Heaven on Earth at the Baan Orapin. No. 101 might quickly become my favorite. That was our hotel room. Beautiful place that quickly made the train feel like a distant thought, much like the rest of my life... only this time it wasn't due to my horrendous memory.Opas quickly made us feel at home by having our room surprisingly ready at 8:00 a.m. I tried to tip him after he carried all of our luggage to our room, and he told me to save it for the staff... That's when I realized he was the owner.
Speaking of tipping, it's tough. Supposedly it's not customary, and sometimes insultive, yet touristy places know Americans tip. So it's a catch 22, or maybe you're just damned if you do, damned if you don't. We read 20 to 30 Baht is fine for things, if you really want to tip.
We got rid of our stuff, had a hot shower (which was a first, the hostel only had luke warm), and then headed to get breakfast at Libernard Cafe. The are known for their coffee & banana pancakes. Best ever. The pancakes were cooked into the cakes yet somehow the entire thing was cooked to perfection with just a hint of crispness on the outside. At this point I confess my undying love to this city. This was also the first time we had coffee on the trip since it was probably in the high 70s at the time and Bangkok was always in the 90s no matter what time of day.
Then it was off for more walking. Each day we kept talking about how long we felt like we had already been on vacation and I think it was due to the walking. I never felt rushed, but we were always doing something. At this point, it felt like we were already at one week.
The oldest temple in Chiang Mai has a bunch of elephants. Lisa loved it.
Then it was off to the prison to get another massage. Yes, we had heard the women's correctional facility was a great place to get a massage. I will give you a couple of moments to let your mind wander ...
OK, so we arrive, then a guard calls a car over. We get in, a guard is driving, and then we are taken on a 5-minute drive to a completely normal looking spa. In fact, it's the best looking yet. We lay down side-by-side in a row of about 10 mats and have the best massage of the trip. I get laughed at a little because I hang over the mat and when my lady has me sit up, she climbs on my back and twists both of us (to crack the small of your back), she flies off. They aren't used to my size.
Starving and refreshed we eat at Heuan Pen. Cockroaches on the floor, ants on the wall, and the best cheap food of the trip. Pork, chicken and papaya salad are great at the bill comes out to 130 Baht ($4.25). We thought it would be more so I decide to leave 100 Bhat ($3.25) for a tip. As we leave we can she her laughing. No idea if she loved the tip or was making fun of the stupid American.
We got back to the Baan Orapin and went for a swim with a 35 Baht beer from our mini-fridge. It's tough to say whether I appreciated the pool (with small waterfall) or stocked beer.
At the Sunday market - more of a local street vendor thing with arts, crafts and food we got some pad thai for 10 Baht. No good. No flavor. Then we splurged at got pad thai for 20 Baht. Then some spring rolls. Before the trip, Lisa read that Thailand has the best street food in the world. Probably a safe call.
Got back and went for another quick swim in the dark. After a couple minutes, Lisa jumped out of the pool because something was moving. I was hoping it wasn't the largest bug I had ever seen, and it turned out to be a frog, which I then spent 5 minutes trying to "rescue" the thing. Mission accomplished.
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