First Two Days In Chiang Mai
Our flights were uneventful and mostly
sleepless. We arrived at 11 pm in Chiang Mai, retrieved our luggage
and asked for a taxi. The man that pulled up shook his head
indicating the luggage and passengers would not fit. So we took the
next one which was a mini van size. We were checked into The Dome
Residence by midnight and after a quick shower we were off to
dreamland.
The next morning I began an online chat
with our friend Ursula. She is the one I wanted to surprise and she
had no idea we had arrived because August was our original date. She
asked to make a time to chat at 9pm Chiang Mai time. I told her that
would not work. She thought I was mad at her, which I could never be
because she is so sweet! The next message told her we had arrived
the night before and would like to meet her. I think she was in
shock and could not believe it was true. We finally met for lunch
and her face was smiling so brightly it was very heartwarming to see.
Before we left the mall I picked up some shampoo, cream rinse,
coffee, creamer, hot chocolate, cold tea, and green tea bags. All of
the items except the shampoo and rinse were imported and were
expensive by US pricing. The hot chocolate was $10.00 and the coffee
was $16.
We went to The Antique House 2 on the
Ping River for lunch. We were the only people in the entire place
and for 2 hours we chatted, relaxed and had a wonderful lunch. We
went back to her condo and made an appointment with the woman at the
property management company to show us some condo units the next day.
We went to Ursula's condo and had a lovely visit until I began to
feel like a hologram....I needed to go to our hotel and sleep.
There is a strangeness about being
sleep deprived. Ordinary things that your brain handles with ease
become tantamount to being in a body with no motor skills or
cognitive functions. A little back story here.......Many years ago
I borrowed our son's sports car. When I started it up, the sound
system was bone rattling and the bass would have re-started a heart!
I had to find a way to turn it down! The console looked like the
inside of an airplane and having no idea what it all meant I began
pushing ALL the buttons. It worked! Peace and quiet resumed and I
forgot all about the incident, that is until I got home and he took
his car back. I was asked, “What DID YOU DO?” “What do you
mean?, I said” With a look that said....”I can't believe you
did this”....he said, “I had to completely re-program my sound
system.” I tend to do this with other things too and I push all
the buttons till something happens. To this day I am lovingly teased
about it.
So, back to the story. I was in
desperate need for a cup of tea. The room has an electric tea kettle
and I happily plugged it in....nothing happened. So I found another
outlet to plug it in and still nothing, no light came on and I was
feeling frustration and tears behind my eyes. Realizing what was
happening I began to talk to the tea pot as if to convince it of my
plight and it would magically work. I took it to the bedroom where
I found yet another plug....still nothing. I left it on the floor
alone in the corner as a punishment and sat on the bed with my
computer. Periodically glaring at it I felt some control over my
emotions.......It is just a kettle, with water, that SHOULD be
boiling by now. Several hours went by and as Vince listened to me
harumph loudly every time I looked up he decided to put me out of my
misery. He went over to the kettle and pressed the one and only
button ...in plain sight...big as life....on the handle!
Our leisurely morning with coffee and
fruit before a light breakfast downstairs and then off to the condo.
We met Fuang and she showed us 6 units which ranged from 28,000 baht
down to 18,000 and were one and two bedrooms. All were different in
the décor and layout, but she saved the best for last and she told
us she knew we would love it. At our price of 15,000 baht ($456
USD) we are now the proud renters of a one bedroom, 79 meters, open
floor plan, two large sliding glass doors with a long large balcony
on the top floor 19th with a view of the Ping Rive and Doi
Suthep! We move in on Sunday!
Lunch from the market which is a 5
minute walk across the street and meeting Alaia in person for the
first time.
