Chiang Mai

We're only spending 4 days in Chiang Mai so packing will be easy.. At least I always think so 

Again Tom Bihn coming along

1 pants

2 tank tops

1 t shirt

1 button up shirt

4 undies

1 bra

1 PJ set

iPad

Toiletries

Bag of cables/chargers

Travel pillow

Travel towel

Slip on shoes

It sounds like a lot but I wore the pants, a tank top, the button up shirt, undie/bra, and slip ons... I would be going to a temple each day so I needed to cover my knees and my shoulders... I still had room left in the bag 

We flew AirAsia, a Malaysian budget airline servicing most major cities in Asia... It's in our price range so I thought we'd check it out. When you book the tickets, be mindful of the extras they charge but you may not need... If you don't need to check any luggage, you can save yourself $15+ each flight, travelers insurance thru them or front row seats... The flights turned out pretty inexpensive once we deducted what we didn't need and they fly in/out of Don Muang International Airport (the old international airport) which is closer to my house and we don't have to pay toll fees. They allow you to check in a week in advanced and you can print out your ticket once you've checked in (round trip tickets from DMK to CNX were about $72 pp)

Once you land at CNX, if you haven't already arranged a pick up with your hotel, don't use the airport taxi! They always charge more and aren't always very nice. We walked out a bit towards the Main Street and found a Songtaew car that agreed to a price before we got on. Airport taxi charges 120B ($3.71) for the car but the Songtaew agreed to 30B pp ($0.93 or $2.78 in total)...I know we saved a buck but in the long run that adds up and eats in to your budget and a buck goes a long way in Thailand

This is a Songtaew, sometime they'll drive by and honk at you, they're not being obnoxious, they're trying to see if you need a ride

Our hostel MD House is inside the old city walls, closer to the east wall, about, 15 min walk to the night bazaar. We're seeing that hostels in Southeast Asia are closer to hotels than dormitories... Although there are dorm style hostel for really cheap, there are 3 of us so the cost is spread out nicer and there are more options. We stayed in a 3 bed ensuite (we found strange cause who travels in 3s?) for about $10 pp/per night. The hostel offers 2 swimming pools, free wifi, a gym, breakfast per person, towels, bottled water, rooms have AC, fridge and tv! The staff were very nice and the front desk is manned 24/7

Once we checked in, we decided to explore the area and get someting to eat. A friend in LA asked us to check out her friend's place, a short walk from our hostel so we did... 

We saw some vendors selling drinks out of coolers... Thai tea, lemon tea, green tea, Thai coffee, etc. small 10B, large 15B, xlarge 25B... Yes you did the math correctly... You can get an xlarge Thai tea with or without boba for under a dollar!!!

Sherena and Chris enjoying their drinks

So we found the place our friend told us about and announced who we were and he was happy to be recommended and was excited to cook for friends... We ordered a couple things and took in our surroundings

Khao Soi a Chiang Mai staple... Chicken curry with egg noodles 2 ways, served with pickled mustard greens, chilies and limes. This dish is normally delicious and full of texture but this particular one was just ok... Not bad but not excellent

On our walk back to the hostel selfie 

We took a little break after lunch and decided to walk to the night bazaar. The night bazzar happens every night with many different corners and alleys to explore. There's also a different one that happens on the weekends called the weekend night bazaar or walking street... All usually start around sun down and go til about 11pm or later  

You can find souvenirs, food, clothes, odd trinkets, etc. 

We got some Roti to enjoy while walking around... These are banana Nutella and regular banana.. I was excited to see this vendor cause I bought Roti from her 2 years ago in the exact same spot and she looks exactly the same! She told me she's been in the same place everyday for 20 years! She was excited I had a pic of her from 2 years ago to prove it!

(On top: her currently, bottom: her 2 years ago)

We saw this temple while walking around... There are many temples in Thailand that you can accidentally find while walking in and out of alleys

After we shopped til we dropped, we took a tuk tuk home to rest for our tour that starts tomorrow 

Their first time on a tuk tuk and were surprised how fast it zipped thru everything! So much fun!

Prepare bug spray everywhere in Southeast Asia... I've become a ninja master at killing skeeters! I've also been getting bitten around my ankles and it's not fun!

Die bitches!! Muahahahahaha!!

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