Impressions

Okay so Rachel said most of it…
But having never been here I did not know what to expect… Although necessities are cheaper in general, we must take the exchange rate into consideration. 1 CAD$ was equal to 40 Philippino pesos, and here it is about 30 baht. However, we bought things for 10 PHP, because merchants liked round numbers. Here, they do the same thing, so 10 baht is actually more than the Philippines for things like nik naks and so on…
My first impression was the difference with the cars. We took a taxi from the airport to the tourist area to get a room, and it was expensive because of the tolls. But all the taxis are new Corollas… in fact all the cars on the road are new, and the roads are more than well maintained… for the city. Driving yourself would be a nightmare at first – there are so many vehicles everywhere, and many of them are motorbikes that zig and zag and generally do not follow the road rules because they can get away with it. And know how to…
Whereas for the previous 45 days we were using tricycles (motorbikes with an attachment for people), we now have tuk-tuk, which is similar, but the layout different. We sit in a bench behind the driver, rather than to the side…
As Rachel mentioned, there are many more tourists here, and there seem to have been for much longer than in the Philippines. Needless to say, getting a fair deal can be an exercise in futility. We have just been looking around for future purchases - not wanting to buy and have to carry around the stuff for another 5 weeks – and I am getting used to the way they ask and what to expect. Though it seems like they ask for a fair price at first, you know you can do better. And I am certain the good shoppers can really bargain down. No one likes to get ripped off… I have not tried but I will not be shy I think – there are a lot of vendors after all…
The heat is similar to the Philippines, very muggy in Bangkok. Up here in Chiang Mai, the air is a little drier I find. And Thailand is cleaner in a sense. I assume many of the buildings are as old, but in Bangkok, the exteriors are not as black as in the Philippines.
Lastly, as Rachel mentioned, the language. Man I took it for granted at the amount of English in the Philippines, because here there is very little. The street vendors know a little, enough to get by on in order to make a killing (I mean living!) but every meal seems to have some problems. And we are never sure if they really understand or if they are smiling and nodding to be polite. The highway signs have no English, though the local street signs are written in English form under a larger Thai dialect.
We are here in Chiang Mai for another two days so we can catch the famous Sunday Market and other markets… need to visit some wats (temples) and maybe a museum. Then we are off to the South central part of Thailand where the beaches will be pretty and the water relaxing… this is what the vacation is supposed to be all about!
So enjoy your hockey and melting snow, we will take the white sand and clear blue waters anyday!