Sorry I haven't written any earlier. I've been back in Wuhu for over a week now, but I've been trying to get my classes up and going. Enough of my excuses. Here's the real stuff.

We were eager to get out of the rain of Shanghai as we entered Hongqiao International Airport. We would be able to dress lightly and enjoy the sun and warmth of Thailand. We weren't disappointed.

I spent all my time in the north of Thailand in and around the city of Chiang Mai. It is 700 year old city. The first thing you'll notice about it is the old city wall. Parts of it are well-preserved, others are in ruins. On the outside of the wall is a moat. There are fountains, bridges, and other niceties that make the moat into a lovely canal. The wall and moat form a perfect square-mile square around the old part of town.

My first week in Thailand was basically free time for myself. I had one two-hour round of meetings and the rest was for me. There were quite a few things to see in and around Chiang Mai.

First off, there's this night market that was about a 10 minute walk from where I stayed. Every evening at 6, a stretch of road in east part of town is transformed into a shopping bazaar. Vendor carts line up along both sides of the street for two large blocks. It'll take you a few nights and thensome, just to see everything. Not to mention, there is a variety of food joints in around the bazaar. There's McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Swensen's ice cream, Baskin Robbins, two German restaurants, and more. Of course, I picked a few things there just like everyone else.

The shopping didn't just stop at the night bazaar, though. There was a North American style shopping centre we called Central in the northwest corner of town. There were tons of restaurants, tons of shops, a large department store, a bowling alley, movie theatres, and what is Asia without that Dance Dance Revolution arcade game. I took in a little of everything at that mall. It was uncanny how much it felt like a real mall. China primarily have stand-alone department stores. Only the really big cities have the shopping centres.

And just when you thought you could put your bahts away in your wallet, there was a large WalMart like store on the outskirts of town. It had a large parking lot and everything. There was clothing, food, toiletries, etc. You name it and I'm sure they've got it. "Everyday low prices and ... " Oops. Sorry, don't mean to advertise for him especially after the guy tried to gobble up the Grizzilies.

The store is called the Tesco Lotus Supercenter. I called it Lotus for short. Shannon kept calling it WalMart. When we got into the red truck taxi, she said WalMart to the driver. As if he would know what WalMart was. Okay, maybe he does, but the place is really called Lotus. Anyway, pet peeve.

Also, one of the fun things about Chiang Mai is getting around. There are these wonderful 3-wheel contraptions called Took-Tooks. They're like motorcycles, but they can carry people in the back of them. And they all sound like someone has purposely put a hole in the muffler to make it sound fast. I wish I kept some of my Thai postcards so I could show you a picture of one. They're a blast to ride on, but relatively expensive at 50 baht. Prices are negotiable, but they rarely go under 30 baht.

The more common way to get around for us tourists are the red trucks. They are pick-up trucks that have been converted into taxis. You basically stick your dozen friends in the covered bed of the truck and you tell the driver where you want to go. Now, you've gotta know that the bed is covered and that there are benches to sit on and bars to hold onto. If you have enough people in the truck, you can negotiate the price down to 10 baht a person. If you're by yourself, you may be paying 20+ baht. But they're great for socializing on the go.

A few of us discovered a really pleasant way to get around town--bicycle. We rented these two-wheel vehicles and delved into the heart of the city. We weaved in and out of small alleys and came across numerous wats, or temples. It was a really fun way to see the city. I got a really different perspective.

For some selected pictures from Thailand