Today we finally slept in! Well, I slept in and Kevin was nice enough to read his book on the porch for a while. We had a leisurely breakfast and explored the hotel a bit. Behind the hotel they have some rice paddies as well as some traditional Thai buildings. They do various programs for people who stay at the resort and it was nice to walk around and see the rice close up.

Next, we boarded a shuttle to the day market. When we got there the streets were bustling with people and there were vendors everywhere. We got a bit turned around, and we ended up skipping the market and just focusing on exploring the Old City in Chiang Mai. Here we visited three active temples. All were a little different. One was built completely out of teak, which was very interesting. It almost looked like a Thai version of a Stave Church, but without the intricate carvings. The other two were mostly plated in gold and mirrors with very large Buddha statues. Inside we saw numerous people being blessed by the monks and giving offerings. At one temple a contraption was set up so people could send holy water up a pulley and when it hit the building it would spill out and they would pray.

We walked around the city for a couple of hours. We did a bit of souvenir shopping and then we headed back to the hotel to sit by the pool, relax and get ready for our day of traveling. Tomorrow we are off to the beach!

Keely