Wednesday, March 05, 2008

The Old City


Day 160
Kuntan-Lanna Residence to Chiang Mai
Time: 3:01:00
Distance: 55.09 km
Avg Speed: 18.1 kph
Terrain: Tree Lined Highway

We arrived today in Chiang Mai after eight days of traveling. I got pretty excited when we made the turn onto the Iron Bridge and headed towards the old city. I got really excited when I realized we were going the wrong way on a one way street. We even have a good map and I still got it wrong. Just because I make them doesn’t mean I can read them.

The ride was fairly easy today. Good thing because we didn’t have a satisfying dinner or good sleep last night. Our dinner was a small serving of rice and half of a grilled sausage each. We had to depend on a Chang Beer for the rest of our calories. Our only choice for food was a nearby roadside market. Let’s just say it wasn’t what we’ve become accustomed to in the evenings. In fact, we’re pretty glad we weren’t shopping after dark. It looked to be a truck stop for the big rigs and let me tell you, they rolled through all night long.
After a small breakfast we got on the road about 7:30. By 8:30 we were consuming mass quantities of gas station food (again) in Lamphun. We had ridden into town to find the old highway to Chiang Mai instead of taking the busy interstate. The route turned out to be very interesting and quite scenic. Soon after the food break we came across a beautiful temple right in town. They say that the wats (temples) in this region are the most stunning in Thailand. The architecture is quite unique and we’re looking forward to wandering through a few more. We then pointed our bikes north and found the road lined with magnificent trees wrapped in orange sashes. They are like nothing we’ve seen yet and provided us with some nice shade and a good frame of mind. Even the aggressive golden retrievers couldn’t shake our happy attitudes.
We’ve found a home for the next few days in a quiet part of the old city. We have everything we need: a new and exciting place to explore, a room, free breakfast, and a cafĂ© with free wireless just across the street. So far the strawberry shakes and almond cookies are quite tasty.
The adventures with food continue…
LK

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