Livin' like rich person in Chiang Mai

5/15/15

Yesterday my goals for the day were to get to the new hotel, get a massage and go in the pool. This is crazy to me but I did manage to fulfill the day’s requirements with nary an obstacle (aside from the power going out at the massage place which kept me from adding a foot massage after my regular massage). It’s been a real bitch.

I fell in love with this hotel as soon as I got here. I was trying to figure out ways to extend my stay with the discounted rate. But we’ll see. This part of town and this hotel very much caters to tourists and I might get bored with it. (Check out the pictures. Keep in mind, I have the least expensive 'studio.') In the meantime, I found an awesome salad place and did more shopping (this is an upper scale neighborhood with lots of little boutiques). 

I went in the pool. I am an abysmal swimmer. I mean really. I can work out for well over an hour but I can’t swim the length of a not-that-big pool. So I mostly laid there and read my YA novel (I like to read YA when I travel because it helps distract me from flying anxiety, etc). 

The pool is right next to the hotel gym. I looked inside and saw people working out. For reasons I won’t bore you all with, not working out in a gym that is available to me is quite uncomfortable. When I booked my original hotel, I avoided a place with a gym because of this discomfort. I think I might have to use it. Which might be a good idea, given this place has free breakfast; it is a buffet the likes of which I have never seen. I went from promising myself that I would only eat salads to overdosing on carbs. Don’t worry. I think there was some actual yogurt in the mix… and some bacon… and fried rice… oh wait, that’s a carb. Nevermind. A restaurant next to the hotel is apparently famous for salted caramel pancakes. This is not going to end well.

When I got in yesterday I found out there is a day trip available to Chiang Rai (north of here) for 1000 bhat (about $33). There is a guy here who sells trips to hotel guests. So I'm probably going to book that. There is an incredible temple there I want to see. 

Also yesterday, I had an Italian dinner at a restaurant run by an Italian with Italian customers, speaking Italian. At 410 bhat (about $13), it has been my priciest meal yet. After dinner, I knit while watching Beyond Thunderdome on TV. Either that or someone slipped acid into my pizza. I’m pretty sure it was just the movie though.

The people here are incredibly nice. Several times a day I think to myself ‘you should be hating me right now.’ People told me you don’t need to know Thai here, which is true. But it’s not because everyone is fluent in English, because most people know only a little. It is because they are so accommodating. Many times someone has apologized to me for not understanding me and if I spoke Thai I would say ‘you are not the one who needs to apologize here.’ Of course if I spoke Thai, this would all be moot, but you get my meaning. 

To do list for today:

Go to temple, see about monk chats and meditation retreat

Go to art museum at the University

Book trip to Chiang Rai

Grocery store