Chiang Mai

Congratulations to our friend who got accepted into medical school today. Here is what we did to celebrate:

1. Andy gathered the first item for your new house. By gathered, I mean he won it at a carnival after a hundred tries.

2. We checked into our hostel, “MD House” – so appropriate for this day. And we’re living in luxury here (if you compare it to our last 22-person dorm, that is) with a private room + bathroom, fridge, TV, pool, and breakfast. Our standards have lowered so quickly! We are including more siestas in our days to beat the heat, so I’m pretty sure we played with this yellow ball for a good 2 hours this afternoon.

3. Shane finally ventured into the street meat market for the first time, enjoying Khao Sao noodles and rooster meat.

4. We spent a good 20 minutes playing soccer with a random little Thai boy in the street:

5. We ‘just happened to be there’ for a once-a-year festival in Chiang Mai – Intakin. I think we just watched the celebrations and prayer in awe. Thousands of people placed bundles of flowers on the temple shrine and bathed Buddha with holy water by pulley systems bringing a vase to the top of the temple.

Other than that, I think we’re all loving Chiang Mai. It’s a cute jungle town with lots to do. Definitely my favorite so far. The weather is a bit cooler too, which we won’t complain about!