Sights And Sounds - Revisited.

During my year-long stay in Thailand in 2009, I wrote a post about the sights and sounds of the soi. This time around, we are in a new area (think of where you live and then some place eight hours away - you get the picture!) and I'm not as familiar with this area as I was in Bangkok, although I am getting better!

The mubaan (neighborhood) we're staying in still offers the stray dogs lazying about in the middle of the road, the motorcycles zipping around, and the speed bumps that are a true sign of Thailand! This mubaan is seriously lacking in fruit/vegetable stands, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and little mom & pop grocery stores (as in none), although there is one hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant here in the mubaan we're going to go to for dinner tonight.

Chiang Mai is definitely growing on me, although I suppose my bias to Bangkok will always exist because that city offered me my first Thailand experience. I do love how everything is close in Chiang Mai; as in, you travel 20 minutes tops and you're at the moat (which is center city). We've been going that way often since our dentist is located just inside the moat:). I'm not as partial to the limited public transportation that exists here in CM. No walking to the end of our mubaan and waving down a taxi; no hopping on a songtaw and riding to the mall; no overpass walkways to get from one side of the highway to the other. But all in all, my complaints with Chiang Mai are few and far between:). Plus the missionary we're staying with is allowing us to take his (automatic!) car and drive to wherever we need, which has been extremely helpful!

Nat and I stopped at the market on the way home today and bought some eggs and strawberries - quite the combination:). I've always loved the open-air market where everything is so inexpensive, although I haven't been able to bring myself to buy raw meat from the market yet. We also found some eye drops for the eye problems I've had and paid $6.00 for something that cost $84.00 in the States - nice price difference:).

All in all, we have greatly enjoyed our time here in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Lord has given us a lot of clear direction, for which we're thankful!