MJ visits Thailand – the last few stragglers

I’ve still got many photos I could happily post from MJ’s visit, but I realise that it might be overkill. So here are some of my favourites that I haven’t posted yet. Mostly taken from a day of siteseeing around Bangkok.

Boating along Chao Phraya River, Bangkok

Chao Phrayo River near pier 1, Bangkok

In a temple somewhere in Thailand

Rubbing the Buddha's belly for prosperity

Grand Palace, Bangkok

Grand Palace, Bangkok

Grand Palace, Bangkok

Grand Palace, Bangkok

Lotus flowers at the Grand Palace, Bangkok

Grand Palace, Bangkok

Guard at the Grand Palace, Bangkok

Shoe apartheid at the Grand Palace, Bangkok

Street performance at Chatuchak Market, Bangkok

One is iced coffee and one is coke...but which one? Mos Burger, Bangkok

MJ taking a very serious and shocking phonecall in Chiang Mai

Wat Po, Bangkok

Wat Po, Bangkok

Wat Po, Bangkok

Wat Po, Bangkok

Wat Po, Bangok

Best pizza in Chiang Mai – Gianni de Burchio Italian Restaurant

For my final post on our trip to Chiang Mai, I am going to share with you that delightful city’s greatest delight.

Gianni de Burchio Italian restaurant.

Gianni de Burchio Italian restuarant Chaing Mai

Yes, yes, temples, markets, Thai food. All part of Chiang Mai’s endless charm. But Gianni de Burchio…well.

MJ and I stumbled across this place on our first afternoon in Chiang Mai and pizza sounded pretty tasty. Oh how I underestimated Gainni de Burchio! The pizza was sensational! Maybe some of the best pizza I’ve…ever…eaten. I know, I’m as shocked writing that as you are reading it.

There are a surprising number of pizza shops in Chiang Mai, and I believe I saw two that claimed to have the best pizza in town. I wonder if it could have been better than Gianni de Burchio? I can’t tell you because when we felt like eating pizza again…we went straight back to Gianni de Burchio.

Our second lunch was quite a bit lengthier and involved much more alcohol (and very strong coffee). In the interest of full disclosure, Gianni, who runs the restaurant with his wife, plied us with booze while feeding us things like homemade ricotta and lasagne that, you guessed it, was some of the best lasagne I’ve ever eaten. No offense to the people in my life who make delicious lasagne (you know who you are), but this was….almost as good as yours!

Tanita House Chiang Mai

While in Chiang Mai, MJ and I stayed at the AMAZING Tanita House.

Gallery at Tanita House

Tanita House, view from our doorway

Tanita House, entree to the villa

Tanita House, la villa

Tanita House gardens

Tanita House gardens

Tanita House

Tanita House gardens

MJ visits Thailand – Borsarng Umbrella Festival

MJ and I have good traveller’s luck. I’m basing this on two key pieces of evidence:

1. Nothing really terrible has ever gone wrong when we’ve travelled together (unless you count the blizzard in Western Turkey that had us stranded in an old hotel without electricity, heat, water, food and money)
2. We arrived in Chiang Mai just in time for the famous annual Borsarng Umbrella festival! It only happens one weekend a year, so the timing actually was pretty great.

Read more about the Borsarng Umbrella festival* and TURN GREEN WITH ENVY!

No really, it was a really  nice way to spend one of our precious few days in Chaing Mai.

“What happens at an Umbrella Festival?” I hear you ask. Well, it’s pretty simple actually. You look at umbrellas, take photos in special umbrella displays with stools for perfect photo poses, eat (it is Thailand after all), shop at the market (it is Thailand after all), and watch the parade of umbrella girls on bikes. Oh, you also watch performances of kids doing traditional Thai dances…with umbrellas!

This is what it looked like.

Umbrellas

One especially pretty umbrella

Umbrella girls on bikes

Sarah standing by an umbrella-filled wagon

* The website includes a rather interesting history of the umbrella (the name of which comes from the Latin word Umbra or Shade.)

MJ’s trip to Thailand – Chiang Mai

During MJ’s stay we decided to take a long weekend in Chiang Mai.

We spent four days wandering, eating, reading and sleeping (I slept A LOT), which seems to be what Chaing Mai is all about. We both loooooved Chiang Mai and were visions of peace and tranquility after a relaxing weekend there. I was especially grateful for the cleaner air in Chiang Mai.

I’ll write separate posts about the highlights of Chiang Mai, but first — some random photos from our wandering.

Emerald Buddha Temple, Chiang Mai

Another temple in Chiang Mai - really should have taken note of which one was which...

Old man and an umbrella - these captions are shameful

Mae Nam Ping River - Chiang Mai

Monks airing their laundry - Wat Ketkaram

Wat Ketkaram - Chiang Mai

Wat Ketkaram - Chiang Mai

MJ at Wat Ketkaram - Chaing Mai

Postcard from Chiang Mai

Dear all,

Just a quick note from Chiang Mai where MJ and I have relaxed for the past three days. We’ve slept like babies (well I did, MJ read while she waited for me to wake up), we’ve walked through a million markets, had two long Italian lunches (wait for the post dedicated to this restaurant we found) and ate the best Thai food yet. We’re heading back to Bangkok today and are a little bit sad about the prospect of all that noise and pollution, but before long will have forgotten that life should be any different.

Did I mention that the weather in Chiang Mai is perfect?

Wish you were here!

Sarah