Saying bye to Chiang Mai from an underrated hotel

The previous post in this series is here..

It was day 8 of our trip. We were finally going to wake up late or that was the plan. The breakfast folks came and knocked at 6:30 AM. Given we had gotten used to waking up very early the entire trip, I got up and decided to walk to the local 7-Eleven. San decided to take it easy.

After eating breakfast and having Chai we had time to spend till Joy and Goy were going to show up to take us to the airport. We put our luggage at the lobby and did a photoshoot for San. The hotel we stayed in was called Sunny V Hotel and how it gets only 3 stars is beyond me. It was fantastic and grand and the staff were super nice.

After taking pictures we took a photo with Joy and Goy. We defintely miss the guides and drivers the most after this trip. Genuinely nice folks. Would definitely recommend Joy to others for sightseeing in Chiang Mai.

Then we were off to the airport..

A video highlights reel..

We loved our time in Chiang Mai. The place and the people made an impression! Traveling the world may not be everyone’s cup of tea and not everyone is fortunate to do what we do. When we go places our perception of ourselves and others changes. We can see that people are people. Sincerely wish more people in the United States get to travel the world and change their worldview.

Our next stop was Phuket.. the highlight of the entire trip!

Our last evening in Chiang Mai- Massage first, dinner next

The previous post in this series is here..

It took us a good two hours to come from the National park back to Chiang Mai city center.

San wanted to get a facial done and Goy was on the phone for us talking in Thai to get an appointment. There was a place near the night market called Peak Spa which was high end but strongly recommended by the couple. So we booked the earliest appointment possible at 7. They also called and confirmed that our laundry was delivered to our hotel. So we breathed a sigh of relief. We were dropped off at the Spa after Joy showed us exactly how to go from the center to the spa and back.

We had 40 minutes to spend before the facial and massage. Given San was going to be busy for an hour, what was I to do? Booked another massage.. this time it was the same one hour at double the price. Truth be told when you lie face down on a neck pillow and your eyes are closed and you are half meditative, the ambiance of the room doesn’t matter. Still booked it and it was a good decision.

We walked to the food court and San ate some Mango sticky rice. She had decided the previous day that she had to have it. After that I was sent to search for an earring she had lost post massage the previous day.. sadly could not find it.

We walked to Peak spa and came across this market that had a zillion elephants and other trinkets. They were also announcing a kick boxing match on the speakers.. it was interesting but our time was up. We showed up at the massage place, had the facial and massage in the same room and after an hour, started walking back to the center to find dinner. We checked out a few placed and decided Curry Express was the best bet. Had a fantastic dinner and decided go head back to the hotel.

We found another Tuk Tuk and were ready to crash in the hotel. Our legs were tired.

A very short video of the night market.

The next morning we were to start late and head to the airport starting at 10:30 AM

The king and queen pagodas of Doi Inthanon

The previous post in this series is here..

After going on the Ang Ka trail to the highest point in Thailand we came down that mountain and went up to another mountain within the park that overlooked Chiang Mai. Forty years ago the royal family commissioned two pagodas in memory of the previous king and queen with a beautiful park on top of this mountain as a tourist attraction.

The place is amazing. First you have to wait for a Hummer looking vehicle to take you to the top. Once up, there were escalators you could use to go up. We did use them where they worked. We walked around the pagodas and soaked up the views. Took some pictures. Then we had to wait in a station for a return vehicle. Joy managed to squeeze us in, given we were only two people and not part of a large group!

This was our last stop in the park. The next two hours was a ride back towards our hotel.. so we could rest.

The one pano shots I took from the top…

San dozed off while I watched the landscape change from mountain to traffic!

Here is a video highlights reel..

We finally made it back to the city center after a long day of travel and constant hiking..