At our normal breakfast time in Chiang Mai, Tim and I would walk 20-30 minutes to one of our favorite breakfast places. We’ve been here for just about two weeks – eaten a lot of Thai, and a few English breakfasts, porridge and muesli bowls with fruit as well. And really fine coffee is available everywhere, grown right here in Thailand.
For our last CM breakfast before leaving early tomorrow morning, we knew where we wanted to be. And walking was out of the question for two reasons. One being a late and great night at the pool table until after midnight last night. And two, we didn’t have much time before a driver would be picking us up for a 2-hour cruise on the river. Yeah it’s been rough. Tim flagged down a song thaew and driver who took us straightaway to the Cafe de ThaanAoan where coffee quickly appeared on ‘our table’.
Summer, server and overall restaurant manager (it seems to me), became a favorite Thai ‘friend’ of ours. We shared various short stories, and we all laughed easily with one another. Today we got a picture with her and even shared facebook numbers. You know how it is 🙂
The Mae Ping River Cruise was a peaceful trip on the lazy river, north out of the City. A traditional Thai boat calmly navigated the waters with a great captain at the helm and at the end of our one way cruise, we were served a tasty lunch on the edge of the river in a Thai farm setting.
The garden surrounding the dining area was full of herbs and spices that we find in our Thai meals, including Cinnamon trees and cardamon plants. I tried Longan fruit tea with my meal (I’d never heard of a longan) and it was mmm mmm tasty.
Along the trip, we were witness to a bit of a day’s life on the river. A cross section of nice, pricy (for here) lodgings and the poor families fishing for dinner tonight, taking care of laundry or just lazing along the river. The juxtaposition of one poor family home right next to a nice place for tourists is visible everywhere as seen here.
We had comfortable conversations with our fellow river trippers. One couple in their late thirties, early 40’s live in Burma (Myanmar). I think he was originally from Ireland, both teachers, she from Scotland, now living in a land where with the military attempts to control the lives of everyone living there – or killing the ones who they don’t care to see living at all. It was a surreal conversation, to be sure.
The other couple, probably mid-20’s, traveling with their one-year old baby girl and their four year old little boy are visiting from Utrecht, Holland. Pleasant and interesting parents enjoying themselves traveling out with their little ones. We haven’t seen many people traveling with little ones perhaps because it is so hot here.
And wouldn’t you know it? Right there in the car park for the river cruise, we found another temple complex – and of course…a cannonball tree.
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