Chiang Mai

After a great nights sleep and a morning swim in the pool I spent yesterday walking around the city, I did a big loop using a walking map and didn't get lost once.
I had lunch overlooking the river and got back some 5 hours later, ready for a big dish of Thai food!

Today I went in a different direction and into the older part of the city and walked through a market, I was one of only a handful of westerners there.
It was interesting watching the locals go about their day and seeing others at their work, this girl was making garlands with fresh flowers

The garlands are hung in the house or car and they are to show respect for the spirit that is protecting them always.
You will notice the white ones are on ice to keep them fresh and stop the scent, this is so the first scent is for the spirit only
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These 'flowers' look like lemons with limbs, no one spoke any English so I wasn't able to find out how long they lasted but through sign language was assured I couldn't eat them.
So, not to be put into my gin and tonic then.

What a lovely way to pack strawberries

I was beginning to feel that it would be good to have a conversation and share some of the experiences with someone as I hadn't really spoken to any one properly for a couple of days.
I was also feeling that I needed some shade so I wandered into a small place under canvas selling local wares.
A lady was there doing much the same and we began to talk, and talk she did for the rest of the afternoon and evening!

Her name is Susan and she is a 5ft 2" eccentric Canadian from Vancouver with a larger than life personality.
She looks much younger than her 61 years due to a chemical face peel.
She travels to SE Asia every year to escape the harsh winters of home, and is writing a book.
This is her 17th time in Chiang Mai and she knows it like the back of her hand.
In a short time of meeting her we had been to one of  her 'favourite' places to lunch (which was cheap and tasty), been to the library (which turned out to be the quietest minutes of the entire time of being with her), went to some amazing shops and walked through the old part of town with hidden gems of guest houses, bars and fab eateries.
She bounds enthusiasm and has a zest for life, talking loudly to any one who will listen as she goes, her stories (of which there are many) were peppered with humour and sadness, but all very interesting and many very funny.
I felt as though I was with a hyped up version of Ruby Wax, she says it like it is and doesn't worry about how crude she is being, making me laugh out loud many times.
She has had a very interesting life, travelled loads and lived in a few countries, has one son who went wildly off the rails and 3 Grandchildren whom she sadly rarely sees.
Within a few short hours I knew about the only marriage she had to a gorgeous Italian some 16 years her junior.
He turned out to be a transvestite and alcoholic!
It was the final straw when having promised he wouldn't take his 'dressing up' outside the house, her son and his family saw him in the street dressed in a red lace dress, over the top make up and heels, he had to go!
Maybe some of my exes weren't so bad after all....

In the evening we went to an organic place to eat, it was lovely, we shared 4 dishes of tasty fresh food and it came to the giddy price of £5 between us!
I came to this city last year with Frans but we didn't find all the back streets and smaller places that are wonderful to stroll around.
 I will spend the next few days walking lots more including the Saturday and Sunday markets which promise to be full of goodies, and will no doubt hook up with my new crazy Canadian friend.

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                                                   Blue sky and palm trees