Lanna

Back in Chiang Rai, we checked into the Tourist Inn, a friendly little guesthouse attached to a bakery, sitting just beyond the walls of Wat Jed Yod, an old royal-grade temple near the center of the cozy little town

Breakfast was fresh baked bread from the downstairs bakery and delicious tropical fruit with lots of coffee and tea. In fact, the whole guesthouse smelled deliciously like hot baking bread. During lunch, the son of the little family-run guesthouse chatted with us about our adventure in the north and the flooding that was happening in Bangkok. It was such a great, friendly little hotel! I'll definitely stay there again next time I'm up in Chiang Rai.

We spent a night in Chiang Rai, and ate at the old Night Bazaar once again. The next morning, we boarded another Green Bus back to Chiang Mai. We would have one more full day in northern Thailand before heading back to Bangkok. In Chiang Mai we explored the Old Town for a long time, visiting the ancient temples.

Our very last stop was the famous Wat Phra Singh, the Temple of the Lion Buddha.

We got a blessing and received a white string from a monk who splashed us with holy water and told us "good luck to you". It was our last day on our adventure, so good luck for the upcoming semester sounded nice to me!

Wat Phra Singh is a beautiful old temple. When I visited in March, it was my brother's and my favorite spot in Chiang Mai. The old wooden temple and golden chedi are one of the oldest spots in the city.

The following morning, we visited the Lanna Cultural Center, a museum dedicated to Lanna (northern Thai) history and culture. We would be leaving on a train back to Bangkok later that evening, but took a leisurely morning wandering through Chiang Mai's Old Town, visiting museums, and enjoying a last cup of famous northern Thai coffee,

In the evening, we boarded our old first-class train back to Bangkok.

I usually leave Thailand in the October holiday, but because my passport had fewer than six months of validity left, I had to stay this year. At first, I was a bit disappointed about having to give up our plans to visit Vietnam, but in the end, I'm so glad we stayed in the country. I saw a part of Thailand that I've never seen before, and got to have some amazing experiences that I never would have had if we had left the country. I like getting to know my adopted country a little better! If I leave Thailand on every long holiday, I'll never get the chance to explore the more remote and beautiful parts of the kingdom. It was an amazing trip!