Our time in Thailand isn’t like my other travels. We have more time than usual and I can really take it easy. Half-days of sightseeing and even days of doing nothing!
But today we have a bus ride from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai. We took the short walk from our accommodation to the bus terminal around 1030. I was surprised that my home-printed ticket was sufficient to board the bus, rather than have to exchange it for an official ticket.
We boarded the VIP bus with comfy 3-across seating and left promptly and on-time at 1115. The ride was a rickety due to the road conditions. I was surprised that the road wasn’t better between the two major centres, but there were lots of road works.
I couldn’t help noticing how developed Thailand was compared to Indonesia. In fact, developments here seem more aesthetically pleasing than in Malaysia. Buildings are purpose-built large-scale facilities rather than unsightly multi-purpose shophouses. And cars on the road are new rather than old beaten up. Might not be long before Thailand overtakes Malaysia as a more developed country.
This trip, Thailand feels more expensive than I remember. Eating, transport, accommodation in Thailand seems to be a lot pricier. Development, tourist pricing, Golden-week demand from China, and a strong Thai baht perhaps. I think eating is definitely pricier than in Malaysia, and about the same as Singapore at times. Fortunately I can still have someone walk on my back and twist me all around for about NZD10/USD6 (Thai massage).
The 3h30 ride meant that we arrived at 1445. We took a short Grab ride to our hotel, the Vieng Mantra. Having had the luxury of a spacious room in Chiang Rai, this hotel seemed cramped with a normal-sized room.
We had skipped lunch today, making do with some snacks on the ride. We decided to have a lazy afternoon indoors, then a massage and finally a light dinner of noodle soup. In order to avoid going to bed hungry, we bought a dessert of mango on glutinous rice to share. We felt like sad old people retreating to our room after 1900!