First impressions

First impressions can often be deceiving, but here is my first impression of Thailand...

One thing that I have learned about Dan from over four years of dating is that he is a man of extremes.  His friend once described him with the quote, "When I'm cold, I set myself on fire," and this could not have been more accurate.    When he doesn't like something, he not only fixes it, but he changes it completely.  Perhaps we have both subconsciously done this on our trip...

In Ecuador, both Dan and I thought the majority of food was bland and lacking on spices.  Here in Thailand, the food has yet to disappoint us.

On the other hand, the weather in Cuenca was beautiful-- 65 to 70 degrees every day with a bout of rain here and there (but not enough to put a damper on the day).  Here in Thailand it is rainy season with temperatures near 90s and humidity at about the same numbers.  Rainy season should be over soon, and according to online sources the temperature and humidity should slowly decrease.

Cuenca was a walking city.  Chiang Mai barely has any sidewalks.

Cuenca was easy to get around with good maps and readable street names.  Chiang Mai doesn't have a public transport system, and the streets have Thai names, or no names at all.  A lot of the streets are called "soi" which we have come to learn means, "a side street branching off a major street."

Most of the people drive around on motorbikes. Dan and I find these quite intimidating (although Thai woman seem perfectly comfortable riding around on them with their children on their laps).  But, I'm going to give one a try soon!

There are these red trucks here that basically act as multi-person taxis-- you tell the driver where you are going, and hop in if by chance, the people already in the truck are headed in that same direction.  The only problem, the drivers speak barely any English.

Cuencanos communicated in Spanish, a language that was easy to get by in.  Thai is quite the opposite.


Some other things I've learned:

Once again I am taller than almost every person in the city (males included).  While I had expected this, it is still strange to view an apartment with two Thai women who ask me to lie down in a bed to see if I can fit.

Almost every large house and business has a "spirit house" placed in an auspicious spot, most often in the front corner of the property.  A "spirit house" is basically a miniature model of a house that is mounted on a pillar.  The purpose is to provide shelter to the spirits who could cause problems if they are not happy.