Last Day in Thailand

My last day in Thailand was a "fly by the seat of my pants" kind of of day in that I had no plan except catching a cab to the airport in the late evening for my midnight flight to Tokyo.

I slept in until 8:00 which was great, ate my usual complimentary breakfast at the guest house, and then spent the next hour in my room sorting and weighing my two pieces of luggage. It was 11:30 by the time I checked out of my hotel. They kindly stored my luggage in a locked room and provided me a chit as confirmation that they were holding my luggage until later in the day.

The Jim Thompson House is a famous tourist destination in Bangkok. Jim Thompson was an American architect. In the early-1940's he volunteered for the US Army which took him overseas. He fell in love with Asia and specifically Thailand. In 1946 when he was discharged from the Army, he returned to Thailand and started The Thai Silk Company which basically, single handedly, revived what was becoming the lost art of weaving Thai silk. Well as luck would have it, the Jim Thompson House was one Soi (street) over from my guesthouse. I went on the guided 45 minute tour and learned all about Thompson, his house which was pallatial (for the era) and filled with antiques from his personal collection, some dating as far back as the 15th century. There is a nice store on the property selling silk scarves, blouses, purses etc., under the Jim Thompson label but it was all very expensive and I didn't buy anything.

Spirit House outside the Jim Thompson House

After the tour, I took a canal boat to the Palladium shopping centre. 
No clue why I went there except that I had read about it on Trip Advisor, because I have found that Thai shopping centres really had nothing much that interested me. Anyways, as it turned out, the trip to the shopping centre was worth it solely for the boat ride. The canal is not all that wide and these boats are wide, long, and fast. I had no clue where to actually catch the boat as it wasn't obvious from my vantage point. Eventually someone came along whom I could ask. I walked about a block to a platform on the river. There was a small easily missed sign indicating the name of the pier. Within a few minutes I could hear a very noisy boat approaching. The sides are covered in tarps from the railing to about 3/4 the way up to the roof of the boat. When the boat got to the ramp, the patrons pulled the tarp down to the railing, hopped over the side of the boat onto the platform. Hmmm... this looked tricky. I watched patrons hop on the boat in the same manner, hold down the tarp and hop on over the side of the boat and find a seat. This change over of departing and boarding passengers was done in less than two minutes. Speediness was a definite requirement. The real shocking thing was that they collected the fare once the boat was in motion: two women collect fares by walking along the ledge on the outside of the boat, holding on to the roof section. The ride between platforms only takes a couple of minutes so my guess is it's hit and miss as to whether they actually collect from every passenger. I get off the boat and have no clue where the shopping centre is as it looks like I'm dropped off in a sketchy sort of area with "shacks" along the river. I hear someone speaking English. She's Thai and is giving directions to some tourists. I ask her for directions too, thinking that the poor woman probably gets stopped so many times on her way to her destination because her English is very good.

Trash in the river.

I come across Starbucks and order a grande iced Americano. Not cheap at about $5.00 Cdn, same price as at home.

The Palladium shopping centre is nothing to write home about. No clue why I came here... I wander around for about an hour, don't buy anything, and then I risk my life trying to cross the road to head back towards the canal. The interesting thing is there are no pedestrian crosswalks in Thailand. You just cross when you think it's safe to do so. Pedestrians have zero rights. Cross at your own risk. My method has always been to wait for the Thais to make a break for it and I cross with them and that's what I did in this instance too. Next thing I know I'm standing in the middle of a 4-lane road, with cars going both directions and vehicles are passing mere inches from my toes. At that moment I'm thinking, "what the hell !" Oh geez, it was an experience to say the least just trying to safely cross the road.

I get back on the canal boat and am happy that I discovered this mode of transportation on my last day in Thailand and that I got to ride the boats.

I head over to the MBK Centre and decide to have a pedicure in a hair salon. The pedicure was advertised for 250 BHT ($7.00), but once I'm in the chair she asks if I want a foot scrub for an additional 200 BHT. Well yah I want a foot scrub which is normally part of a "pedicure" back home. Really, for 250 BHT they are only offering a polish change. Whatever, I go for the whole enchilada. She pulls out this foot scrubber thing and it's obvious it has been used previously. I mutter about the lack of disinfectant and how it doesn't look sterile and she asks me what it is that I had said. I said "nothing, I'm just talking to myself. The santitization looks a bit sketchy" to which the lady next to me nods her head and say "I think so too". Oh well... too late to back out now. The nail file and all the utensils had all been used previously, no autoclave in sight, no disinfectant in sight. Crossing my fingers hoping I don't get a fungus and have to chop my toes off when I return home.

I go to Hanako Tokyo for a facial. The place had intrigued me the first time I saw it. It's in the MBK Centre, an actual glass-walled store wherein the patrons lay on spa beds in full view of the walkers-by. All the patrons had gold masks on their faces. It looks pretty neat as the entire store is wall-to-wall white, the estheticians wear white, the chairs are white, the patrons are dressed in white, but all the faces wear gold masks. It kinda looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. They're offering a deal today... 20% off. Awesome! I presume it's because it's not busy in there unlike every chair being full the first time I saw the place. The facial ends up being 90 minutes of the most amazing facial I have ever received. So many products, a great steam, extractions, excellent finger strokes from the technician and then this very cold gold mask. I really enjoyed this experience.

I decide I don't have quite enough scarves yet so I find a stall and buy another 8-10 scarves.

It's now almost 6:00 PM and I'm panicking slightly as my taxi is coming at 8:30 and I still have to pick up my laundry, eat and change my clothes. I stop in at a small Italian bistro on my Soi. Run by an Italian, he has a brick oven outside and it's fired up baking pizzas. I order a pizza. It was fairly good. I pick up my laundry and get myself ready. My taxi arrives an hour early! I told the hotel receptionist that my flight wasn't going to leave until after midnight and I wasn't going to the airport at 7:30 PM. She said no problem, the taxi driver would wait until 8:30 and he did!

Freshly laundered & neatly packaged.

Uneventful ride to the airport. 350 BHT and I tip him 50 BHT. It's always a relief when I'm checked in with the boarding pass in hand. I get through security and customs and then cash out my Thai Bhat and exchange it for Japanese Yen. 

Next stop, Tokyo!

Goodbye Thailand

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.

Bangkok, Thailand

Flight from Chiang Mai arrives in Bangkok at 4:00 PM. It's 4:30 by the time I am headed to the basement of the airport for the train. I stop at the tourist booth and ask about the train and how much it costs. 150 BHT for the express train, I'm told. The express train only runs every 15 minutes but I'm told it's much better than the city line train which will stop at every station. I push "English" on the pay station and punch in the final station as that is where I need to change to another train line. It tells me that I owe 45 BHT. Hmmm... the tourist booth must've been mistaken. The machine dispenses a red plastic token that you touch to a sensor on the access gate. I go down a few levels and am thoroughly impressed with what looks like a state-of-the-art train system. There is a wall of glass separating people on the platform from the train, with openings in the glass where the train doors will align. A train comes but I have no clue if it's the express train. I ask someone and am told that the express line is on another platform on another floor. Where? I approach someone else who speaks Thai to a security officer to inquire for me, the security officer asks to see my token. I have bought the wrong token and need to go back to the information desk. To get to the desk I have to deposit my red token. Out 45 BHT. At the desk she sells me a 150 BHT token and tells me the express train runs only every one hour. After all that, some 1/2 hour later, I am finally on the city line.

The trains are much wider than the skytrain line at home and about twice as long. Although the train is very crowded it doesn't have that packed in like sardines feel to it. There are sufficient poles and straps for people to hang on to. It's air conditioned and the windows are tinted which gives the outside skies a gray look to them. I can't tell it it's the windows or if it's smoggy here in Bangkok.

Following the instructions on the guesthouse website I get off at Siam Stn., and taking the advice of Victor the guesthouse owner in Chiang Mai, I phone the guesthouse to inquire as to which exit I should take out of the station. The station platforms are huge... some easily a block long in length. The guesthouse tells me I am at the wrong station and to go to National Stadium which is one more stop. I get back on the train but the next stop is not National Stadium. I look at a map and find out National Stadium is on a totally different line! Off the train I get. I ask a security officer and he tries his best English to explain to me I need to go back to Siam Station. What? I return to Siam Stn and ask how to get to National Stadium. A woman who speaks perfect English tells me I am in the right place, just wait for the train... Argh! Finally I arrive at National Stadium but when I go to exit a message pops up on the screen telling me to see the information desk. I owe 3 BHT to exit the station because I had only paid to Siam and am now at National. No cheating (unintentional or otherwise), this train system.

There are 3 teenage girls drinking something similar to Starbucks specialty coffees on the platform. An officer approaches them and tells them to dispose of their drinks. No eating or drinking on the platform or on the trains -- and I think twice before taking a sip of my water while on the train.

Finally, I get to the station where I need to exit and I am dropped off in the midst of a neon skyline. Where ever I am appears to be a hub of shopping activity. I have no clue where to exit and it looks like a freeway below so I don't want to make the wrong move. Lucky for me, I find another Good Samaritan who speaks perfect English. I show him the map on my IPhone indicating that my guesthouse is somewhere close by. Although unsure he points to the exit he thinks I should take. I follow his advice, walk 1/4 block and find the street I need. I walk down what, back home, we would consider a back alley but here in Thailand it's just a normal less busy street. 

It's now dark outside as it's taken me more than 2 hours to get this far since getting to the train platform in the BKK airport. I walk down the back lane really hoping my guesthouse is on his street. Food carts are cooking food, and men are playing cards at a few tables in the back lane. I walk past what look to be some high-end hotels. Eureka! My guesthouse.  I get a bit of a sinking feeling when I'm asked if I have a reservation.... Yes, I made it many months ago. Knowing that my email doesn't work, I can't dig up the confirmation email to prove it. Shortly, after a bit of looking on their part, they confirm I have a room.

My room is as small as a matchbox. I have to turn sideways to get into bed. The only place to sit is on the bed. No clue how two people would stay in this room. It's only $45/night so I can't complain, but it is one of the most expensive places I've booked in Thailand, it's rather run down in that it could use a paint job inside the room and new furniture but it is clean. Got this place off Trip Advisor too. I'm on the 2nd floor and there is no elevator. Thankful they have a porter who can carry my 55 lb. bag up the narrow metal stairs.

The Wendy House (Bangkok)

I want to find something to eat. The front desk lady speaks good English and she pulls out a map. I am right across the street from BMK Centre (I think it's called). A huge shopping mecca. She tells me the 6th floor is the food fare.

I stroll over to the mall and pass through a metal detector and a bag check to enter. I find a chain pizza restaurant and decide that's what I'll have for dinner. Don't feel like getting lost in this monstrosity by venturing off the first floor but am looking forward to the shopping in this place when I return in 11 days time.

I'm now back at the Bangkok airport. I've had enough of the train system so paid 350 BHT for a taxi. I plan on taking a taxi to and from this airport when I return too. The train is too much of a hassle when most stations don't have escalators or elevators and I have to carry my suitcase down (and up) a couple flights of stairs. It took 1/2 hour to get to the airport at 9:00 AM today with no traffic.

Thailand is so very quiet. There are no horns honking, drivers are very considerate and respectful and it's common to see 3 or 4 modes of transportation abreast.  In Chiang Mai there were no lines on the road. As much traffic that can fit side-by-side is totally fine and acceptable. I have never witnessed a single accident so far.

The only people I have seen smoking in public are tourists. I asked Sutthi about that and he said that Thai people usually smoke in private but rarely in public. They prefer to keep it hidden from view. I have noticed there are no cigarette butts littering the roads and sidewalks.

This morning, I noticed janitors wet mopping the plaza at the shopping mall. The cleanliness of this country has surprised me pleasantly.

I'm off to Trat by air. It's a one-hour flight. Then I shuttle across the island and catch a 30-minute ferry to the island of Koh Chang where I'll get some beach time in for the next 10 days.

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.