For our first evening in Chiang Mai, we planned to go see Fahrin’s brother, Alam, up in the mountains where he teaches. The 40-minute drive turned into two hours with traffic and a driver who didn’t know where he was going. Also, the 300 baht ($10) ride turned into 400, then 500 as the distance got further and further from what the driver had anticipated. We ended up paying 1000 baht for the driver to wait while we ate and drive us back to the city. When you’re travelling in a foreign country, you’ve just got to roll with it. Plus, after inhaling the diesel fumes for a couple of hours in the back of an open truck (called a “song-tow”) we may not have been in our right minds – and basically we had no choice.
It was great to see Alam again and to meet some of his friends. We ate dinner at a place appropriately called The Mountainview. It was dark so we couldn’t really see the view, but we got the effect. The area was so peaceful and quiet. You just knew it was a heavenly spot.
The owners of Alam’s school also own the resort next door, and they offer a spectacular discount for friends and relatives of the staff. The gang convinced us to return the next morning and spend a few days. After seeing the grounds, even in the dark, we were excited for the next few days – especially after being let down by the city in Chiang Mai.
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Posted by Judy on January 18, 2011 at 6:30 am
Always expect the unexpected
40 min drives always end up being 2 hours or more especially in rural areas where roads are not fully developed for motorized vehicles.