Here in the hills

At last we have made it to Chiang Mai, which I have spelling incorrectly all this time. We easily made our way to the RNC Court and Inn where we are currently staying. Here is the reception area.


Just to the left of reception is where you can either park or hang out in the lounge. I met a lady in her 70s sitting in here reading the paper. Her accent lead me to believe she was either from UK or Australia. She said she had been living here at the RNC for seven years. I guess I can see why since you get a large room with a refrigerator and AC and daily maid service for $200 a month. The bummer for me is the bathroom which reminds me of a truckstop back in the old days before Buckee's. not a fan. We may be looking for something with a little higher standard in that area.


Another plus of the RNC is that I can see the stupa of this temple out my window as it is right across the street.


It's fairly quiet here except for when school gets out. All the kids drive motorscooters, usually with three kids per scooter. Try to imagine a bunch of 14 year olds buzzing around checking out the girls/guys on the other scooters and greeting their friends. Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen doesnt it?


Otherwise the little lanes called "soi" are nice and peaceful with lots of greenery and flowers.



There is also a street market nearby selling all kinds of food, fresh veggies and fish swimming in a tank. Lots of fruits I had never seen before.


Here is the open air cafe where we ate brunch.


The view across the street.


I had a bowl of fruit which included this. Do you know what it is? I didn't!


I was told it is something called dragon fruit. These red ones below seem to have red flesh as you can tell by the cut one up in the corner. It did not have a particularly distinctive flavor to me. BTW, my brunch of an omelet, bacon, croissant, fruit bowl, coffee and ice tea( sorry, I was hot!) cost me $4



Chiang Mai is an old town which has been here since the 1290's or thereabouts. Originally it was a walled city and some of that wall remains. Most of it has either been torn down over the millenia or has fallen down. Now a moat takes its place.


Here's me at the moat with my new best friend, my umbrella. Today I used it as a parasol because the sun is pretty fierce plus you never know when it is going to rain so I am prepared either way. Another good thing about the parasol is that it makes me much more visible in the street and thus less likely to get run over by a speeding motorcycle, scooter or tuk tuk. Also everyone calls me "Madame" here, which I kinda like. Not sure if that is due to the residual French influence or just because I look so sophisticated with my parasol. I also like the fact that the parasol protects me from unexpected things that fall out of trees i.e. geckos, twigs that could give the impression of being a gecko or bug, and bird poop.


In summary, Chaing Mai is lovely and inexpensive, however it is still too hot and muggy for my tastes. They say the night time is when it really comes alive! We will see tonight!

Location:Chiang Mai