Chiang Mai - Day 3

Day 3 started out with good intentions gone bad. We went for an early morning jog around the perimeter of the old city (approx 3 miles). About 4 minutes into it, we decided that it was not one of our better decisions. Without any noise or emission standards in the country, the smog is pretty bad. Each breath of fresh air was like sucking on a tailpipe. Chris and I were feeling a little worse for wear after that so we headed around the corner to a local beauty parlor. I know what you're all thinking, how could we possible get any more beautiful? We had the whole place to ourselves to gossip and catch up on Asian celebrity happenings. The ladies unfortunately did not have powerful enough clippers to shave Chris's back or chest. He's getting tired of wearing a cardigan sweater in this monsoon heat. A quick haircut, pedicure, and $2.25 later we emerged. My apologies to baby kittens: Chris just knocked you off the "world's cutest" throne.

That night we made it out to what we thought was an authentic Thai experience: Local Muay Thai kickboxing. We imagined beer, blood, gambling, loosed women, and a little karate kid mixed in. With my new haircut I was looking a bit like Jean Claude Van Dam, so I expected to strike fear into the hearts of the local talent. As it turned out, every foreigner in the whole city seemed to be there, with a few locals peppering the crowd and a special locals-only section. To top it off, the first 3 fights were kids aged 10-15. *yawn* Interesting at least.

After escaping the tourist trap, we felt like a strong drink was in order. We stumbled upon a rooftop bar serving "buckets", which are huge bowls of booze. Lots of backpackers huddled around tiny tables on a rug-laden floor with views of the city. We had a great time meeting other travelers and got some advice on where to head next. On the way, we stopped for a photo-op with some lovely ladies. Chris was a champion wingman as usual and entertained the one on the left while I wooed the other two. What a friend.