Our Chiang Mai contact, Ray, picked us up from the bus terminal bright and early this morning at 5 am. We met a pastor and his wife who will be helping to translate and lead us through the hill tribe areas. After talking about what the next three weeks will look like we crashed to catch up on lost sleep from jet lag and a night on a bus. This afternoon Clinton and I walked the few blocks around us. We passed temples, restaurants, and lots of shops selling a wide assortment of items; from trophy shops to hardware stores to pharmacies. There was a large open market selling raw fish, cooked fish, dry fish, vegetables, fruits, meat, and pre-cooked meals. The aroma permeating the market was sometimes wonderful and sometimes not so good. Clinton bought some little prickly fruits that once peeled tasted similar to a grape.
This evening we went to the Kalare Night Bazaar. A main food court served dishes from Thailand, India, Japan, and China. I enjoyed a plate of Sushi then Tana and I checked out the shops along the streets. Once our feet got tired we headed back to the food court where we enjoyed a show of traditional Thai dancing.
Tomorrow we are heading to the hill country where we will get to interact with some of the hill tribes. We will be gone for a few days without Internet, but I should have some good stories when we get back.
