Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Sooo....where to begin...
After getting a bit fed up of the constant hassle on the Khao San we decided we'd head up to Chiang Mai. We got to the TAT agency where we'd booked our bus, wandered around for a bit and then got a taxi to the Bus Depot....the traffic was sooo bad. Traffic lights here wait for about 10 minutes to change, I don't know how people can stand it!!! So because of the traffic, we think we missed our bus....either way we had to wait for one an hour and a half later. The bus all seemed very nice, a double decker coach, head reast and cushions a blanket water and a mung bean filled bun...I don't know what mung bean is so I left that!
But, even before the bus had started....the thai in front of Paul reclines his seat....not just a little...I mean as far down as it goes, so Paul had about 2 inches of leg room ....so we soldiered on he stuck one leg into the aisle and one over my way...then the girl in front of me reclines hers....to be fair not so far....but even me with my petite 5'1" height was uncomfortable...and I'm fine on planes. It was agony....it was cold, the air con was dripping water on me...basically the journey was crap. Luckily our driver ragged it along and we got to Chiang Mai about 1.30 hours earlier than expected or so...
We had to wait a while for our transfer to our guest house...we got there and the door to our room wouldn't open *sigh* the guy trying to show us in managed to snap the key off the lock. Luckily I managed to pull it out (super long fingernails come in handy sometimes) and another guy managed to open our room. Its a reasonable size, but the bathroom is so so damp it stinks, the airs horrible. And our toilet blocked. We think it must be a recurring problem, as when we told the owners and they asked "which room" when we told them they just did the reassuring nod "ahhh" as if to say "sure, we should have figured...." and the plunger was kept outside our room....so we've now been told, no toilet paper can go down the toilet anymore...its like being back in Malia except without the flippy topped bin (mmm mmmmm).
But for the good side of Chiang Mai; we don't appear to have been ripped off here yet. Sure we got ripped off with the fare here and our guest house, but that was the pople in Bangkok so it figures! We've decided to book all our rooms etc when we get to places so we can actually se them first and see what the price is supposed to be! Instead of realising when we get there we should have paid half that price! haha. But yes the good side....
The first day we just wandered around...bought some yummy handmade soap (at a fraction of the price the stupid tailor guy in Bangkok tried to sell it for!!) and had something to eat...wandered around and got a feel for the place, went out for dinner but basically just chilled out. Second day we went to the zoo (yay!) but it was such a trek around it... Its at the base of the mountain so it was all up hills and downhills....saw a few animals though, and I got to feed a giraffe! Bonus! Then we came into town and had a foot massage....such such bliss! At only 100bht for half an hour!
After this we did some more walking (should be getting into shape!) and then went to a military firing range! It was pretty scary walking in and straight away thai lady opening up a cabinet of guns and just looking expectantly saying "which gu' you wan'?" We just shared the cost of a few shots and had a go, we were pleased because we were both darn good shots, took me back to the good ol' CCF days :D
So today we're just chilling out and trying to work out how to get to our next location. After killer bus jounrey we're tempted by the idea of flying to Phuket or Ko Samui for just 50 quid...pretty cheap...but we're gonna look into trains etc down to Kanchanburi etc....just don't really fancy going back to the madness of Bangkok!
Got to go because ran out of time trying to upload photos which didn't work anyway grrrrr
Miss everyone, keep in touch! Write on my message board! Hope everyones well xxxx
- comments