CHIANG MAI

(Saturday) We just arrived in Chiang Mai. Our guest house is in an alley. Thankfully we can get a few nights of rest without the roosters waking us up at the crack of dawn. The outside is simplistic, but the rooms are nice. The showers have hot water and good water pressure. Impressive. I'm not feeling very well. I have a head cold or something. I'm excited to explore this city. Last night I was roommates with Sam, and we did a lot of girl talk. It was so nice! She is so cute and becoming a little sister to me. We shared stories and pictures about boys and friends and shared some giddy laughs. It was a mellow night in Mae Sot. A bunch of us had dinner at Aiya, and I splurged on two Thai Ice Teas :)
On our ride to Chiang Mai, we stopped at the oldest wooden wat in Thailand. It was much different from the others we have visited. It held more dept and character. The paintings on the wall are still visible despite the wear and tear of time. The artwork in the frame of the buildings is beautiful.

Buddha

Entrance

Paintings on the walls

Another Buddha

When we got to Chiang Mai, Isabel and I stopped at a few shops on our way to the Internet cafe. We saw some artistic cards and ended up spending over 30 minutes inside this art shop admiring all of the work. It was absolutely beautiful. The artist was there and talked to us for a little while. We both made several purchases. I got a big canvas with oil paints and a quote that reads, "Not all those who wander are lost." How appropriate :) The others say something along the lines of living life as you please and going after your dreams. There's one giant canvas that talks about different religion's interpretation of the same subject. There's a line that caught my attention towards the bottom. "The stairway to Heaven is long, but the doors are wide." I love it!

The journey of a thousand steps
begins with just one.

Live for today. No amount of worry
can change tomorrow.
No amount of guilt can change yesterday.

Life is journey not a destination

You can't get lost if you don't care
where you are



If you missed the sunrise this morning
don't worry, for tomorrow shall
 make you another one

We spent most of our evening at the Internet cafe. Afterwards we both wanted some pizza. Chiang Mai has a ton of pizza places! How much fried rice can one eat? The pizza was actually very delicious. It was a thin crust wood-oven pizza with cheese and prosciutto. They had olive oil on the side with garlic cloves and chillies. It tasted so good.

On our way back we passed so many fabric stores. The city is known for its rich fabrics especially the silks. The bars were beginning to fill up with people and prostitutes. There's one section of the city that many of them go to. Hillary warned us as soon as we got to Chiang Mai about where to go out if we wanted to enjoy a drink. This city is a great city. It's a big city with a small town feel. I can't wait to explore more. Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow so I can go out at night :)