Bike tour to giraffes and zebras / Back to Chiang Mai

10/19/2018:

The alarm clock rang as usual at 8 o'clock. Somehow it has become a routine. I'm already planning for a week ahead. Everything is predetermined. It's not as much fun as it should be. I should rest and relax more. Take more breaks and not be constantly on the go.

Returning the scooter. Got my passport back without any problems, even though the scooter was a bit dirty. From yesterday. The great route over the dirt road and through the stream. Then rented a bike for today. It actually costs only 50 Baht. But here, the demand for bicycles is low and the supply is limited, so it cost double here. The first bike didn't have any brakes at all. The second one at least had some brakes.

Off to Singha Park. Actually, I wasn't motivated to come here. It's 14 km one way and then riding in the park. I just wanted to do nothing. I arrived there already pretty exhausted. So, where are the giraffes and zebras? Let's just ride in some direction. Ah, there is the enclosure. Many zebras, but no giraffes. Only one giraffe. It was standing in the shade, so you couldn't really take a good picture of it.

And now? Hmmm, this path looks interesting. Big mistake. It's all unpaved, with lots of big stones. Eventually, I found the exit of the park again. Better go back to the city and have a leisurely meal before the bus leaves, I thought. But I didn't make it to the city, I was too tired. A small restaurant caught my eye. Unfortunately, only one person there spoke broken English. Everything on the menu was written in Thai, so I pointed at a picture on the menu. He explained something about foreigners not liking it because... I didn't understand. Doesn't matter, I wanted to try it. A spicy soup was served. Well, compared to the other dishes I've tried here, it wasn't that spicy. But I guess that's what he meant. The woman there came up to me and gave a thumbs-up. I think that was supposed to mean respect for being a foreigner and being able to eat spicy food. Flattered, I smiled and finished the meal.

Back to the city by bike. And to the bus back to Chiang Mai. Instead of the planned 3.25 hours, it took us a whole four hours. Finally arrived, I set off on the 3.6 km long way. Completely exhausted, I reached the place shown on Google Maps. Nothing. This hostel isn't here. I was confused and asked someone. No success. I looked at Google Maps again. There were two entries. This can't be right! Annoyed, I had to walk another kilometer. There, I was puzzled. It was a restaurant. A lady approached me. I was in the right place after all. And my favorite restaurant from my last stay in Chiang Mai is only one minute away! Awesome :-).