Free days in Chiang Mai... There were many shopping opportunities, but what was the most fun for us was hanging out and chatting with some of the locals. The Thai people are some of the friendliest people we’ve ever met.
Our ritual-more or less...
Thai breakfast ... Thai lunch... and wine and dessert at Hard Rock for “supper”! We literally had every dessert on the menu- plus repeats!!
A visit to the Hard Rock Cafe - Chiang Mai.
This is Mint
“P” greeted us with a smile every visit to Hardrock
Here we are with “P” and Eve.
We kept our dinners light so that we could enjoy “light” desserts!...😉 Did we really eat that?😳
Paw Paew - Waitress at Hard Rock Chiang Mai
Eric - Waiter at Hard Rock Chiang Mai. Eric was always 🕺
Aiw (eeew) - Waitress at Hard Rock Chiang Mai
Yo - Waiter at Hard Rock Chiang Mai
Dew - Waiter at Hard Rock Chiang Mai
Kind of a nice change - Tips are included in the meal charge so waitresses and waiters aren’t competing for their tips from specific tables. We had several people help us and had good conversation with all. They’re our own Hard Rock Chiang Mai fan club who welcomed us with smiles and hugs...and lots of useful information.
Po (poe) - She and her husband, Noi, are wonderful street vendors who had a rare collection of clothing she made herself. She had a great pair of traditional Thai pants on that she literally took off for us so FK could have them. She’s been making and selling her clothes for more than 20 years. Noi also makes jewelry.
Aree - Night market vendor who makes bracelets. What an experience to watch her create her art right there at the night market.
Even upon trying to depart Chiang Mai on the 9th, the Bangkok Airways staff was exceptionally kind. While we were just 20 minutes from boarding, 2 people came to us to usher us back out of security because of a problem with our Vietnam visa. Although we were temporarily denied entry into Vietnam and therefore not able to get on the plane, the staff was quite pleasant and friendly. Though we didn’t get to depart as expected, we felt luck would be with us shortly.
A little extra time in Chiang Mai...
Walking around town we met John, an artist who has a small studio displaying his wonderful artwork. He has 44 family members in several countries: England, Australia, U.S. and Thailand. He has lived in Long Island and currently has a daughter in Hawaii. He lives upstairs from his studio which resembles a cave filled with his art.... Very cool place.
This is Mee...night market vendor who loves handwork and makes something handcrafted called a “lucky ball”. Mee told us it took a year to teach herself this ancient Japanese craft. Initially, she made these lucky balls for fun. After she had created 10, she started selling them. It’s going so well now she has several people helping her make many sorts of hints for the market
This is Ado...Although Aldo’s goods are generally not hand made by her, she does make a water bottle holder with strap we just couldn’t resist. Whenever we travel we always need water, and this is the perfect holder to carry our water with us. 😄
We have another story about one of the desk clerks at the hotel (all, by the way, were quite pleasant and helpful). A particular one, was Toast (he said his name is like breakfast😜). He spent a long time helping us find an after hours passport photo place to correct the issue with our Vietnam visa application. Awwww.... we didn’t get a photo of Toast😩
What great free days...
Now, we’re off to Hanoi in Vietnam 🇻🇳
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