Chiang Mai Solo

This is my fifth trip to this city. Why?

1. It's Easy.

2. The shopping -- especially hill tribe crafts -- is good.

3. The many Buddhist temples raise the energy level.

4. Tanitas Thai ice tea "shakes" (below).

5. Massage is always available, but must compete with other activities such as drinking iced tea.

6. The hotel, Baan Orapin, is a delight. 

I slept a little last night -- 6 hours -- I guess that's a lot although there were three awake hours between 1:00 am and 4:00 am. This is where I love my iPad. 

I brought a gold coffee filter and a pound of coffee, so I get well juiced before breakfast. I love Asia for the hot water pots in most rooms (and available on request everywhere). My last American hotel had a machine with pods, making it almost impossible to make your own coffee. 

Ban Orapin has a lovely breakfast in the garden, facing the pool. You cannot tell there is a nonstop traffic jam just outside the gates. 

My mission for today, and every day, is to get a massage. This was accomplished early on at Wat Buppharam on the Tha Phae Road. The Masseuses have moved indoors from last year, and for 150 baht ($4.30) you get a one-hour Thai massage. I've decided to avoid the fancier massage places and focus on the temple massages. They are reasonable and just as good. It's like community acupuncture...you share a space with other customers. This is not a problem for me, and no one falls asleep snoring during Thai massage. 

My other missions:

1. Get a power adapter. The one I brought does not want to charge my i-devices, but will charge my toothbrush! I had an insight during my massage...when you get an iphone in Asia, they must give you a little USB charger and if you are in Thailand, it will fit, without adaptation, in the outlet. I did find a shop and the little I-thingy cost less than a universal adapter and is smaller and lighter. Yay!

2. Get my Thai sim topped off. I am a hog in this department and must be fed constantly. Seven Eleven helped me out here. I still don't know my phone number. It's slightly different than the number listed in the phone...you have to know which digits to punch out of the ones provided. So close...so if you want to call me, I can try to send you my number...

3. Buy baby aspirin. These are somewhere in my house, or cleverly hidden in my backpack. I packed them with my power adapter that works and my SIM card holder. Turns out, pharmacies here don't usually sell aspirin! I found one selling 300 mg tabs, so I will bite into a tab daily, approximating 81 mg. 

4. Eat khao soi. This mission aborted as I passed my other other favorite place, Raming Tea House, where I again sat in a beautiful garden and enjoyed semi-high tea for one, Asian style.