Although I had a fantastic time in Bangkok, I had a feeling I would like Chiang Mai more, and I was right! We stayed in an admittedly touristy area but it was adorable nonetheless and I loved it. The dense concentration of temples and massage parlors within the ancient walls of the old city and within walking distance of our hotel made for some terrific sightseeing and post-sightseeing relaxation. I received over 5 hours of massage treatments in a single day. Two and a half hours of a traditional Thai massage made me so sore that I had to get a second massage to recover from the first one. If only all my problems could be like this.
We hired a tour guide company to drive us to a famous landmark, Doi Suthep Temple, several kilometers outside of the old city and then went on a three hour trek through Doi Inthanon National Park, which was very beautiful despite the rainy weather. After my second full day of sightseeing I had to admit I was all “templed” out. Chiang Mai was the Thailand I wanted to experience.
See what I saw here:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/117364714322873137486/albums/5946421434248030305?sort=1
Life's Too Short 