Tuesday - Today, I decided to explore on my own! I took my phone - which does not have data - and this great little app called maps.me! John told me about it! You download the maps you need so I downloaded Chiang Mai. What this app does without wifi or data, is give you your location! I ventured out to check out the Maya Mall and then make my way to the moat and back home. I did this mostly without help, but did confer with the app to make sure I was headed in the correct direction. I can't seem to get a sense of direction here. There is a mountain where the temple Doi Suthep is and that is a great landmark for me if I can see it! I made it and then John and I went for a Thai milk tea and cribbage at the local coffee shop.
Wednesday - I didn't do much today except make arrangements for things. Believe it or not, it's been pleasant to just relax and not worry about doing too much. However, after John taught, Chris and I met him at another mall and we bowled. It was so much fun! Hopefully, we'll do that again while I'm here! Thursday - A hike!!! I can't sit too long without finding a place to hike. I had heard about this trail from a couple I met yesterday while waiting for the boys to have their motorscooters worked on. It's called the Monk's Trail because monks use it to access a couple of temples. John took me to the trailhead at the end of his main road. From there, I climbed mildly to Wat Pha Lat. It was supposed to take about 45 minutes, but didn't take that long. I did get off the trail and found myself deep in the jungle and bitten by ants! I was just following the trail that was supposed to have the cloth that the monks wear tied around trees, but I guess I went the wrong way. I had to back track and found the correct trail. Wat Pha Lat is a retreat of sorts and very quiet. It was beautiful to just relax and take in the quiet and calm. From there I made my way to the road, crossed it and tried to find the trail to Doi Suthep. Again, I got on the wrong trail and thought I'd have to backtrack. However, I heard voices and was able to follow that to the real trail. This trail climbed steeply to the Wat. Arriving there, the area is literally a zoo. There are busses, people, shops, etc. all at the holy place! I climbed the Naga Stairs to the temple. It is gorgeous and the views of Chiang Mai are worth every step! I spent about an hour here enjoying the scenery. I got a red truck and brought it down to the zoo. I thought since I did the hike in such a short time, I'd check out the zoo! Mistake! There was A LOT of walking and UPHILLS and DOWN. I found all the animals with the exception of the koala and kangaroo. I may have to go back because I want to hold a koala. I did see the pandas and many other animals. Zoos are always a little depressing and this one is no different. It's much nicer than I thought, but still a zoo. I caught a red truck home and we went for sushi tonight! Yummy! Friday - I tried to get to the Kad Luang Market today. John, Chris and I went for breakfast and then John tried to get me there. However, the police were out in force and we kept getting stopped because they check foreigners for drivers licenses. John dropped me off, but at the wrong market. I ended up walking home instead of bringing a red truck. Then rested most of the day. John took me out for Thai food tonight! Saturday - This was another spectacular day! John and I fixed breakfast and then late morning, we headed to Doi Suthep. I know I've been there, but it's a very nice place. We took the motor scooter up and walked through the temple, which was a zoo. However, there is a terrace around the temple and it's not very crowded, shady, with great views of the mountains. We sat and contemplated life for a while! Afterwards, I asked John if he'd every been to the top of the road. He hadn't and we went. It's crazy because you get to a point where it's VERY NARROW - like Nepal narrow and curvy with 2 way traffic. Lots of places, you need to sound your horn before going around a curve. We got to the top where there is a the Doi Suthep National Park campground and there is a nature trail that leads to the top of the mountain. We hiked up this trail in flip flops! Total round trip was just over 3 kilometers. It was so worth it! Quiet, peaceful, cool! We headed down and went to the Maya Mall for pizza and drinks. Then to the night market, which was also a zoo, for some shopping. Now we're home and headed on another big adventure tomorrow! Stay tuned!
Click on the photo to see all the photos for Chiang Mai to this point!
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