Back to the Baht

We are back in Thailand!!! It's amazing the difference between Thailand and Cambodia when it comes to development. Being a first world kinda girl, I myopically view Thailand as a place firmly developing, afterall, you can't drink the tap water! But comparatively to Cambodia, a Thailand is rich. For one, they have their own currency that is legitimate and people don't take dollars. Cambodia, Panama etc all take dollars because their currency is so unreliable. We became Riehl millionaires as 4000 R = $1. Cambodians don't use coins, they just use their own bills to make quarters and nickels from dollar bills. Thailand, on the other hand, uses the baht and only the baht. Another difference is the existence of many a chainstore in Thailand. Besides the heavenly 7/11s that populate every corner, Thailand had a substantial number of countrywide chain stores connecting south to north by common products and logos. Oh my 7/11, it's good to be back. 

We spent a day NOT being on a bus in Bangkok. Rob went to find a climbing gym, while I walked the back alleys and "soi"s (lanes) of Bangkok in search of a floating market. Apparently, they only happened on weekends so I was sadly disappointed BUT I successfully found Baan Silipan (the Artists House), which overlooks the canals that used to be the main roads of Bangkok. There were Buddha sculptures and postcards everywhere and it was lovely to sit watching the boats go by and write some postcards. The canals are filled with these massive massive catfish and people kept feeding them with Fruit Loop-colored corn things that the fish literally leapt out of the water for. These fish were huge. Like two feet long. Huge. 

We took a PLANE to Chiang Mai because we're completely over buses and the ticket was only $25 (killin ittttt). I love love LOVE Chiang Mai and want to do it justice, but am currently starving (and therefore soon-to-be grumpy) so this is all I'm writing for now. To set the scene, I've written this from an outdoor coffee shop called the Cafe d'Artist in Pai, which is up in the northern mountains of Thailand. It's actually a little chilly and the night market is in full swing, with everything from burritos to dried squid being sold from carts on wheels. Rob is sick (:-/) so I spent the day bike riding through the surprisingly steep foothills, getting sunburnt and happening upon many an elephant farm. Tomorrow we RIDE! So. So. SO Painfully excited to ride a JUMBO. So excited. Jumbolandia.