Back in Chiang Mai

 Hello from Thailand! Yes, we are back again, this time arriving in December rather than January. We had a good trip, leaving the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Our daughter and son-in-law spent the holiday with us, then took us to a hotel near O'Hare on their way to flying home. On Sunday morning we headed to the airport. Our shuttle driver said traffic was absolutely terrible; large numbers of people flying home after Thanksgiving. It was slow, but we arrived at our terminal in plenty of time. We were pleased to see that the gate to our flight was right inside the lounge, so we didn't have far to go.

Our tickets from Seoul to Chiang Mai were separate from our Chicago to Seoul ones (long story involving flights on Korean Air points). So we were happily surprised when the check-in clerk said they could connect the flights and check our bags on through. That meant we didn't have to pick them up for our overnight in Seoul. That made me a little nervous, as airports are notorious for misplacing luggage, especially if there is a long (or a short) connection. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt Incheon, right near the airport and had a good night's sleep.

On the shuttle from the airpot I sat with a nice man from London. He was here on business, had just arrived and was only staying the one day, flying back the next evening. Hard to imagine!

Sunset from our room on the 12th floor

Airport view from hotel; much closer than it seemed by highway

Our flight got into Chiang Mai about 11:00 PM local time (11:00 AM EST). We were very happy to see our suitcases come out right away. We grabbed a taxi and were at Smith Suites, our home-away-from-home, shortly after midnight. We only unpacked a few necessaries and fell into bed. We both slept well, surprised to wake up to sunlight. We are 23° further south than home in northern Indiana, so it is light a good bit earlier.

In the morning, Dan walked down to Kom Market to get some breakfast. He came back with waffles and bananas and milk for our tea.

Dan brought up our two bins from the storage area, then headed out to change money (better rate than ATM), rent a motorbike, and pick up some groceries at Kasem, which caters especially to foreigners. I walked to the Chiang Mai Gate Market to get fruit (mango, papaya, pineapple, oranges). It was much later than my usual outing and it was quite hot (nearly 90°F). I was pretty wiped out and definitely needed a rest in front of the fan. Then I was able to finish all the unpacking.

We are a little disappointed in our room. We wanted the lawn side, as we had last year, as it is facing north and much more comfortable. We got that, but this room has the kitchenette right inside the door, opposite the bathroom. We have more cupboard space than before but it is not arranged very conveniently. Oh, well, we will manage. I think we have to move at the end of the month to a room on the other side of the building.

My regular fruit vendor

Our first dinner out was at the Guitar Bar, not far from us. It was nice to be recognized by the owner and his daughter. She is now 21 and waiting tables. We used to see her sitting at a table doing her homework, so I guess we've been going there for quite a while.

Dan's panang curry with chicken

My pineapple rice