After some adventure taking the public bus to Phayao then changing to the long distance bus to finally reach Chiangmai, a supposedly 3.5 hour journey took almost 6 hours and we eventually landed at our hipster accommodation.
In fact, my impression of Chiangmai being slightly undeveloped and filled with old houses were debunked by the many hipster cafés and hostel within the city. The numerous wats and the culturally enhanced city wall kept a small part of my impression intact.
Headed out with Jingyi in hope of finding the night bazaar, we were pretty sure that we've reached where the map indicates as the "Chiang Mai Night Bazaar" but what we found, with rows of pubs littered with transgender and massage parlors with heavy make-up girls, felt more like a red-light district than the usual night stalls we find in this part of the world. Filled we disappointment (and hunger) after an hour's walk, we found ourselves some comfort in the mookata stall for a heart dinner.
Wish came true when it started to drizzle just as we enter the dinner place and the heat from the pot was neutralized by the rain outside. Walked back in the drizzle and got Brandon some bread from the 7/11 and we called it a night.
Next morning, we swapped our feet for wheels and took the free bicycles out for a spin, visited the two famous Wats: Chedi Luang and Phra Sing, sat down for a blessing by the local monk, made some donations wishing for the health of our families and friends, ate a simple breakfast, and then carried on back to the hostel and tried finding a clinic on our way back for Brandon to see a doctor.
Alas, most of the clinics were for aesthetics, we settled for a pharmacy which Jingyi brought Brandon over while I rest my tired legs in the artistic workspace of the hostel. Soon after they return, we headed for the airport.
