Sept 28 - Chiang Mai

Our VIP bus tickets cost a bit more, but the reclining seats on an air conditioned bus for the 9 hour trip from Bangkok to Chiang Mai made the cost of the tickets worthwhile. The train between these two cities is temporarily shut down for repairs, so air or bus travel is the only way to go. We arrived at the Tadkham Hotel at about 0630, and were immediately checked into our room! Nice! We took a short rest and went exploring the Old City. Chiang Mai was established around the 13th century, and there are many historical places to see, wats to visit and, of course, innumerable restaurants. We took the Night Safari tour to get out and see some of the sights, as we had walked the Saturday street market and wanted to get out some. There were tiger and lady-boy dance shows, then a couple of tram rides thru the park to see the game animals. After, we got dropped off at the Night Bazaar, more walking and shopping...Pic: one of many wats in the old city.