Day 3 - Chiang Mai

I arrived this morning about 9 a.m. to Chiang Mai, which is in Northern Thailand. I changed venue from staying at the original place I had said and moved to Smile House 1, which I think is a little nicer but the same price. I also like the location way better.

Chiang Mai is hustling and bustling even on a Sunday. There are motor bikes (mopeds and motorcycles) everywhere you look as well as a variety of different cars from the same manufacturers we have in the U.S. but very different models. There are also tuk tuk's, which are motorbikes attached to a little carriage type thing so you can ride in the back. I'll post a picture of one later so you know what I'm talking about. I wandered around the area for a while to get my bearings and figure out where the good restaurants were and things I would like to check out.

A little later in the afternoon I snagged one of the tuk tuk drivers and paid him $100 Bhat (about 3 dollars) and had him show me around the city as well as some of the temples in the area. I went to Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phra Singh. Wat Phra Singh has very impressive Lanna architecture. After that I started to plan what I wanted to do for the next few days.

About a week ago I was at an event in Seattle and met a guy named Marshall. Marshall is American but lived in Chiang Mai as a climbing guide for a company called Chiang Mai Rock Climbing Adventures. I walked over there and chatted with them about how I met Marshall and was told to swing by. They were glad to hear he had the intention of moving back as soon as possible! Anyway, while I was in the shop I met Eric who is from France. We decided we would head out with a guide the next day and do a full day of climbing at Crazy Horse Buttress. Once that was all setup I was able to head out to the Sunday Market and walk the streets to see food vendors, do some people watching, and soak up a bit of Thailand.

Once I was done with that I headed back to my hotel and set my alarm for 6 p.m. so I could take a little nap. The jet lag was catching up with me I suppose. However, the alarm never went off! I woke up at 11 p.m. and decided I needed to go back to bed in order to get on the Thailand timezone. I think I slept about 11 hours total...crazy.

Signing off as it is time to head to the crag...