Bangkok and Chiang Mai

We weren't getting picked up for our flight to Chiang Mai until 1100 am so we had the morning to ourselves to explore Bangkok some more. We decided the best place to go, since the Grand Palace was still closed, was Wat Suthat. We were going to take a regular taxi, but because the city is so big and there are so many Wats, the driver didn't know that particular Wat. One of the taxi drivers, Steve, at the hotel said he would take us there and back for 600 Baht (a little less than $20). We didn't have much of a choice, so we said okay. The traffic was horrible and I thought for sure we wouldn't make it back to the hotel in time to catch our ride to the airport. Thankfully I was wrong. We went through Chinatown, which was pretty cool, and a shortcut to avoid the traffic. When we got to the Wat, Steve just waited outside for us. He knew we needed to be back to the hotel before 1100, and he made sure of it. Wat Suthat was really peaceful and nice. There weren't too many people there and it was pretty. Yes, it did look a lot like the other Wats, but it still was unique. It is one of the oldest Wats in Bangkok and just outside was a huge swing that used to be used. Too many injuries and deaths occurred while it was in use, so they stopped using it. We spent maybe 30 minutes there and then went back to our hotel. We got to the airport in time and took the short 50 minute flight to Chiang Mai. We were picked up by a guide who was filling in for the person who was going to be our guide. Just driving from the airport to our hotel I could tell I was going to like Chiang Mai. It was at the foot of a mountain, the traffic wasn't bad, much smaller than Bangkok, and definitely more laid back. We got settled and then went on a two hour cruise on the Ping river. It was just Ben and I (and our boat guy) and it was awesome. The river banks weren't built up and that was refreshing. It was really beautiful and calming. At the half way point there was the "farmer's house" where we had fruit and tea. I had ginger tea and Ben had longan tea. Our boat guy said that a part of Rambo 4 (the most recent Rambo) was filmed in Thailand with a few minutes at this "farmer's house." I haven't had the chance to rent the film yet to verify that, but it was filmed in Chaing Mai, so maybe so. On the way back to the dock we passed several kayakers. We took a short break in the hotel and then it was off to dinner with traditional Thai dancers for our entertainment. The food was awesome. We had fried banana, veggies with chili paste sauce, friend chicken, rice, sticky rice (you can roll in a ball and dip in the chili sauce), pork curry (my favorite) and some sweet rice. We also had soup, fruit and rice cookies. We sat on the floor to eat, which was ok. The dancing was really slow and simple, but still beautiful. We also got to see some traditional Hill tribe dancing, but not by actual Hill tribe members. It was actually pretty entertaining at parts.