Chiang Mai- DAY 4

DAY- Frogs & Crazy Thirsty Tourists 

Our morning begins daily with this little guy greeting us in the bathroom. We'll call him Hershall for now. Kendall thinks that's what she named him in June, so we'll go with that. I'm not sure what kind of frog he is but he's pretty darn cute!

It's so humid here that you don't even need or want to take hot showers. Cool water is normal, but houses like the one we're guests in have a hot water heater.

Mid-day we rode with Sandy and Dan, our hosts, to town and parked our motorbike (nearly everyone here gets around via motorbike. Not only are even the junkiest cars expensive but a majority of the roads are really not made for cars. Gets a tidbit treacherous.) After parking we caught a songthaew, (pronounced song-tau). It's kind of like a bus with a row of seats on each side and is open in the back. Totally safe, until they pack them full of people and some are hanging onto the bus from outside of it!

Another form of transportation in Thailand is a tuk-tuk. Crazy little ride that will get you to where you want quick but it's a little scary to ride in considering its half the size of a mini-cooper, and there is technically no limit to how many people they cram into those things! Not to mention, really no set traffic rules here. I have to admit though, being driven in a tuk-tuk was my favorite ride. Our first one was mild and the second sped like crazy and wove in and out of traffic. Way to go turbo, yeah?

When we got to town, there were numerous tents of vendors selling anything from live fish to  hand-made shoes and clothing. There were some really awesome shops inside and some pretty unique vendors. We decided since we're in Thailand, we should probably sample the local fare, right? I hate to use an incredibly over-indulged-in phrase but it tasted like chicken! Ever tried crickets? We did.

Now, because I am writing this nearly two weeks into my trip, I think I can say this is officially my favorite picture in Thailand thus far. Something about this woman was so compelling, and very moving.

For the rest of evening, we roamed the night markets and explored different vendors. We stopped at a restaurant in town, and it looked delicious! Our intention was to just get a dish to share and a couple drinks. Miscommunication happens all the time here, as I'm sure you can imagine. So we sit down, and order beverages. I order their ginger tea, cold. Branon orders a diet soda, and Kendall orders water. 10 minutes go by and nothing but Kendall's water is delivered. Shortly after, our server stops by again and I remind him of my tea, and that I would like the cold option. He leaves and comes back with a coke and a soda water. And soon after, another coke. When we are finished drinking the miscellaneous drinks that were delivered, a diet coke arrives, long with my ginger tea. We were confused but laughing. My tea was translated as "two" and cold as "coke". Branon's diet soda was communicated as soda water. Go figure. They must've thought we were some crazy thirsty tourists.