Day Eight - 13th Sept. 2009 - Goodbye Chiang Mai

Lazy day. It's our final day here in Chiang Mai. Tomorrow morning we fly to Ko Samui for some beach action.

After breakfast I checked my email and waiting for me was a message from Nong regarding the price to ship the paintings back to Paris. Yesterday she gave us an indication of the price to send four paintings back to Paris which was in the region of 70 Euros. However she had to confirm the actual price with TNT due to the fact that the paintings are very big but also very light. Apparently this fact may affect the price. Well it did affect the price greatly. The confirmed price for packing and sending the paintings was an eye watering 240 Euros! That put the brakes on that project for sure!

It was HOT in Chiang Mai today. Probably in excess of 33 degrees. In order not to exert ourselves too much we took a short walk around the town, did a little bit of shopping and then headed to the massage parlor.

Our plan (or at least my plan) was to ease myself into the ancient Thai tradition of painful massage and start with a simple oil massage. When asked what treatment I wanted I told the lady as such and Gisela trumped me and asked for a Traditional Thai massage (the one where they bend you in half and then drop you off a building) Not wanting to look weak I instantly changed my mind and immediately regretted it.

However my fears we unfounded. Although a little painful it wasn't as bad as it looks on the posters on the wall which demonstrate the various moves they do on you. Put simply they lay you on your back, with pressure massage every muscle in your back and head (including your ear lobes), spin you over and do the same on your front side, then she sits on you and twists your body 180 degrees. It was great! Afterwards Gisela and I agreed that it was like wearing someone else's muscles. Im not sure how it feel tomorrow morning though.

To recover we headed to the Hot Chilli restaurant for lunch. I had stir fried Morning Glory again (my latest favorite veggie which I leant today is in fact classified as a weed and is illegal to grow in the USA. In Europe and Asia is known as water spinach, water morning-glory, water convolvulus, Ong-Choy, Kang-kung, or swamp cabbage) with a fruit salad that comprised melon, apple, pineapple, tomatoes, onion & prawns all marinated in green chilli! It was probably the hottest dish id had in a long time. Gisela had chilli bean salad and stir fried veggies with chicken all washed down with a couple of beers.

Time to recover so we hit the pool for the final time like I said it was HOT HOT HOT today!

In Chiang Mai there is a street called Sunday Walking Street. Every Sunday there is a market along this street. Hundreds of stalls sell the usual Thai stuff to locals and tourists alike. Handicrafts, t shirts, paintings, shoes, children's toys etc. We took a walk along the 1km or so of Sunday Walking Street, a little shopping and a drink or two in the Writers Club & Wine bar followed by the The Garden (two great bands)

Back to the hotel, pack and get ready for the next stage of our Thai adventure Ko Samui.

Happy days!appy days!

Lah Gorn!

Jason & Gisela

Today's Addresses

Hot Chilli

Kad Klang Wiang,

Ratchadamnoen Rd.,

Muang,

Chiang Mai

Tel: +66 53 326 584

Health Massage