Thailand, Chiang Mai and the Coronavirus

In Chiang Khong, we were picked up by the operator of the guest house where we spent the night at the border. She then drove us into the city to buy bus tickets for the next day. The contrast between Laos and Thailand was like day and night. Just across the border, the roads were much better, the houses more solid, and the shops belonged to chains. During the 3 weeks in Laos, the country did not seem so poor to us, but the comparison to Thailand was very impressive. Panna Kalong, our host, prepared us a dinner with many Thai specialties, including Phat Thai, green curry, and stir-fried vegetables.

The next day after breakfast, we were driven to the bus that took us to Chiang Mai in about 6 hours. Here, the peace was finally over, and the city was quite bustling in the late afternoon.
After a refreshing swim in the pool, it was time to do laundry first.

On Friday, we rented bicycles to explore the center of Chiang Mai.
First, we went to Wat Chedi Luang. We were almost alone at this temple (since it was still too early for most people). From there, we continued to a museum about Lana Buddhism. Here, the characteristics of the local Buddhism were explained in an exciting way and many cultural objects were shown. From there, we went to Wat Phra Singh temple. It was quite crowded here. Since Chiang Mai had several Chinese tour groups due to the coronavirus, all wearing masks, and most western tourists wearing masks out of panic because of these groups, we were almost the only ones walking around "unprotected". The atmosphere at the sights and at the markets was quite unpleasant.
For lunch, we went to a large market where you can buy everything you need or don't need.
In the late afternoon, we went to Crossfit for the first time since we've been on the road. The training was fun, but the muscle soreness was included.

Since we had already seen most of the sights, we decided to visit the Chiang Mai Zoo the next day. Again, we made our way there by bike.
The zoo is located slightly outside on a hill. We spent most of our time with the pandas.

On Sunday, after a foot massage and a cozy end to the day, we continued to Singapore by plane.
At the airport, we were greeted again by the familiar coronavirus atmosphere. When everyone is wearing masks, you can become a little paranoid. We used as much disinfectant in the 3 days in Chiang Mai as we did in 3 weeks in Laos.
When we arrived in Singapore, we went straight to the hotel as it was already quite late.