Traveling Solo in Chiang Mai – The Ups and Downs Part 3

Matt woke me up since he is scheduled to trek somewhere. I also asked him to wake me up so I can visit Doi Suthep early in the morning. Supposedly, I am going to Doi Suthep with my friend Kim. We were tired from walking a day before on separate agendas. The ending? We slept again :p

I started gallivanting around the Old City at 11am. I started my day by drinking my favorite Thai Milk Tea for the last time at Wat Pan Ohn. I think that makes me a certified Thai Milk Tea addict!

For lunch, I went to this place that serves Chinese and Thai food. I am not even sure if I am eating Chinese or Thai food already. Here’s what I ate for my last lunch in Chiang Mai:

Right after lunch time, I went back to my guesthouse to rest a bit and at the same time fix my things for check-out. I’m glad that the staff and crew of A Little Bird Guesthouse were nice and accommodating and they let their guests leave their luggages in a locked room.

I wanted to explore some more so I did another photowalk before meeting up with Raymond of ManOnTheLam.com in Starbucks near Thapae Gate. I am excited to meet him in person because based on his interview through Flipnomad, he seems to be a nice and funny person. I guess his blog tells that too!

We originally planned to meet in Bangkok, but our schedules won’t meet. I’m glad that finally we were able to see each other in Chiang Mai! <3

The Starbucks Thapae Gate meet-up serves as another treat for myself for not spending too much in the previous days. Now, I splurged 110 Baht (or more?) for a cup of Mocha drink hihi. Meeting Raymond in Chiang Mai is a breather. We were able to talk about the Philippines ( and how he wants to return ASAP!) and other blog-related stuff. He’s tall and smiling all the time 😀 When he mentioned that he met Mica in Chiang Mai last November, I wanted to cry right on the spot LOL.

We noticed that the Sunday Night Market vendors are starting to prepare at Thapae Gate as early as 3:30 PM. I checked my ATM account and found some newly-arrived cash so I withdrew it to buy some pasalubongs for my grandparents, my mom, my brother and for myself… and also a treat for some friends. Again, I splurged for shopping items but it is all worth it 😀

Raymond and I parted ways at 5PM because I need to catch the bus trip to Bangkok. He is also set to meet up with travel bloggers for dinner. Too bad I didn’t get the chance to meet the rest 😐

I went back to the guesthouse to wait for the 6PM bus to Bangkok. I sat there comfortably in one of the chairs when all of a sudden, I noticed that the gray scarf which serves as my security blanket while in Chiang Mai is missing. 😐

I looked for it at my backpack, the main luggage, under the table and chair, i even went back to the room and even checked the toilet. The scarf is nowhere to be found. I hate this feeling! The scarf was given to me by a friend and it is special. I then figured out that maybe I left it in Starbucks, but it’s too late. The bus is already in the guesthouse so I had no choice but to let it go 🙁

Time to let the gray scarf go 🙁 I cried silently at the bus that night as I stare at the window. We’re leaving Chiang Mai and I’ll be in Bangkok in a few hours then I’m off to the airport back to the Philippines. Since I don’t really want to let go of the scarf, I asked Raymond if he can ask the baristas over Starbucks if they found the scarf. Sadly, they didn’t. I must have left it somewhere or maybe another stranger found it and decided to keep it. May that little sentimental thing keep him/her warm.

Instead of feeling sad that I am leaving Thailand, I can say that I am fulfilled because I was able to maximize my trip by exploring Bangkok, Siem Reap and Chiang Mai. There may be ups and downs, but isn’t that the most exciting part of the trip ? =)