Have Wheels. Will Travel.

Most of the time George and I get around town on bicycles. We borrow them from the condo association. They are not fancy—just single speed clunkers with a basket and a lock.

I usually study our map before we head out and I pick a route using side streets and alleyways. The main roads are crazy busy with buses, motor bikes, red trucks, slow moving food carts, cars, pick up trucks, garbage trucks, rickshaws and anything else with wheels. These roads are terrifying. Also, the alleyways are much more picturesque.

I usually take the lead, because George has a poor sense of direction. He follows behind and admonishes me regularly. “Be careful!’ “Look out!” “Watch it!” Many smaller streets don’t have street signs and if they do, I still can’t read them. Except for 7-Elevens, shop names are in Thai. So we have developed our own GPS system and when we plan a route we say, “Turn right at the red dress store, then left at the dog, left again after the 2nd elephant.”

The red dress store located at a key intersection.

…turn left at the dog. This fellow, a very friendly 14 year old shepherd, belongs to a watch repair guy at a key intersection and hangs out around the shop. The dog reminds us that we need to turn.

I like a good mural and this one is fun. The orange bikes are Mo-Bikes which one rents using an app. We see them all over the city.

I’m posting this to show my kids that I always wear my helmet. I’m at the entrance to one of the silver wats. I am also wearing a wat appropriate outfit. My shoulders and knees are covered.

This is the Tha Phae Gate, one of the more popular tourist spots. The original city wall still stands around the gate. It is probably the largest section of the wall remaining. The rest are scattered around the moat and some sections are being restored. We like to stop at the Starbucks across the street because it’s air conditioned and has a WC.

This is Nancy Chandler’s map of Chiang Mai, THE best map of the city. We use it to plan our routes around the city and our neighborhood.

Part of a fence spotted along one of our rides.

We biked to the Kamthieng Market where vendors sell flowers, plants, gardening supplies, and some antiques. This is the entrance to a house in the neighborhood.

This wall surrounding a wat is topped with Dhamma Wheels which symbolize the Buddha’s teachings.

It’s not everyday one gets a meal with scissors. The Thai eat rice dishes with a spoon and fork. Soups are served with chopsticks and a soup spoon. No knives. George was given scissors to cut up the squid and shrimp.

We turned into an alleyway to get off the busy street and stopped at this local restaurant where George ordered the squid dish with scissors. Using the Google Translator app he told the cook that her soup was delicious. Next thing I knew, they were BFFs.