Looking Forward to Moving!

Chiang Mai has been a good experience but there really is not a great deal to see here. Not sure why it is in the top 25 locations in the world to visit on Trip Advisor. I would never include it on the list based on our experiences here. The Maetang Elephant Park exceeded our expectations and made the trip to Chiang Mai worthwhile but we were ready to leave the city on day 4. Five nights are way too much time to spend in this city! We enjoyed the Thai massages at our hotel but that is not a selling feature for the city. The weather has been spectacular with temperatures between 30C to 38C. No complaints in that category!

Many people come to Chiang Mai to trek through the countryside and live with villagers but we were not interested in that experience. Maybe that experience makes the city more endearing to visitors. If you ever visit here, I recommend organized tours to get you OUT of the city as there are only so many temples that you can visit and admire! Our two tours were great and reasonably priced. Both took us through parts of the city and countryside that we would never have experienced by ourselves. Also, I personally am tired of walking down the streets and being surrounded by men who have solicited or are looking for the services of young Thai women. At times, I have felt like screaming while walking by bars full of men! It appears to be a key tourist activity just like in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Hope this industry is not as popular in Railay Bay. When we explored the newer area of Chiang Mai today we did not notice the prostitution but there was nothing too dazzling about that part of the city. We walked 20000 steps or 14 km just looking for something interesting but never really found anything. 

Not many tourists are in the city right now so we have had to be very careful about where we ate. We chose to eat at the same restaurant - Ginger & Kafe four days in a row and had outstanding food. http://www.thehousethailand.com/kafe.php Last night we listened to Ella Fitzgerald, Carol King, Sammy Davis and Anita Baker while eating an incredible Malaysian seafood pho. I complimented them on the soup and they even gave me the recipe!! We can't wait to make it at home. The estate where the restaurant was located actually use to belong to a prince. Also, Lucky Cafe provided me with the best Mango Smoothies that I have even drank. When we returned to the cafe again today Thomas had cheap, cold beer and my drinks were more pureed mango than ice. I am going to write about both places on Trip Advisor as they deserve recognition. However, most of the other restaurants we investigated but did not eat at looked like they had questionable food. We tried Pizza Hut tonight and it truly sucked! We knew better than to chose western food but we did not think the Thai food looked safe at the places we checked out and took a chance. Some restaurants looked downright scary! 

Tomorrow we leave at 9:00 a.m. for the airport and at 11:30 a.m. we fly to Bangkok. At 2:30 p.m., after a short stopover, we leave for Krabi. Our next hotel is called Railay Bay Resort and Spa. http://www.railaybayresort.com/railay-facilities.php The views look wonderful from the pool and beach! I'm a little worried about the weather as the Internet has predicted rain for the entire time that we are there. I will be happy with clouds and intermittent sun and will hope for the best. Time is moving slowly for Thomas so I hope the next place meets our expectations.

Today I phoned home to check on Sebastian and discovered that he is not behaving or listening to Linda, an incredible dog whisperer, the way he should. Hopefully, he will clean up his act before we pick him up on May 2nd. He has been a going concern and a lot of work for her. We told Linda up front that he had questionable social skills and she said not to worry. I hope his behaviour improves or he will probably not be able to return to her place in the future.
Nevertheless, life is good and I have absolutely no complaints! Take care my friends.