I made it!

Currently, I am sitting in a small cafe called Liberard Cafe composing the first official post from abroad. Thanks to Trevor for the recommendation. I already know that this will be a part of my daily ritual here in Chiang Mai.

After 26 hours of travel time and crossing the International date line, I arrived in Bangkok and settled into a hotel close to the airport for a mere 14 hours. I don’t have any official opinions of Bangkok and hope to form some in about 5 days. That is if the floods don’t keep me away.

I flew north on November 1 to the city of Chiang Mai which is lovely. Despite being a bit disappointed in missing Bangkok, it couldn’t have worked out better. I am in a smaller city which runs at a slower pace, a perfect place to get through my jet lag. I have settled into my guesthouse, Finlay’s Cottage, a 6-room place just outside of the walled portion of the city. It’s off the beaten path, a little oasis away from the intense traffic. Aussies have filled the place and I’ve met some nice folks thus far. At 12 bucks a night, I have a private room, breakfast included.

Chiang Mai is a city 700 km north of Bangkok, at the foothills of a mountain range up towards the Burmese border. People have told me that it is in the cold part of Thailand, and with daily temperatures of 28-30C (and this is their winter), this is the strangest winter I’ve ever experienced.

The city is a cultural and artistic center and offers a ton to do. I had my first full day yesterday and mainly used it to walk about the old city. I’m adjusting to the oppressive heat and humidity and while I only walked about 4 km yesterday, it felt like 20. Chiang Mai is a city with 300 wats (temples) and some are exquisite. I only visited 4 yesterday and figure that I’ll do another 3 or 4 today. I spent time in the cultural center and finished my day getting an hour long foot massage through a correctional program for women. It’s a rehab program for female inmates who will be re-entering society. As part of their rehab process, they are being trained as Thai masseuses. It was awesome and cheap (120bht = $4). They have 1 hour full body massages as well. As I was getting my massage, you are able to see other people getting the full body massages. Some of the positions they were being put in were more reminiscent of wrestling holds than a zen-like massage. Was I at a WWF match?

The Wat closest to me offers 2-hour massages for 4 bucks and I may try that. As you might be able to tell, I am obsessed with the Thai pricing. It is so cheap here. I swear to you that I am eating meals with bevvies for only 2-3 bucks. I love this place!

My plans for the next few days….to chill out, to take my time exploring, and to do a couple of touristy things. I have booked a day of bike touring, a Thai cooking class, and possibly do some training as a mahout with the elephants. I may leave this for later as my plan is to pass here from Laos in December. I’ve discovered from some travelers in my guest house (who learned the hard way) to take a 4 hour bus ride from Luang Prabang vs 26 on poor, poor roads out of another place(it escapes me now).

On that note, I am safe, rested and happy to be here!

Baci, Sonya 