I was hoping for a late overnight train to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand so that I would be able to see the mountains in the morning. A call to the train station misinformed me that there were no spaces available on the 10PM train, so I opted for the 6PM instead. At the station, I found out that there were spaces on the 10PM train, but since I would have had to wait around an extra 4 hours with my big backpack, I opted for the 6PM train.

At around 8:30, the conductor came through and converted the seats into sleeping berths. Bedtime. I had a top berth with barely enough clearance to sit nearly doubled over. Of course, the berths were designed for Thai people. I felt sorry for any 6’ falang (foreigners) trying to sleep on the train. Between angling myself diagonally and curling up a bit, I slept pretty comfortably. I found myself waking up occasionally to the sound of snoring from the guy across the aisle, and fighting the urge to elbow him in my sleep. He was too far away anyway,
but I had to laugh at my irritation that I couldn’t nudge him and whisper “Honey, you’re snoring” to make him stop.

Chiang Mai is lovely, and the House of York is nearly a mansion by comparison to most other places. (Jodi & Allyn’s last name is York, for those who don’t know them.) There's actually a separate kitchen with a fridge that plays a little song whenever you open the door during the day (the singing mechanism is light sensitive, and apparently only sings during the day.) I keep expecting them to answer the cell phone, but no, it's the fridge.

I have my own set of keys to their house, and we just rented a bike for me for the week. Feel much better at the thought of wandering out, getting lost, and then finding my way back. The bike we rented is a total junker, but then again, I’m becoming more and more of a bike snob. Apparently, it's much better than the ones they have at the other place in the middle of town (we're on the western edge of Chiang Mai). Luckily, Allyn had some basic tools so that I could spruce it up a little bit. At first glance, I had to drop the stem about an inch and a half to where the max line was (only about half an inch was actually inserted.... zoiks). The bottom bracket is totally loose, as is the rear wheel hub. There's a bit of play in the front wheel, though it's pristine compared to the rear, and we had to loosen the front brakes a shitload just to accommodate how out of true the front wheel is. At least I know I could always get a job here as a bike mechanic!!

We went to the night market and wandered around for a bit. I’m always cautious about buying souvenirs, so I didn’t buy anything. Impulse buying doesn't work well when you either need to cram the stuff into limited space and schlep it around for the next 6 months or send it back to the States. I’d like to
visit the day market first, which is less tourist-oriented, to see what’s available there. We're planning to hike up a mountain (Doi Suthep) to the temple (Wat Prathat) that's at the top of it tomorrow. It'll be nice to get out and get a little exercise. Being cooped up on a plane or in a small Bangkok apartment has been a little yucky for someone who's used to biking 10 miles a day just to get to and from work.