8rh January, 2017

Bit of a rush today first thing. Val did not get a very good night’s sleep (and nor did I), which meant we nearly overslept breakfast and just made it as most of it was being carried away. Rather a strange ensemble of bits and pieces as a result but enough to sustain us through the day.

Our next appointment was the laundryman (as I said, living the dream!), whom we had discovered a short walk from the hotel and about a quarter of the price. That sorted it was time for our treat. In our evening perambulation of the evening before, we had not only discovered the laundry, but also a spa. So it was now time for 2 hours of bliss. Val had her feet massaged for an hour followed by an aroma oil massage for another hour and I had a body scrub and the same massage. I suspect I must have lost a pound just from the scrub! Fantastic! I can’t honestly say if my body is now in any better shape, but for two hours I was in heaven. No photos, though!

The sun came out today, so the camera did as well and here are a few photos of the hotel and its grounds. It is built in the local Lanna style of architecture of old and is beautifully done with lovely little touches and is wonderfully maintained. We reckon though that there is someone on permanent leaf-sweeping duties, especially in the swimming pool. The orchids are annoyingly good. I will have to up my game!

We decided to try the famous Chiang Mai Night Market, so booked the hotel shuttle and made our way down to the area just outside the old city. The Night Market is a particular feature of Chiang Mai and is much frequented by the myriad tourists passing through. I should add that most tourists seem to spend about 3 days in CM, so our two weeks came as a bit of a surprise to the delightful hotel staff. First though, a few nighttime shots of the hotel….

The Night Market is an extravaganza of stalls and eateries where haggling is par for the course. The Thais really are a nation of stall holders, though sadly most of what they are selling that we saw was much of a muchness. Lots of scarves, wood carvings, football shirts, summer dresses, soap carving and belts and silk boxer shorts. We did like some of the carved wood panels, but a little impractical to get into our luggage. Val did buy a nice necklace and a retro-looking watch at what has to be admitted were bargain prices (after some fierce haggling, of course).

We ate in a food court that had a remarkable array of styles of cuisine from French crepes to burgers and “Cowboy’s Satay”. I tried the latter, but sad to say it was passable at best. Val had some pad thai which was also a bit average, followed up with pandan and red bean pancakes. Best though was her fresh coconut, which they manage to extract from the husk in one white blob, coconut milk and all.

A few photos to give you the feel of the evening, though I really have not been able to capture the sheer scale of the market or, really, markets, as there are a number on and around the site.

Ok, that’s all, folks. More soon.