Thai Adventures
Chiang Mai, Thailand - Day 4
Ah, the gamble of hotel breakfast. I opted to include breakfast with our stay at the Amora Tapae in Chiang Mai and it turned out to be...TOTALLY AWESOME. They had all sorts of fresh fruits, tasty breads (croissants? yes please!), as well as an assortment of soups, meats, noodles and rice, juice, an omelet station, and mini pancakes. After breakfast we geared up and headed out into the city to explore the 'old city' of Chiang Mai which is surrounded partially by an ancient wall and completely by a moat. Our hotel is right outside the eastern moat, so we decided to get a ride over to the western side and make our way back on foot. If you don't have your own vehicle, there are a few ways to get around. There are Tuk-Tuk's, which are little three wheeled vehicles, Songthaew's, which are pickup trucks that have a couple benches in the back and a covered bed, and taxis. After exiting our hotel we hailed a Songthaew and told him where we wanted to go. He smiled, said something, and made a motion with his hands. That was sufficient for me, so we hopped on. As we did so, we noticed he already had some passengers. And then we were off! We made it to our first destination with just a "small" detour to the airport and back. We paid the driver 100 baht (about $3) and entered our first ancient Thai Buddhist temple.
Today's Sites
Wat Phra Singh
Wat Chedi Luang
Wat Phan Tao
Wat Chiang Man
Ansuwari Sam Kasat
While on our 'Old City Temple Tour,' we enjoyed the tickling sensation of a fish spa and right across the street from Wat Chedi Luang we had a delicious Thai lunch. After seeing all the sites we didn't want to call it a day and we took another Songthaew to Think Park where they had some really cool boutique shops and a gigantic shopping mall.
*Addition*
So much happened today I forgot to mention a few things. At all the temples, you have to take your shoes off. Also, for women, you have to dress 'respectfully' which means you can't wear anything that shows your shoulders, knees, or cleavage. If needed, you can rent a robe to cover up.
