Chiang Mai Has No Street Signs

Chiang Mai seriously has no street signs. This makes navigating quite difficult. We have been walking most everywhere to avoid taking tuk tuks as they get expensive fast (at least if you are white...). We rented a motorbike which is nice for long distances, however, it is still nearly impossible to navigate the city. This is coming from someone who is generally a proficient navigator. I had no problems getting around BKK, Koh Phangon, and a number of other places I have been. This city is just super confusing. There are a ton of back alleys and streets that curve in random directions. We spend several hours every day trying to get to one place. The upside of this is that we get to see a lot of cool little shops and resturaunts that are hidden on cobbled back alleys. The old city is beautiful and quite fun to walk around. There is an infinite amount of stuff to see and do tucked into a small square that is the old city. We are thinking about taking an elephant trek, however, these are really expensive at a few hundred US dollars per person. Today we are going to attempt to find the craft market so we can see how all of the silk items, umbrellas, teak carvings, etc. are made. Yesterday I got a haircut and a shave. It was only $6 US and it looks really nice. Now I can come back and look credible for the families I will be seeing next semester. I am also going to aquire a new suit so that I can have two for the practicum. There is something about walking into a room with a family, taking off a nice jacket, and hanging it over a chair that just screams "I am credible". This makes a big difference as older people can have a hard time working with a young buck such as myself.

Also, Ashley is highly proficient at chop stick use. She is able to tackle difficult foods such as brown rice and vegetables. There is great vegetarian food in Chiang Mai at a cheap price. I do have a hard time as I feel that we haven't been able to do any cooking or other work since we have been here, which miffs me a little.

Chiang Mai is a beautiful place and we are really excited to be here. Going with the flow can be a struggle, but it is a good learning experience.

here are a few pics. there are some that have been added to prior posts as well.