The overnighter to Chiang Mai was supposed to be on a VIP bus. The bus was your standard double decker monster. Clean, but no where near as nice as a high end bus in South America. I had another "Wait a second, you are not Jane" moments on the bus when I woke up upon our arrival to Chiang Mai. Yu and I toured the city after our arrival and checked out a few treks. She has been absolutely great as far as getting the Thai local price for everything. After setting up our trek and passage to Laos, we visited the Doi Suthep temple in the mountains. The place was nice, but I'm getting to the point where all of the temples are starting to look similar.
The day that we arrived in the town was the second day of the full moon festival. We returned from the temple to see the crowds lining the bank of the Ping river. There was a barrage of fireworks and these paper hot air balloons being lifted in the air. In the river, the folks were placing floats decorated in flowers, candles, and incense. The balloons and floats signify letting go of bad vibes. At one point I looked into the sky and thought that there must be at least a thousand paper balloons up there. Some poor farmer is going to wake up tomorrow to find his yard littered with those things. The night market was an absolute zoo that evening, but we were able to spot some good food and a few nice souvenirs.
I have decided to buy another suitcase when I return to Bangkok and stuff it with a ton of junk before leaving home.
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