Chiangmai

Friday was a very leisurely day after the trek.  We walked around in the markets - not sure how many there were and where one started or ended.  There were stalls of fresh flowers, fresh fruits and vegetables, handbags, shorts, jeans, shoes, sandles, woodcarvings, paintings, and so much more.  I'm sure we walked for miles and then I pursued Fred to return for the Night Bazaar.  Same Same but different (common saying in Thailand)at night.
Sticky rice & mango, deep fried spring rolls, fresh fruits, Roti and Chang or Leo beer from the vendors kept Fred happy to follow along.

Saturday, Same Same, through the markets and shops.  I needed to keep Fred interested so stopped at a few bars for a Chang or Leo.
I took an evening Thai cooking course with 2 Canadian girls and a Brit guy ( very nice young people).  We were picked up at our hotel and stopped at a local market.  Nice (our instructor), showed  us the common Thai foods and vegetables.  The market was very clean, fresh and organized - not like some of the of the ones we walked through.  After the market visit we went to Nice's home to begin our cooking.  We were able to choose 4 dishes to prepare, I chose Pad Thai, Oriental Chicken, Yellow Curry & Sticky Rice with Mango.  The group was very good and we shared our dishes in order to sample everything we made.  We received a recipe book so it will be interesting to see if I can reproduce these same dishes at home.  The key will be to find the ingredient.  We all ended up being very full at the end of the course.  So glad I took this course.

Sunday, said goodbye to Chiangmai - great place to visit, very laid back atmosphere, really enjoyed it there.  It's must if in Thailand.  Our flight from Chiangmai to Bangkok was only 1 hour - beats the train or bus.  Once we were at our hotel we got a Tuk Tuk to take us for lunch, everything was closed till mid afternoon.  It was a very good Thai meal.  After our lunch the Tuk Tuk driver wanted to take us to all these fabulous gem stone and tailor shops, we weren't interested but found out when he takes you to these places and you spend at least 10 minutes, he then gets a stamp for some gas or other free stuff.  After the 2nd stop we said no more take us back to the hotel.  He would have do e this all afternoon if we wanted.

Early night as we leave for Siem Reap, Cambodia early tomorrow.