Chiang Mia is situated in the foothills of northern Thailand it is somewhat of a sanctuary with a combination of a city lifestyle and a country perspective. It is a city of artisans and crafts people, of university professors and students, of idealists and culture hounds creating vibrant, laid-back feeling. Here, you find scenic countryside and two of Thailand's highest mountain peaks; Doi Inthanon (2565m) and Doi Chiang Dao (2195m). Chiang Mai boosts of more natural forest cover than any other province in the north.
Trying to find a place to have breakfast and trying to find a place to stay proved somewhat challenging at 6.00 a.m. in Chiang Mai. It is unlike Bangkok which never sleeps.
As the morning passed, we found some coffee and breakfast and a place to stay. Having checked into our place, we decided to explore Chiang Mai via a walking tour. We also wanted to explore some options for going on a 'countryside' adventure. Chiang Mai has many wonderful places to eat, in one of which we enjoyed a delicious vegetarian Thai lunch. It was exquisite and very inexpensive -- approximately $4.00 for the two of us.
In our explorations, we found 'Jack' a tour guide who directed us to a cooking school (they are many, many to choose from). We also arranged an eco tour adventure with him.
After walking the streets and exploring the various sites in Chiang Mai we decided to get a Thai massage at the Women's Prison Massage Centre. We passed the Prison on our way to the Massage Centre. The Prison was a very busy place as people were coming and going out of the facility while vendors outside of the prison were selling various foods and drinks. Approximately a couple of small city blocks away from the Prison was the Massage Centre nestled in behind a lovely outdoor garden/restaurant, also run by the Prison. The Massage Centre is a public outreach program to provide job skills for soon-to-be-released prisoners. Our massages were given by well-behaved immates who seemed very young and who were very gentle (if a Thai massage, can be gentle). Our massages ended with a 'secret' spa tea.
The experience was a very relaxing treat for an hour for only $6.60.
Rejuvented by our very lovely spa experience we decided to go to the Th Nimmanhaemi area of Chiang Mai. This area is close to the University. It is often referred to as the trendy part of town as it is filled with closet-sized clothing shops and gift boutiques. Here, we had dinner At 9 Bar, where we sat at an second-storey open air bar/restaurant. The bar/restaurant gave us a bird's-eye view of the action on The Nimmanhaemin of which there was much -- cars, scooters, motorcyles, tuk tuks, red truck taxis and people everywhere enjoying the warm-evening weather and the various activities of eating, drinking, shopping, etc.
Here, in The Nimmanhaemi, we met a very interesting couple from Britan, who have been coming to Thailand for some 14 years. They shared many of their travel adventures with us as we compared our stories. They were very familiar with St. Jacobs and the Mennonites in our area as they have friends in Orangeville that they have visited. It is, indeed, a very small world.
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