Thailand, Chiang Mai

Arrived late yesterday afternoon after a largely uneventful journey and almost immediately felt quite comfortable here. I'm  staying in the old city, which is surrounded by a moat, together with limited remnants of a medievil style wall. Otherwise not a lot remains of the old city of the capital of the north. The old city streets impress as being somewhat more tasteful than anything I've experienced elsewhere; quieter and not so much in your face. Coffee shops, small restaurants, guesthouses and leafy gardens abound. And steet vendors are restricted to plying their trade  along the outer perimeter. Trafic access is also strictly limited but literally roars around the moat. The place is coffee mad! I've never seen so many cafés in such a small area. Apparently the conditions here in the north of Thailand are good for growing coffee plants. And they do. And the coffee is good. Had three cups with my breakfast and another with some cake today!! I'll be awake all night but you've got to take the opportunities for a decent coffee when you can over here!! The main sights in Chiang Mai are temples would you believe!! And there are a couple of old colonial buildings worth viewing too. But the place also gets a good write up for its ambiance and justifiably so. Best city I have visited in Thailand by a country mile!! And there's a massage parlour just round the corner from the hotel with a trip adviser 5 star rating. Haven't  had a Thai massage yet and I'm seriously thinking about it. Only got one more day as I'll be leaving Thailand on Friday for Mandalay, to start my month or so in Burma. Just keeping an eye on flight prices at the moment. They came down £60 today but I'm going to take a chance and wait until tomorrow!!
Mostly temples by way of pictures today, but I'll start with a couple of more general shots.
Take care,
Glen x