March 2-9
The first full day in Chiang Mai, we hired a tuk tuk driver to take us to all the famous temples. They were interesting to see but not really to talk about.
The next day we went to the national museum -a big disappointment, and then on to the Chiang Mai Zoo. We enjoyed the zoo, especially after we realized they had a tram service and we didnt really have to walk kilometres between animal exhibits! The tigers, kahualas and giant walk through aviary were most impressive exhibits. The pandas cost extra to see so we missed those.
At night we wondered around Chiang Mai's huge night market lining a main street for several blocks. The restaurants in the market area all featured seafood, which was curious because the city is pretty far away from the sea. I wasnt tempted.
So we 'did' Chiang Mai and it was time to turn our thoughts back to the beach. We headed back down to Bangkok on an overnight bus and spent the next few days unsuccessfully trying to reclaim my abandoned eyeglasses.