Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Photos from the temples and markets of Chiang Mai, Thailand.

I can see why so many people make Chiang Mai, Thailand their home base. It’s both quaint and big. East and West. The kind of place you can get $1 dinners at the market or satisfy any home food craving for burgers or pizza or mozerella sticks you might have.

I arrived the morning after I left Vang Vieng and joined a group of six Australian girls in search of rooms.

It’s hard to find a place to stay at 6am. Every place was either closed or didn’t know if they’d have free rooms for the day or simply said they were booked.

We managed to find one guesthouse that didn’t look too promising but at least had space and let us put our bags down until the people checked out.

It was a plain room with thin wood walls a hard mattress. The walls were peeling paint and I had to go outside to get to the bathroom. I figured it was just for the night though and I could find a new place for the next morning. Nine nights later, I was still there.

The place grew on me, just like the town. When I first got in to Chiang Mai it seemed a little too western. Too hippie. Too full of travelers and expats. Not like some of the places in Vietnam where I felt like I was the only caucasian everywhere I went. It felt too easy.

But it also had its charm.

I didn’t really do much for most of my days there. I walked around, checked out a few of the temples. Met with Jenny for cheap meals at the night market. I took a Thai cooking class. I went to the night bazaar. The Saturday market. The Sunday market.

I just chilled out.

And it was nice.

p.s. For the record, I haven’t had a single drop of alcohol since my birthday.

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