There is a mountain nearby Chiang Mai called Doi Suthep. You take a pickup truck up the mountain (the bed converted to two benches and low top). It is a windy, bumpy 20 minute ride to the top, where there are a number of roadside stands, shops, and food stands.
Once there you can take a very long set of stairs up to the very top, or opt for a tram ride.
Once at the top there is (of course) a temple and monastery. There also was a Thai instrument band (young boys) and Thai girls performing traditional dance to the music. The best part were three little Hmong girls, dressed up in traditional dress. They sat in front of a gong and if you dropped a few coins into their bucket, you got to take a picture or two of them. Someone had bought them ice cream when I was trying to take a photo, so they were pretty distracted as you can see below.
On the way back, we stopped at the zoo. Erin had somehow gotten it into her mind that you could go there and they would allow you to hold baby pandas. Apparently that is on her bucket list. She mimed holding a panda like a baby and said "panda" to one lady on the ride down. The lady nodded her head and smiled. But when we got to the zoo, she asked at the gate and they were astonished that some farong would ask such a silly question. The panda big, she said. No can hold. I'm thinking they were all shaking their heads at the foolishness of farongs as Erin walked dejectedly away.
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