Days 18 & 19 - Jan 1 & 2 - The Start of a New Year

Our plan for the first day of the year was this - relax, then shop. We lounged around the resort during the day, and at 3 set out into the old city. Our objective was the Night Market, where we planned to do all of our souvenir shopping. Our driver dropped us off at that street, but being a night market, we still had some time before it began. We walked for a bit until we found a massage place where we all got hour-long foot massages. Then we walked back to the market, which was half set up, despite it being only 5.

The Night Market was basically a million stalls lining both sides of the streets, selling all sorts of things, at pretty much the same quality and price.

We shopped for a bit, then we found an open air Indian restaurant and ate a marvelous dinner, after which we resumed our shopping. We took a break again sometime later, this time for gelato. Then we shopped some more. Then we caught a taxi back to our resort, experienced the taxi driver trying to con us (or a misunderstanding on their part anyway), then retired for the night to pleasant dreams.

The next day we sat around. We packed, we read, we played games, we ate lunch, then we went to the train station and boarded the night train to Bangkok. All in all, a good start to a new year!