Just like the Christmases of yesteryear, I was up bright and early on the 25th. Not to see what Santa had brought, but to have a video call with the Fam, who had just returned from midnight mass. It was nice to catch up—especially with Kitty.
This being my first Christmas away and in a sunny country it is a strange enough experience, especially with all the shops being open. I took advantage of this by picking up a Christmas jumper, Santa hat and a haircut.
The Christmas jumper has gotta be done
A Christmas tradition of recent years is the Parkrun, or at least a run, and I kept that here in Chiang Mai at the Municipal Stadium.
Some difference in a week!
Christmas Dinner
After freshening up I tipped down to the UN Irish Pub for Christmas Dinner! This event caught my eye on Facebook a few weeks back so put my name down for it.
The beer garden is a great location for it and I was impressed by the size of the crowd in attendance. I was a bit apprehensive beforehand in regards the seating arrangement, but ended up with Paul and Dang—pictured in the hero image—who I had met during the week. Sandy, the Aussie owner, felt it was best to put me with Paul (from Belfast) as he’s the only one who could pronounce my name (on FB it’s the Irish version, Daithí)!
A very enjoyable dinner was had with chats and drinks aplenty. The dinner itself was really impressive and they went all out. The only thing missing was the leftover turkey sandwiches! More pics of the event and atmosphere can be seen here.
After dinner, Paul introduced me to a few of his fellow ex-pat friends—a couple of Dublin pintmen—and more craic was had.
Overall, it was a class way to spend Christmas. I could easily have stayed in the room watching Lost but I’m glad to have done something for it, and shout out to the UN Irish Pub for running it 🍻
Stephenses’s Day
Awoke feeling surprisingly fresh, especially considering the vino the night before. Had a somewhat productive Stephens Day wandering around the Old Town and visiting some of the Wats I had missed.
What a lovely Wat
Took a wee siesta before heading to Zoe in Yellow for a few bottles of Chang and to watch the football—what the day is all about.
Just before heading home I hopped on a video call with the gang back home who were having a great time in O’Neill’s 🍻
Good fun celebrating the Fulham winner beside a Chelsea fan
Those days in between Christmas and New Years
The next few days were spent exploring Chiang Mai by day and exploring the bars by night. Ended up meeting a Mullingar man and had great LOI chats with him about the greatest league in the world before checking out Spicy, the nearest nightclub.
Spicy reminded me of Karma. That’s not a compliment
The next morning I packed my things and made my way over to the bus station. Destination: Pai—a place that came heavily recommended and where I would ring in the New Year.
Heading north to the hippy haven that is Pai
DavAI SummAIriser
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