New Year's Eve

It's been a busy day.  We got up pretty early although we really didn't do much for a while.  Then we caught a taxi to have breakfast at the Larder restaurant.  They were closed and instead, we went to Smoothie Blues.  It was a very good, filling breakfast.  Then we walked around some markets.  There is a mall-just as annoying as all malls-so we didn't stay long.  However, on a Saturday and New Year's Eve, that was the only place we found a bank to exchange money.  While out, we went to the big local marketplace.  There we saw dried octopus, fruits, maggots to eat, live fish, frogs, eels, and many other sights and smells!  We scored big with 3 new towels, a blanket, and some sponges for the house.  Will also got a dank pair of sunglasses for 50 baht - about $3.00.


While everyone rested in the afternoon, John and I planned for our next big adventure.  We're heading south for a few days!  We booked a flight to Krabi and we’ll stay and do some beach hopping until we have to send Will back to Chiang Mai to leave on Friday. He flies out Saturday, but John and I will remain and spend a few days in Bangkok and then to Cambodia.  We will try and take advantage of his time off.


We all decided sushi for dinner, but after the 5 of us scootering over to the restaurant and finding it closed, we walked to a street food market.  We sampled a bunch of food - sushi, pad Thai, Turkish kabobs, chicken legs, Shish-kabobs, and a variety of other yummy food.  I wanted to try mango sticky rice so we walked another 15 minutes or so to another food place and got the sticky rice.  The boys also ordered a banana chocolate rotee. So good!  Walked back to the bikes and we are now contemplating the New Year’s celebration.


At a Buddhist temple along the way, Chris taught us about the place where you fill a dipper of water and think about what areas you'd like to improve in your life.  You pour the dipper of water into a bamboo tube and rope it up to the Buddha, dump the water and lower the bamboo back down.  We all tried this.


So, it's New Year’s.  I finally talked John into taking me down to Tha Phae Gate and we watched the lanterns rise into the sky.  The lanterns symbolize letting go of bad.  We met some people and talked until midnight to celebrate.  Back to the apartment and stayed up very late talking.  Everyone should have just come because they were all up anyway.  Chris had sparklers so we did that too!


Another late but amazing day!  Click on the first picture for the folder of pictures from today!

At the Mall - found a friend or two

Lanterns being set off right before New Year's

Sending the water to the temple