Chiang Mai, Thailand

 Notes from the journal:

7/26

  • Arrived in Chiang Mai and took a Grab to different hostels. I chose to stay at a fancier hostel in Chiang Mai and really enjoyed it! The security guard had all of my info + room key ready since I notified the hostel that I would be checking in while reception was closed.
  • Ate some free breakfast at the hostel after sleeping in, borrowed one of their free bikes, then decided to shop for clothes around town, since I needed some more travel clothes and some even more modest options for Malaysia. I spent pretty much the whole day shopping around and found most of what I was looking for.
  • Met Sophia for dinner at Mr. Kai (very friendly owners and good food) and then we walked back to my hostel, stopping for ice cream at 7/11

7/27

  • Had the free breakfast at the hostel and Sophia arrived so we could bike together to the trailhead for Wat Pha Lat. Took a leisurely hike up to the temple and tried to go further up the mountain but it started raining and we didn’t want to deal with the mud so we went back down to a reservoir near Chiang Mai University to sit for a bit. We stopped at a mall and I bought the rest of my clothes. Also stopped at Dairy Queen lol
  • Took a rest and did some work at the hostel, then went to dinner and met Sophia after at the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar
  • I went back to the hostel for a work meeting and then FaceTimed the fam 

7/28

  • Woke up late and was tired/stressed so decided to have a lazy day. Read an entire book in a hammock outside the hostel, then went to a late lunch at an islamic grocery store/restaurant.
  • Stopped for my daily McDonald’s on the way back lol
  • Did some work and more reading at the hostel before getting dinner, a beer, and ice cream, with a pleasant walk back to the hostel

7/29

  • Ate the free breakfast and packed up/checked out
  • Went back to Mr. Kai for the third time for lunch, then walked around town to visit a couple temples (Wat Chiang Man, Wat Phra Singh) and stopped at 7/11 to use the rest of my cash (the cashier was funny and was trying so hard to help me use up every last baht)
  • Drank my last Thai beer and read at the hostel and then walked about an hour to the airport and flew to Malaysia


Read if I referred you to this post:

Chiang Mai was a great place for me to relax, eat good food, etc. I would recommend the Wat Pha Lat temple, plus the temples in town. The Mr. Kai restaurant is great.












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