned to the TV show "Survivor". Sutthi was his usual informative self explaining everything to me. He bought a variety of food items from many stalls. We then crossed the street and went to a Mom & Pop "diner". All eating in Thailand is basically outdoors or in open air buildings. Sutthi ordered a couple of hot dishes which we shared "family style" and he spread out the array of goodies he purchased at the farmer's market: Bamboo shoots; sticky rice; and some other kind of sweetened rice for dessert.  

Fresh frog at the Farmer's Market!!

Pad Thai

I've thoroughly enjoyed the scenery along our journey. I've heard from many about how beautiful Thailand is but words really do not do it justice. Experiencing it really brings it home on just how lovely of a country Thailand is. Coming from a mountainous province such as British Columbia, the most amazing thing for me to see was how the mountains of Thailand are layered behind one another... just layers and layers of mountain ranges, unlike BC where we have these huge monoliths with very jagged and rugged silhouettes. Thai mountains are "softer" looking.

We entered a National Park and did a short (10 min) hike to a gorgeous waterfall. In the heat of summer it's a great place to take a dip. Two huge waterfalls with a huge gush of water that showed no sign of slowing down to a trickle any time soon.  

Mork-Fa Waterfall

Still in the National Park but many more miles down the road, we left the main highway and traveled down a road that had been recently paved because the Princess of Thailand wanted to pay a visit to the area and heaven forbid she had to ride on a bumpy dirt road. So we got to travel over nice new pavement for about 15-20 minutes. At the end of the road we hiked about 10 minutes to see some geysers. The water was hot enough to boil eggs. Seriously! I have the photos to prove it too. On the car ride to the geyser I noticed an old lady sitting at the road side weaving baskets. Very odd I thought as who could possibly be interested in purchasing her little baskets out here in the middle of nowhere. Well at the geyser, low and behold, people were putting those bamboo woven baskets onto bamboo poles and letting nature work its miracle on those eggs. The water was much too hot for us to put our feet in but in the area near where we parked we were able to roll up our pant legs and have a 10 minute soak. It was lovely. There is a little resort there and guests were swimming in the hot pools. The resort was nestled in a lovely valley and I have some nice photos of it. (I wish this blog site allowed the posting of more photos - so far I haven't had any luck, sketchy wifi and this site acting up more times than I care to be reminded of). 

Eggs cooked in the gaiser

So now, here we are on the first day of our tour and we are finally nearing Pai.  Pai is only 120 miles from Chiang Mai but the road has something like 76 hilly switchbacks and driving straight through without stops is typically a 3.5 hour trip. We pulled off the road about 10 minutes outside of Pai. We hiked up a hill to a lookout area and watched the sunset with about 30-40 tourists from around the world.

Sutthi gave me a quick tour of the town of Pai and showed me the streets where the night market would be happening. The resort was about a 3 minute drive out of town and we drove there and checked me in. Sutthi was staying elsewhere as the Ban Kratting Resort was too expensive and "not in the budget" according to Sutthi. The resort consists of bungalows on stilts in a grassy meadow. My room as very nice and modern. It has two decks, one out front and one out back. From inside the room, there was a huge picture window looking out over the deck facing the forest. 

Ban Kratting Resort at Pai 

The resort offered a complimentary shuttle to the night market. I partook and it was really great and really large for a small town. A moment of panic set in when I realized I had gotten turned around and had no idea which way I was to go to meet the shuttle for my 9:30 PM pick up. After much to'ing and fro'ing through the utter throngs of people, up and down streets I thought I had walked, I found my pick-up destination. Whew! Now I could enjoy the last 45 minutes of my time and I paid extra careful attention to every street that I walked down so I could find my way back. 

Tea at the night market in Pai.

Shuttled back to the resort and was beat so went to bed by 11:00 PM.

Awoke this morning to a huge mist covering the resort area. It was a bit eery to see and I had hoped to take some photos of the lovely surroundings. I still took photos but they have that misty hue to them. Mist is a common occurrence in the north of Thailand at this time of year.

Unfortunately, there was not a drop of running water in my room at 6:30 AM. I went to the reception area and explained in English "no running water", to which I got something in Thai in reply. I don't know if she understood any English at all but one would think that in a tourism job such as hers she would be able to communicate in English but no such luck. In any event, she said her Engineer would be here in 10 minutes. I waited about 30 minutes and visited reception for the second time. Now she's making frantic phone calls and I begin to wonder if this was the first time she had picked up the phone since my first visit. I don't think the "engineer" had been made aware of the situation. I head back to my room. 7:30 rolls around and I've been up for an hour and still haven't had my shower and Sutthi is coming around at 9:00 AM. I pack up my suitcase and head back to reception for the 3rd time this morning. I tell her that she must give me another room to shower in. She understood that immediately and handed me a key to another bungalow. Crisis averted!

Sutthi arrives promptly (early) and we commence day #2 of this 4-day adventure. Next final destination for the day Mae Hong Son.