I’m surprised I’m still functioning with the amount of sleep I’ve been getting. The past four days, I’ve gotten 10 hours of total sleep. I woke up at 4:30 am today so that I could pack the rest of my stuff and also fold my laundry that just finished moments before I woke. Thankfully, it was all dry. The only problem was my clothes were massively wrinkled because of the number of clothes in the dryer.
I folded my laundry but the really wrinkled clothes I put back into the dryer hoping that it would unwrinkle them. It turns out that the dryer splashes water on the clothes before it starts the drying process. Why? Because it likes to play mind games with someone half awake and leave them with wet clothes traveling on a plane.
We packed and left the hotel by 5:40 am and arrived at the airport at 6:15 am. There wasn’t much traffic since it was early but the airport itself was jam-packed. We checked in our luggage and went through the check-in gate. The entire process of getting through was smooth. Once inside, we ate some breakfast. I chose a relatively healthy and safe typical American breakfast.
Just arrived at the BKK airport and it’s packed 
Spoiled sausage in the Airport out of all places… 
I don’t even know why I got coffee. I wanted to sleep. Bad habit. 
However, my breakfast decided to surprise me. I’ve been eating local food in Thailand and I’ve never had any issues and yet I get a
The flight was only an hour long but the older gentlemen sitting next to me decided to continually cough, on my arm and coffee. The flight felt two hours longer because of it. I wasn’t interested in getting sick for my last leg of this trip. It’s been challenging enough.
We get to Chiang Mai and we hop into a Grab and head over to the Le Meridien hotel. Chiang Mai’s development is nowhere near Bangkok and it was clear in their hotel difference. It’s a nice hotel but you could see the wear and tear of the place. Even our hotel room seemed under kept. The sofa looked dirty and mind you this is one of the best hotels in Chiang Mai. It’s still a great place considering we got upgraded to a suite and we have executive lounge access here too. The perks of flying and living in hotels.
Hello Chiang Mai 
I missed you old friend. 
Executive Lounge 
View from the lounge 
Nice sized gym with a fixed squat rack. 
It’s no Bangkok infinity pool but it’s nice.
We settle in, I drop off my damp clothes to get it laundered, and then we got food at a recommended restaurant down the street. It was typical Thai food and it was satisfying. We decided to get a massage at a local place just a couple of stores down from the restaurant called Chai Massage and it was the best decision we made. The
The Pad See Eww was delicious 
My friends mom used to make this and it was great to eat it again. 
Tom Yum Shrimp soup 
Cool looking buildings right next to the restaurant. 
Massage time at Chai Massage 
Compared to the nicer one in Bangkok, this one won hands down. Jason was impressed and wanted to go again. After the massage, we hung out in the hotel for a bit and watched an episode of a Korean show called “Gentlemen Dignity.” We then went to the gym before our night market food tour that started at 7 pm.
We got ready after the gym and headed downstairs to meet our tour guide. We picked up 3 other people on the tour and went to Old City to explore two of the food markets. The place was packed and filled with tourists. We’re now in peak season. When I came in September it was just beginning and it wasn’t as busy as it is now.
Our tour was supposed to only be 2.5 hours and eat about 8 different Thai dishes. It turns out there were around 20 dishes we ate and ended after 4 hours of constant eating. The people on the tour were fun and it went by quickly even though we were tired. We were stuffed half-way in were crawling to the finish line with our stomachs
Famous cowboy hat on an Anthony Bourdain show. 
Yup we ate alligator. Not disgusting but not great either. The texture is chewy and the flavor is bland.
We finished the tour and were dropped off at the hotel. I checked out the stands lining the side of the hotel seeing what they offered. I found a shirt I was looking for, picked it up, and headed back in to get some much needed rest. We have nothing planned for tomorrow (finally) and it’ll be a relaxing day to recuperate.
I’m excited for sleep. All alarms are off and I’ll be waking up when my body tells me it’s time. Until tomorrow!