We're in Chiang Mai! It's pretty nice just to be out of Bangkok for a bit. Chiang Mai is definitely a city, but it is not as crowded or loud as Bangkok. Yesterday we just wandered around the "Old Town" area, which is nice. There are a lot of backpackers and coffee shops. Not to mention the standard street bazaars all over the place. I don't really like the bargaining system, so most of the time I just look at things. I get tired of the back and forth. For example, last night I wanted to buy a pair of cotton pants. (Note: I have a pair JUST like the ones I wanted and I paid 180 baht for them in Bangkok): "You give me 450 baht. Special price just for you. Is discount." My response "I bought pants just like this in Bangkok for 180 baht. That price is crazy." Her response (grabbing my pants leg) "No your pants low quality. These much nicer. Alright 400 baht." Now she has told me the clothes I am wearing are cheap and wants me to give her $12 for the exact same pants...Yeah, I got annoyed and walked away. She yelled down the street "alright for you 250 baht." Too late, not to mention that is still almost $9. I hope you can see why this would get tiring after a while.

Today we are climbing Doi Suthep, which is just outside of Chiang Mai. 300 stairs to the top, and the view should be beautiful. Yesterday the monsoon raged all day, but today it is SUNNY! Look at weather.com for the forecast for Chiang Mai. It's hilarious. During the monsoon season it just says "scattered thunderstorms" every single day.

More on Chiang Mai later. Oh and Josh and I have decided to go to Siem Reap, Cambodia next weekend. It was too expensive to fly, so we're taking a bus to the Cambodian border, walking across, and then clearing customs in Poipet. Poipet is supposed to be the most disgusting place on the planet, according to someone who posted about it online. I wonder if he has ever been to Tijuana... The whole trip there should take about 8 hours, but it's supposed to be amazing. Lots of cool Buddha statues.

:) Elizabeth