I left my parents to their own devices this morning as I had several errands to run. I needed to visit the Immigration Office for one more check in, sort out my bank account (did I mention I also lost my bank card right before my parents came?), visit the doctor, and arrange our transportation out of Chiang Mai. I managed to get everything done except the last task before noon, when I met my parents for lunch and we sorted out what to do for the rest of the day. I had been wanting to visit the museum, but unfortunately we discovered it was closed on Mondays (Of course. Are you sensing a pattern here?) so we decided it would be best just to take it easy so we could go souvenir shopping that evening. For dinner I was going to take them to a neat restaurant I knew of by the river, but it also was closed, probably due to the previous week's flooding so we ended up eating at the market. Otherwise the weather really didn't inconvenience us much.
Shopping with my parents was an interesting experience because it was so different to be treated like a tourist and so fun to surprise the vendors with my knowledge of basic Thai. I did my best to haggle with them for cheaper prices, but while I generally failed to get much of a discount I was always guaranteed to get a smile. During this entire trip it has been fun to inform people that I've lived in Chiang Mai for a year and to show off a little bit of my Thai. People on the tourist circuit are generally very surprised and pleased.
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