From Chiang Mai to Bangkok - July 21

they are happier than they look

By the time we got totally packed up this morning, we only had a couple of hours to explore before heading to the airport.  We went for breakfast and then walked back up to the Wat Phra Sing where Rachel read we would find a cart selling the best Thai Milk Tea in Chiang Mai. We found it and it was good!  Then we walked back down our street stopping at more temples along the way. These are not temples you would find in a guide book.  It is amazing how many temples there are.  I particularly enjoyed seeing the monks’ robes hanging out to dry at one we stopped by and Jim enjoyed the reclining dog in front of the reclining Buddha.

 We also needed to finally go by the temple we could see off our balcony every day as we brushed our teeth.  The old ruins were even more beautiful up close.

view from our balcony

our balcony in the background

Julia had gone on a run around the perimeter of the city wall earlier in the morning and told us about a park that was very close to our guest house, in the opposite direction from the way we have always turned. It was so surprising to see so much manicured green space in the middle of this bustling city.  We walked through the park and fed the fish before heading back to our guest house and to the airport for a flight back to Bangkok. 

interesting place for a double-sided bench

Our flight was easy and uneventful (despite our fear that we wouldn't be able to board with our wood carving because it is heavier than their strictly-enforced weight limit for carry-ons) but the taxi drive from DMK to our hotel in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok took nearly TWO hours in Friday afternoon Bangkok traffic.  There were times we were stopped still for 10+ minutes before moving another 50 feet and stopping again. Thankfully, we booked the next two nights at the Doubletree on points so when we finally arrived it was to great luxury, especially compared to where we had been staying.  We checked in, went to the complimentary Hilton Honors poolside Happy Hour before going across the street for a massage.  Rachel opted to stay in the room and when we came back to collect her for dinner after our fabulous massages it was pretty clear she was starting to get sick.  She walked out with us to find food but when we ended up at a restaurant directly across the street from our hotel (after other places were closed for the night or didn't understand what we meant by vegetarian) she opted to go back to the room again rather than eat.  Hopefully a good night's sleep in a big comfy bed will do the trick for her.  We all tried to stay awake to say goodbye to Jim at midnight - his flight out left at 3:30 am - but I don't think any of us succeeded.  We have the same late night/early morning flight  on Wednesday, which I'm not looking forward to, but in the meantime, the girls and I are on our own for the next four days...and I am finally caught up on the blog!!!