31 January, 2024

Sabaidi (hello) everyone,

Today started off with free time, which we used to go to the old city with most of our group. Last night we learned that in accordance with Animism, each person should visit the temple of the animal of the year of your birth at least one time in your life. 

Photo from dinner last night, which we got from someone else in the group.

The closest temple of the dragon, Wat Phra Singh, happens to be located in the old city neighborhood of Chiang Mai, so Sarah and a couple of others from the tour group who were born in the year of the dragon asked to get dropped off there. (Later note: The dragonesque statue is not a dragon, however – it’s a naga snake and these are outside every temple to guard them. There’s a fun little story about how they came to be if you look online).

We made our way back to the hotel in a rod daeng (literally translates to “red car”), which has been the primary mode of transit in Chiang Mai. These songthaews (trucks/vans) are used like buses, and there are different colors for different districts of the city. For example, you might hop on a green one to get to a certain area. 

In the afternoon, we had about an hour-long flight from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang so we are learning a few phrases in Lao now. Luang Prabang’s population is about 500,000 people, while Chiang Mai’s is about 1.2 million and Bangkok’s is about 11.8 million. 

Shortly after we checked into our hotel, the staff delivered a celebratory cake for our honeymoon, which our guide had kindly organized.

Our hotel is lovely and has great views of the city!

We had a great dinner at Indigo Cafe and got to try some traditional local dishes. It’s hard to believe the exchange rate – we spent the equivalent of about $15 on two meals, an appetizer, two beers, and a large bottle of water.

After we returned, we shared our cake by the pool with the rest of the tour group and then turned in for the night.

Lots of love,

Sarah & Spenser