Traveling Solo in Chiang Mai – The Ups and Downs Part 2

Good morning, Chiang Mai! I woke up at 8AM with a hopeful smile on my face. Nothing beats a real good sleep. Now that I am recharged, I am ready to explore Chiang Mai!

My overnight stay in Galae Thong Tower includes Free Breakfast. Just like most of the tenants in the said condominium, I ate breakfast in the restaurant located in the lobby area. It really feels good to be a condo tenant for a day hehe. The free wifi connection is fast that’s why I was able to accomplish some tasks after eating. I also asked some instructions from the service crew. Nice people 😀

I went back to my unit to take a bath and pack my things. It’s about time for me to move to a hostel and this time, I’ll be staying in a dorm-style type of accommodation. It is the cheapest I could find online and I need to live within my means. Let’s do this!

I hired a tuktuk to bring me to the Old City and possibly locate ‘A Little Bird Guesthouse’. I’m glad that it is a popular budget hostel within Chiang Mai so I didn’t have a hard time telling the tuktuk driver where to drop me. When I arrived in the guesthouse, I saw a lot of foreign backpackers in the lobby – just another ordinary lazy day in Chiang Mai.

I approached one of the owners whom I think is just as young as I am (ahem LOL). He had a hard time locating my reservation. I told him that I sent an email the other day and that he confirmed my booking. After checking his email, he then referred me to a lovely lady to bring me to my room for the day.

Apparently, the place is fully booked that day so I am placed in a Mixed Dorm Room. Woot. Mixed meaning I’m sharing the room with male and female travelers. This specific room can accommodate four guests and it includes a common bathroom. I saw an English man sleeping in one bed and the two other beds had backpacks on it. Whew.

I went out immediately and attempted to explore Chiang Mai again by walking. Again, the milk tea lover in me prompted me to drop by Wat Pan Ohn for my dose of Thai Milk Tea.

This time, the lady vendor is accompanied by her son. He asked me why of all the places in Thailand, I decided to visit Chiang Mai instead of the usual beach destinations in their country. I told him that the Philippines is rich with the best beaches and I am really curious about Chiang Mai. He smiled and the lady said that she’s happy to see me again. Sweet.

I took more photos of Wat Pan Ohn and I even imagined the Buddha blinking 0_0 This place is quiet and solemn. I love it here.

Since there is a Facebook Group for Chiang Mai lovers (thanks to Lauren for adding me!) , I responded in one of the posts about meeting up before dinner at Mrs. Pa’s Smoothies. It is said to serve the best smoothies in Chiang Mai. I bumped into James when he was about to leave. Glad he recognized me or else I’d be lost LOL. I also met Drew, Daniel and Joel. I ate Pad Naam for dinner within the area and I think it is the best meal I had in Thailand.

I asked them about Chiang Mai and why they chose it as their location for the moment. We also talked about the usual digital stuff and how to explore Southeast Asia the best way possible. Although the meeting was short, I can say that it gave me an idea on why it is the best place for Digital Nomads.

I went back to the guesthouse by walking. Pagod na ako T_T  I reached the guesthouse after 20 or more minutes. As expected, more guests were in the lobby socializing and getting to know each other more. I went to our room (no one was there) and I took a bath. I went back to the lobby area so I can access wifi better. I met a Chinese lady, who is also a solo traveler like me. It is obvious that she’s not comfortable and would just divert her attention to her laptop.

I went to the other part of the hostel (the more quiet one) so I could Skype and chat with my friends. I’m lonely huhu. I even wrote a blog entry about the loneliness I’m feeling. Later on, a Swedish guy joined me . While I am busy writing emo thoughts on my laptop, he is busy with his iPad. Nice. We are facing each other, but we’re busy with our gadgets LOL. He spoke a bit, then went back to our respective rooms.

In order to keep up with my loneliness, I went straight to our room to sleep.

DAY 3

I woke up at 3AM and saw the lady who occupied the upper bed fixing her stuff.

“I’m sorry if I woke you up. I need to pack for my trip to Pai” – a tall white woman told me with a smile.

“It’s ok. I need to use the toilet anyway” I replied. I realized that the two other beds are not yet occupied. Hmmm… still partying?

I told her that I have some friends who went to Pai and they loved it. The lady told me that she loves Chiang Mai, but she needs to go to somewhere a bit more quiet. She loves Thailand and she just graduated from University. She asked me to come with her and I wanted to. Too bad I only have limited funds that time.

I slept again and woke up at around 9am. It turned out that I had a good sleep on my first dorm-style accommodation experience. It’s not that scary 🙂

Again, I did some walked around the Old City and took some photos of different buddhist temples. I went back to Wat Pan Ohn (again) for my Thai Milk Tea.

I ate lunch in a place where high school students go. I think they were rehearsing for a school program. While wandering around town, I decided to ride in the red Songtaew and explore the Chiang Mai Zoo. The best decision ever!

Chiang Mai Zoo is a big surprise! The place is obviously being well taken good care of by the staff and crew. So many flowers, colorful plants and the clean surrounding is impressive.

The Three Pandas are the main attraction of the Chiang Mai Zoo. I finally saw three cuties! I will make a separate blog post about the Chiang Mai Zoo and the Three Pandas. Worth blogging 🙂

I originally planned to visit Doi Suthep to catch the sunset, but I got lazy while waiting for other passengers in the Songtaew. I decided to just ride the Songtaew going back to Thapae Gate since I am also hungry. I had the opportunity to talk to locals who also rode the same ride. They mentioned that they’re used to seeing a lot of foreigners in Chiang Mai, but it is rare to see a “Philippine”. I enjoyed that short Songtaew ride. Aside from the nice scenery (lots of colorful flowers and the sunset view from one of the temples is lovely!), the conversation with the locals made my day. The funny thing there is they asked if I met an ‘interesting’ tourist along the way. =))

I went back to our hostel and surprised to see the Swedish guy I met the night before in the room. He is the new ‘bedspacer’ in the room LOL. As usual, he’s busy with his iPad. A cute Chinese guy entered as well as the English guy I mentioned earlier. Hmmm.. I feel so comfortable now. I dunno why. Maybe it is because I finally found some new cool friends? 😛

Kim, Matt and I decided to spend the night exploring the Saturday Night Market. Our mission for the Night:  Eat Something Quirky!

I’m glad that I met these guys. We only spent one night exploring this special night for shopaholics in Chiang Mai, but I can say that I found a good friend in them. Back in the hostel, we mingled with other guests like Richard and Sukey. When Sukey found out that I am a Filipina, she can’t help but express her love for the Philippines. She’s been to some of the provinces I’ve never been to! 😀

My third night in Chiang Mai is a happy one especially after meeting other travelers. We all went back to our respective rooms and had a good night sleep =)

Solo Travel is not that bad. Besides, you’ll meet some random strangers who shares the same interests as yours. Before you know it, you’re no longer alone. PAK!