Well, I've settled into the city very well, and feel much more comfortable than in Bangkok. I arrived yesterday morning at 5am, after a long and sweaty bus ride. They played a lovely spanish movie starring Penelope Cruz, but unfortunately the monitor nearest me was malfunctioning in the vertical hold

department, and the entire movie was dubbed in Thai - no subtitles... I enjoyed it nonetheless. The airconditioning was pleasant at first, then it struck ultra-high mode and it was really very chilly. Around 9pm, though, they seemed to shut it off and it became very sweaty, and I think there was a containment problem with the jiffy john downstairs, because an intense odour filled the air for the duration of the trip. Interesting how confinement in a sweaty, uncomfortable seat, with a hideous smell all around you, makes you feel a little claustrophobic...
Really wasn't that bad, i guess, but I was happy when we pulled into the Chiang Mai bus Arcade at 5am. Most of the other farangs (foreigners) had wisely booked hostels with their travel agents, and so had groggy thais waiting to pick them up. Andrew and I picked up our bags and wandered in circles before gathering our bearings. We ignored the tuk-tuk drivers, and the taxis (which are actually small red pickup trucks with canopies in the back) and set out for the city centre, about 3 km away. Teh city was just beginning to wake up and some locals were sweeping the sidewalks - which are tremendously cleaner than those in Bangkok. We saw some early morning fauna - lizards and such - which was exciting, because until then the only animals I had seen were mangy stray dogs and cats. We ultimately found the city centre, which is surrounded by a large moat, and began searching for a guesthouse to catch some sleep. We saw a few but they seemed closed, and finally settled on one on the main strip. We paid 300baht (10$) for a double airconditioned room, though in retrospect we should have tried to get it cheaper as we had to pay for the next night by 1130. We decided we didn't really need air conditioning, so opted for the 150baht fan only. 2.50$ each for a room with hot water is deluxe...