Chiang Mai Cafes, Spas, and Boutiques...

As promised, I'll fill you in on the rest of my stay in Chiang Mai.

After the last day of Songkran, some people went back to Bangkok for work and some of us headed to the famous Night Bazaar. The Night Bazaar (me + shopping + in a market) was fun and I found some cool handicraft, hilltribe stuff that you don't see a lot of in Bangkok, so that was pretty exciting. We only stayed for a little while because we were zonked out and it isn't like none of us had experienced huge crazy markets before. haha

The next couple of days I spent a lot of time by myself exploring the city. I got up both days and went for walks into the center of the city. Most of the city was still closed due to the Songkran holiday being extended because of the protests, but nobody was throwing water anymore. I think everyone was tired and it was a great excuse for people not to go to work and to sleep for a couple days. haha I did find some really cool shops though. I stopped in at one store and talked to the guy who owned it for a while. He made hilltribe clothing. More hilltribe clothing that I had ever seen and I sat and tried to reason with myself for a long time why I need one of everything in the store, but I settled on just a couple of hats. haha He has somebody run a shop in JJ Market in Bangkok, so he gave me his card in case I ever wanted anything else. It was just really fun to talk to him about Songkran and everything. I wandered around the city for a while and passed some Wats (temples) and then headed back to the area we were staying in.

The area of Chiang Mai that we were in was a little bit farther away and was filled with cafes and boutiques. I loved it. In a very strange way, it kinda sortof reminded me of Waco, except it was kinda upscale and posh. haha I definitely indulged in a few amazing sandwiches instead of getting my faves from the street and bought some very cool things. haha I was even persuaded to get a facial / manicure / and pedicure. I saw a spa ad that was giving promotions out about cleaning up after Songkran... and that was enough to get me there. haha I felt much cleaner and healthier afterwards. haha

I took an overnight bus back to Bangkok and got in very early the next day and slept for a few hours. Then I had to spend the day doing laundry and organizing my life. I'm glad I got everything together because the next day, Tricia and I ventured to the Grand Palace... more about that later. I'm back at work today and it feels very strange to be here. haha I had a wonderful couple of weeks!