After spending 10 wonderful days here in Chiang Mai, we leave Saturday for Ko Samui, and island in the Gulf of Thailand for the last 10 days of our trip. Our time here in Chiang Mai has really been fantastic, much of it because of the great place we stayed. Originally we were only going to stay here until June 4th, but after just one day in the place we liked it so much we decided to extend our stay until the 11th. The property is called Baan Orapin Guesthouse, and it started as a family plantation about 100 years ago. As the city built up around it, the family keep it and the grounds in their original condition until the current owner, who’s grandfather built the place, decided to turn it into a guesthouse. It consists of about 5 buildings set among lush tropical gardens with an inviting swimming pool as it’s centerpiece.
Our room is certainly the largest and nicest we’ve had on this whole trip, which is amazing given that we are paying the equivalent of about $65 U.S. a night. That also includes a full breakfast each morning that is really delicious. Unlike a lot of places where it’s just a breakfast buffet, they bring you a menu where you can choose from 6 daily breakfasts or there are another six which are more of a specialty that you can order for the following day. All of them have been really, really good and the service is impeccable. The fellow who serves breakfast every morning is the cousin of the owner and although his English is minimal, he is always so friendly and accommodating. He’s gotten to know us pretty well so every morning when we come to breakfast he tries to teach us one new phrase in Thai. We've tried to remember them, but by the next morning, it’s a bit of a struggle!
As I’ve mentioned a few times, the best part of traveling for us is the wonderful people you meet along the way and we were very fortunate to meet Colleen and John who were also staying at Baan Orapin. They are from Adelaide, Australia and we just hit it off right away. We visited the markets with them and enjoyed a few meals together as well. They very generously invited us to visit them in Adelaide and of course we told them once we’re settled in Seattle and have a guest bedroom we would love to have them come to the States as well......that will be a hoot!!
The nice thing about Chiang Mai is that it is much smaller than Bangkok so consequently, much easier to get around and not nearly as frenetic. I think that, in combination with all the fun outdoor activities there are to do here, make this place an excellent Thailand destination. We’ve also been fortunate that even though we are technically here during their rainy season, the weather has been quite cooperative and there have only been a couple of times we’ve been caught in an early evening shower. The markets are amazing and the variety of things you can find is really something. I can see why people go crazy with their shopping here!
I guess that’s it for now from the northland……next dispatch will be from the island!
Our room is certainly the largest and nicest we’ve had on this whole trip, which is amazing given that we are paying the equivalent of about $65 U.S. a night. That also includes a full breakfast each morning that is really delicious. Unlike a lot of places where it’s just a breakfast buffet, they bring you a menu where you can choose from 6 daily breakfasts or there are another six which are more of a specialty that you can order for the following day. All of them have been really, really good and the service is impeccable. The fellow who serves breakfast every morning is the cousin of the owner and although his English is minimal, he is always so friendly and accommodating. He’s gotten to know us pretty well so every morning when we come to breakfast he tries to teach us one new phrase in Thai. We've tried to remember them, but by the next morning, it’s a bit of a struggle!
As I’ve mentioned a few times, the best part of traveling for us is the wonderful people you meet along the way and we were very fortunate to meet Colleen and John who were also staying at Baan Orapin. They are from Adelaide, Australia and we just hit it off right away. We visited the markets with them and enjoyed a few meals together as well. They very generously invited us to visit them in Adelaide and of course we told them once we’re settled in Seattle and have a guest bedroom we would love to have them come to the States as well......that will be a hoot!!
The nice thing about Chiang Mai is that it is much smaller than Bangkok so consequently, much easier to get around and not nearly as frenetic. I think that, in combination with all the fun outdoor activities there are to do here, make this place an excellent Thailand destination. We’ve also been fortunate that even though we are technically here during their rainy season, the weather has been quite cooperative and there have only been a couple of times we’ve been caught in an early evening shower. The markets are amazing and the variety of things you can find is really something. I can see why people go crazy with their shopping here!
I guess that’s it for now from the northland……next dispatch will be from the island!
No comments:
Post a Comment