Chiang Mai

After ten hours bus ride, its nice to know that some one is picking you up to the place were you are about to stay. But if you hear dead tired at 6 am that your room isn't available before10 am, you can a) try to get some sleep in uncomfortable benches in front of your guesthouse or b) go to town to hunt some breakfast.

We went with the plan-b:

All in all, a  very quiet morning. Just the local monks on their food rounds, with the eldest in the front. 

A live Fjällräven commercial and city lights - all in preparation for the festivities soon to come.

Ended up at a local morning food market. A typical sight is an abundance of monks with their alm bowls - each morning they come to collect alms from the locals to sustain themselves. It's pretty interesting, actually - the local markets have a variety of vendors who only sell food packs specifically designed as alms for the monks. The lay Buddhists and tourists give these, not as charity, but rather as a way to make merit by and to give respect to the monks. It's all a way of forming a connection between the humble and immaterial world of the monks and the people. 

Mornings are also a great time to grab some local grub - the stalls open early, and you can find the freshest, steaming hot stuff then. Here's M with Mantou (chinese steamed bun) - for less than 50c.

Chiang Mai could be called a northern capital of Thailand. City center is located inside of the city walls and the town is filled with wats (temples). Tourism has found it's way there and it's a very popular place to start hiking trips.

The Wats (temples) are also pretty in the morning with their golden ornaments glimmering in the sun. Mornings are also a good time to visit, as you're less likely to run into masses of tourists. What you want to do is to take a solemn stroll around - it makes the experience more worthwhile.

A relevant reminder on the streets of Thailand.

And after some scouting we found our way to a niceish retro brekkie joint - Good Morning Chiang Mai. When you're hungry, you don't really care much about photos, though. So this one's a bit on the late side to be one of those hipster "Travel x Food" blog photos.

Our place Thongin Guesthouse was located in a walking distance from city walls, on the south side of the city. Rather nice place to stay.

And the best part? Of course the lovely blueberry yougurt walls.