Temples at breakfast and bugs for dinner

- Lots of videos in this one...-

Sometimes the best plans fall apart at the last minute. We were left in Chiang Mai with about three hours to spare. Now, this is not that big of a deal, but I was charged with finding something to do. I presented the question to everyone: culture or coffee?

My thinking was simple, either we kill some time drinking coffee, or we go and find a random temple and explore it.

Thanks to a fast-talkig cab driver, we ended up on top of a mountain, climbing a bunch of stairs, and getting blessed by a monk. 

Guess days can start fairly random like that.

We wound up at Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, and I could not have been happier that we had circumstances delay our plans.

I absolutely love public transportation in Thailand. Tuk-Tuk, cabs, and those awesome converted pick-up trucks. We grabbed a converted pick-up truck, ans headed up a windy mountain road.

I don't know how we did not die, the road was windy, we were passing traffic, and the bed of a truck is not known for being the best on a crash test dummy.

Eventually we made it, only to find stairs. Now, this was only a little over 200 stairs, but still, stairs suck. Not sure why everything in Asia is vertical, but there must be a reason. 

After making it to the top, and taking photos, my wife had the idea to get a blessing. We watched one group, and then pantomimed them later. Not sure really what happened, but I now am sporting a white piece of string around my wrist. Pretty sure that means I am all set for a while. 

Be jealous, be very jealous.

After a three hour bus ride and a small rainstorm (first of the season), we went to the night market. I managed to find a stall that sold various bugs, and I had the chance to prove the age-old idea that anything fried tastes amazing. We dove right in!