Chiang Mai

I have spent the past week in the Chiang Mai province of northern Thailand.

Chiang Mai is in a valley surrounded by towering majestic mountain ranges in all directions.  

The city is very unique and beautiful - it is clean, diverse, and very international.  The city has amazing ancient Buddhist temples, yet it also has a very modern feel.  

It is the second largest city in Thailand, but it doesn't have the chaos and pollution of Bangkok.  I am very happy to be here.

The main roads form concentric circles around the city.  The city center is surrounded by a moat, which was originally intended to keep aggressive Burmese invaders away when Chiang Mai was the capital of the north.  

I have stayed with my friends Brad and Gun (and their dogs Max and Lemon) for a few days.   They have been very kind and welcoming to me.  Brad's words of experience from years of living and working in Thailand have really shed light on my own journeys here.  

Now I am living in a room in the back of a German restaurant near Tha Pae gate (inside the moat) on Ratchapakinai Soi 8.  Guten tag!