#holidaysabroad

Hello all!  Happy Holidays from Chiang Mai!  This post is only one week into 2015, so I feel like I'm doing pretty well here.

I wouldn't say it really felt like Christmastime, since it's still, ya know, really hot all the time.  But Chiang Mai is never one to turn down a celebration, so there were plenty of Christmas trees and decorations all around town.

One thing I don't get - but sort of love - are the strings of lights going down the length of the tree.

Christmas morning we went to one of the more upscale breakfast places and had GINGERBREAD PANCAKES!  It was like being transported to the North Pole for a few brief bites.  There even was a live band playing outside.  

We also had a fabulous dinner with a carvery station and all kinds of British puddings, but I didn't take any pictures.  We even had an epic Monopoly session, which all helped it feel more like Christmas day.

Between Christmas and News Years we spent a night aboard houseboats at Mae Ngat Dam in Srilanna National Park.

We played cards, ate like kings, drank Irish coffees and generally lazed around.  If I could do it again I think I'd stay for two nights instead of one so there'd be more time for swimming, kayaking and jumping on the water trampoline!

We capped off the holidays with a camping trip for New Year's Eve.  Not far from the Old City in Chiang Mai, we biked up to the top of Doi Pui and again spent the night in a Thai National Park.  

They really know how to do it here - you pay a fee for a tent (already set up - score), mattress pad, sleeping bag and pillow.  So easy.  We spent the evening doing some hiking and camping things (read: card games and mulled wine).

 At midnight were treated to a gorgeous view of the city and all the firework shows below.  Unfortunately you will not be treated with a gorgeous picture because I couldn't manage that.  So you'll just have to trust me that there were like fifty fireworks going off at a time.