21 February 2023
Steve and I woke up early this morning to pick up our rental car from Budget. They were there promptly at 8am, and as always, they were very friendly and efficient. We walked to the bank to get a new debit card, and then we walked to the local markets. We were hoping to find our favourite baked custard desserts, but they were unfortunately sold out. We decided to relax the rest of the day and watch a movie. It was a pretty low-key day, but it was nice to spend some time together and just relax.
22 February 2023
Steve and I had an easy day today. We just took it easy and kicked back. We started by having breakfast together, then we went for a walk for lunch. After that, we came home and relaxed.
23 February 2023
Steve and I woke up early on Saturday morning, excited to be going to the Siri-Wattana Markets.
The markets were bustling with activity when we arrived. Vendors were selling everything from fresh produce to cooked food to souvenirs. We wandered through the stalls, taking our time to look at everything.
We eventually found a stall selling pork and chicken skewers. The skewers were grilled to perfection and served with a delicious dipping sauce. We also bought some watermelon and a couple of small baked custards.
After we had eaten, we continued to explore the markets. We stopped at a small electronics store and bought a couple of clear covers for Steve’s iPhone. We also found a store selling LED lights and fittings.
We eventually made our way to the Jing Jai Markets. We were surprised to find that it was coffee week! There were lots of displays selling and promoting coffee products. We also found a few additional stalls selling food.
We bought a cup of coffee and sat down at a table to enjoy it. We watched the people go by and talked about our plans for the rest of the day.
After we had finished our coffee, we headed back to the Lotus’s shopping centre. We bought a few things for our trip home, including some kitchen and workshop items.
We were tired from all the walking, so we decided to take a taxi back to our hotel. We arrived at the hotel just in time to relax before dinner.
We went out for dinner at our favourite restaurant, Tom and Pam’s Cafe. We had a wonderful meal, and Tom and Pam even gave us a gift of a couple of cute elephant key rings.
After dinner, we went back to our hotel and called it a night.
24 February 2023
It was our last full day in Chiang Mai, and we were both feeling a bit nostalgic. We had spent the 3 months exploring Thailand from top to bottom and east to west, and we had made some great friends along the way.
After a leisurely breakfast, Alison headed off to Maya Shopping Center to pick up a few last-minute gifts. Steve stayed back at the hotel to finish packing.
Alison returned a few hours later with a huge bag of goodies. She had bought souvenirs for everyone back home, as well as some snacks for the flight.
Alison picked up some lunch for Steve on here way home. Alison ordered Khao Soi Gai, a traditional Thai dish of noodles in a curry sauce. The food was delicious, and the portions were huge.
After lunch, we visited Pam and Tom, our friends from Australia. We had met them a few days earlier at a bar, and we had hit it off right away. We gave them some Australian snacks as a thank-you for their hospitality.
We said our goodbyes to Pam and Tom, and then we headed back to the hotel. We were both feeling a bit tired, so we decided to relax for the rest of the afternoon.
In the evening, we went for a walk around the city. We stopped at a our 7-Eleven to buy ice cream, and we also visited a few of our night spots. Alison also wanted to say goodbye to a street vender she had become friends with.
We ended our evening at the Pad Thai cafe. We had our last delicious meal of pad thai, and then we walked back to the hotel.
We were both feeling sad to be leaving Chiang Mai, but we were also excited to be going home. We had had a wonderful time, and we had made some memories that we would cherish forever.
We went to bed early, so that we would be well-rested for our flight the next morning.
