Chiang Mai

After spending two days Embassy hopping in Vientiane, paying over $80 to get more pieces of paper taped into my passport and acquiring a 60 day Thai visa, I was off to Thailand, country number 17 of my trip! We jumped on an overnight minivan from Vientiane to Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand located in the northern region of the country. Its known for its unique architecture and over 300 Buddhist Temples. Leah and I spent our first day just roaming through the city, taking in a few of the temples along the way. 

When we got back to the hostel that day, we met up with our friends Monica and Elliot, who we had met the week before in Laos while tubing. They introduced us to a couple from England, Ryan and Jo, that they had met that afternoon. This was the birth of what we called the "A Team." I had no idea at the time how close I would get to these people and the incredible times we had ahead! We spent that night getting to know each other over quite a few Changs and listening to techno music at a "Reggae Bar."

Birth of the "A Team"

Chiang Mai is famous for the huge market that takes over the streets every weekend. We were lucky enough to be there over a weekend and experience it ourselves. One can find absolutely anything and everything you could ever want in this massive market...scarves, jewelry, art, souvenirs, clothes, and even stuff to make you look this cool...

Mom, your lucky I'm not coming off the plane in this!

Not surprising at all...we spent most of our time in the food section of the market...

There are loads of activities and excursions to do just outside of Chiang Mai, like jungle trekking, white water rafting, zip lining, and elephant riding. But, my Aunt Margie is coming to join me in Thailand for the last two weeks of my trip, so I passed on doing any of these this time around so that I can do them with her when she comes! After 3 days in Chiang Mai, Elliot, Monica, and I were planning on heading west to a small town called Pai. With a little bit of encouraging peer pressure, we convinced Ryan and Jo to push back their trip to Cambodia and come to Pai with us!