Greetings from Chiang Mai! We took the sleeper train 700 km from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. It was pretty reasonable compared to the other seats on the train, and we had our own private room with bunk beds and a sink. NOT too shabby!

We got into Chiang Mai at around 10AM or so. A few nuns were trying to push a cart filled with supplies out of the train station (on their way to go to an orphanage in the mountains), and we gave them a hand. They were very appreciative and asked for a picture with us. We got one too and will post to a photo album.

Bev negotiated a good rate with the driver, and we were off to hunt down a room. Chiang Mai comprises an old town section (shaped like a square, surrounded on four sides by a moat and the remains of an old brick fortification) and a sprawling newer section branching out of the old city on all sides. The city is the cultural hub of northern Thailand, contains more temples per square foot than Bangkok (a much larger city than Chiang Mai), and has important historical roots due to its role in trade between Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), and Laos.

This was our first go with no reservations, but it worked out well. We stopped at Jonadda Guesthouse, run by an Aussie/Thai couple. They had a room at a good price, so we took it. Not a bad start to our "show up and find a room" plan for the trip.

We dropped our stuff off at the room and explored some of Chiang Mai. We liked it much more than Bangkok. The streets were more open, cleaner, and in general the city felt more friendly and walkable. It is a good bit cheaper than Bangkok, and the food options are just as extensive (and arguably better).

We signed up for a cooking class for later that evening and also got hooked up with a trek on the 25th. After a quick lunch at a random place, we took a nap and got ready for the class at the cooking school. We went for a tour of a local market and bought groceries for the meal we would soon prepare. We ended up making spring rolls, chicken with cashew nuts, pad thai, and fried bananas. We also bought some thai snacks for before the meal, including slices of banana wrapped in sticky rice along with mangosteens (considered the queen of fruit in Thailand).

Back at the school, we slapped on our aprons, had our snacks, and began chopping and cooking. It was a lot of fun, and we had a huge meal when we were done. We brought the leftovers to Panadda, our hostess at the guesthouse.

When we got back, we decided just to pass out (didn't sleep well on the train...Bev kept expecting me to fly off the top bunk whenever the train came to a hard stop, and I froze my arse off with the air con full blast just above my bunk).

Tomorrow's another day, but we like Chiang Mai already!