8/12/09. chiangmai day 1. of chill and park

with eyes barely opened, body which still wanted to be so much in bed and face with breakouts, i boarded the coach with mom in tg malim to lcct at 3a.m. on 8 december 2009. it was the 3rd consecutive nights i did not get my sleep. the dark eye patches seemed to extend all the way to the nose.

the flight to chiang mai was at 7.20a.m. and it departed right on schedule. i was so cold in the flight and i had running nose. luckily those sitting next to me were not strangers or i was sure they would request that i be quarantined. the flight took 2 hours and 40 mins. hence, we arrived at chiang mai international airport at 9a.m. local time. our tour group consisted of 24 including me. everyone knows everybody as all are from tm. so it was quite a chatty group with me being the youngest of course.

i was still chilly as we stepped out into a bright shiny morning. the tour guide was there to pick us up and i think all tour group members were photographed with a pretty thai girl who garlanded a string of flower around your neck. temperature was around 17C.

they then brought the photos to you, already framed and sold it for 100Baht. din buy any and i din even stop for photograph. mom took a photo but she din buy one because i took one using my camera too. they did this at a few other places that we went to too. what a way to earn easy money.

since it was still early and we had a few hours to kill before lunch, the guide brought us to a park called royal flora ratchapruek 2006. this was the location of a huge horticultural show in 2006 to celebrate the king's birthday.

pictures taken outside the park. you don't have to pay any admission fee but i saw ticket booths. maybe they were for 2006. the photo on top right was taken from ratchapruek hill. the park stretched all the way till the white building which is the royal pavilion.

ratchapruek hill outside the park. it is named after the tree which is auspiciously related to royalty.

mom and i decided to board a 'bus' to explore the park while the rest chose to walk around. the ride to all the sections of the park took 20 mins. you can get off at designated stations and board the next bus when you are done. i paid 20B for one ticket.

some of the different gardens (30 international gardens) and sections of the big park. you can also rent a cart and get someone to drive you. i think it was 160B for one.

found malaysia's park. there were also some parts sponsored by corporate sectors like toyota and singha (beer company).

the royal pavilion which is sponsored by singha. a very beautiful building surrounded by a moat. i could not get a snapshot from the front because of tree obstruction.

the much revered thai king can be found everywhere you go in thailand. visitors to the park can also leave greetings to the king by signing books provided. as they king had just celebrated his 82nd birthday in the same week, there were still festivities around the country. saw big platforms in chiang mai city centre built for the king.

we left the park at 12 plus. was supposed to leave at 12noon but some of our group members were so attracted by an expo being held there selling local agricultural products and local products. they bought pineapples (oh-so-sweet) and fried vermicelli noodles.

then we went to a restaurant for lunch. meals in this tour were so much like those that one get in china tours. we got 6 or 7 dishes and one soup and one fruit platter. fruits were pineapple/ watermelon/ papaya. soup- tomyam. food wise, it was very boring. well, i did not like it since i was quite used to travelling at my own pace and eating where i want to and ordering things from the menu.

what can you see here? fried egg, stir fried kailan, stir fried cabbages and mushrooms, deep fried pumpkin, sweet and sour fish, sweet and sour chicken and tom yum. i did not drink the beer. well, was trying to avoid any stomach discomfort you see. many of them felt unwell during the trip and the most common complaint was stomach discomfort. some even vomitted and purged. one uncle even had fever. i was a-ok. took my own sweet time eating slowly and moderately.

then it was off to the hotel- chiang mai hill. well, it was not on a hill, but not in the city centre either. initially, we were supposed to be in the city centre, but because of a public holiday in thailand, the room rates increased and we were kicked out. the first hotel also accepted bookings for business conferences so they were overbooked. hence we had to settle for this one. the rooms were ok but too bad about the location.

the city centre of chiang mai is surrounded by a square moat and you can see remains of the fort still standing. it is a vibrant city in my opinion. there are also a few institutions of higher learnings here. as there are more than 300 wats (temples) in the city centre itself, the city is void of illicit entertainments...well, not totally of course. you don't get cross-dressing shows (aqua shows) here but you can still find girls in show rooms (aquariums). one of our members went to have a look that night. women are not allowed.

afternoon was free-n-easy and the rest of the group decided to go for a massage. no-no for me and 3 others including my mom. i decided to hire a tuktuk to bring us to 3 of the oldest wats in the city and do a little sight-seeing ourselves. the tour did not drop us at the city centre at all for a walk. sucked big time.

well, all the wats and city centre will be in the next post. i need a rest now.