“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home.” -James Michener
We made it! The flight was long, but pretty easy. We all had pretty brutal jet lag for the first day, but I think we're on the other side of it. We arrived in Chiang Mai on Thursday, July 4th at 10:30 AM. Everything was a breeze - customs, getting to the flat, checking in, etc.
Our flat is absolutely beautiful. Modern, clean, and most importantly, it has air conditioning. We're tucked down at the end of a dead end street. It's far away from the bars, markets, and hustle and bustle, but a quick walk to all the action. We couldn't have picked a better spot.
The last two days have been a dream. A mix of jet lag, epic food, busy markets, and the realization that this is actually happening. We have fallen quickly in love with this place. It's dirty, gritty, busy, and so beautifully imperfect and magical. Trees growing where they shouldn't. Temples towering above tin roof houses. And hard working people that always seem to have the time to smile, and lend a hand when you need it.
Everyone we've met here has been so kind to us. Today at the market we asked a fruit vendor where we could buy avocados after an exhaustive search, and she said she wasn't sure. We bought fruit from her and moved on. A few minutes later, she rode her bike up behind us with the mangos we'd paid for and left at her stand! Not only did she find us and deliver our mangos, but then led us through a maze of vendors to one selling avocados! She was impossibly cool.
There are a lot of things that will be different from what we are accustomed to, but we're totally okay with that. Josie has always been super flexible, so she's going with the flow as usual. We're looking forward to what the next month will bring, and the new experiences we'll be able to share. Stay tuned!