We spend the last two days just really relaxing, organizing and well, hanging out. Our morning walks are to Nong Buak Haad park, watching all the preparations for the Flower Festival. They have a literal army of workers out here pulling flowers, mulching, replanting, placing edging. It’s an enormous amount of work and we only wish we could be here to see the final outcome at the flower festival. But that is not to be. We’ll be on the Grand Princess by then – almost through with the cruise, actually!

Nonetheless, we enjoy watching the progress, and the Takraw games.

On the way back from the park this morning, we decide to go to the 20 baht store for final shopping. Along the way we find yet another coffee shop for an excellent cappuccino. Have I mentioned the Nax Nax yet? No, I didn’t think I had. Nax Nax are those little adorable one bit chocolate chip cookie things with the cute little bear stamped on them that we got with our cappuccino on New Year’s Eve morning. They were so good, and horrors upon horrors – they had them at the grocery store! No!!! They are too good to resist – and too bad to be good for you. Well anyway, we’re officially addicted and have gone through 2 jars of them to date. Thank god we’re leaving here and won’t necessarily find them again because they are just not to be put down! Anyhow, the cappuccino made me think of it, not that we got any at this cafe, but…

Picking up the necessities – and non-necessities – at the 20 baht store, we return home for the afternoon. Although I decide to go and finally get a manicure and pedicure at the only salon we have found open, down the road next to La Fontana. Unfortunately I first go to the wrong salon across the street, the one that only has massages. This creates a stir with the folks there as they try to call someone to do a manicure/pedicure. I realize my mistake, apologize and go outside, walking down the street a bit, the circling back and ducking into the correct salon. Sheesh. What I’ll do for a $10 Mani/Pedi! All works well after that and I’m sufficiently polished up for the rest of the trip. Well, ok, probably not the whole trip, but I do have my 10 baht nail polish remover that I can use when everything starts chipping!

After that excitement, there really isn’t anything else we did. We walked the park again in the afternoon, later visiting the Chiding Mai Gate food market for dinner. Crippy fish, spring rolls and chicken bites, and all is well with the world!

Tuesday is pretty much the same. Park in the morning, afternoon in the house, this time packing and organizing. An afternoon beverage at Renegade’s Sports bar, just because it is a nice long walk to and fro, a stop at the watch repair guy for a new watch band for me (you can’t beat the prices here, it wasn’t $6 total) then house again for the afternoon. Tonight we have decided to celebrate our last evening here with our friends at Baan Na Na.

As usual the owner greets us like family, brings us our drinks without asking and his wife even says hello from the kitchen. Feel like belong here! Dinner starts off with Chicken Satay, then of course Papaya pad thai and Khao Soi – there was no way I was leaving this city without one last Papaya pad thai and Ed has deemed Baan Na Na Khao Soi as the best he’s had.

And that ends an incredibly fabulous trip back to our 2nd home, Chiang Mai. We’re a little sad to leave, but excited to start our next adventure in Bangkok tomorrow with our Gate 1 tour group!