Soi 7 Moon Muang Rd Chiang Mai - SriPat Guest House

was very very good to us. We enjoyed our stay at SriPat very much. We should have, we stayed here nearly a month. Started out as previously mentioned, pretty far out of town at a much less expensive place - nice cottage, just too far from town. Researched a bit, and moved here. Loved it. On a busy soi (side street) heavily used by tourists and Chiang Miaites? Miains? Mias? anyway, there is a lot happening on our Soi 7.

We liked the lobby, finished dressing here each morning. This is where shoes were removed prior to heading further into the Guest House. Yes it was that clean all the time. Had staff sweeping and dusting constantly. 

Fai, our favorite,  the head receptionist and manager when the owner is not there. Excellent English but never tired of helping us with Thai and let us try Thai first. A great teacher and helper in getting us what we wanted / needed and such.  She has been invited to Raleigh, hope she comes.

View out our third floor room window, with the full glass doors opened. It was a quiet and very nice room. Did have the firm Asian mattress though. Sleep number 14 on the 10 scale. We have had 20 or more so this we thought of as rather soft.

As I mentioned on our busy Soi sometimes it is better to watch than participate. There is much coming and going of tourists with big back packs, suit cases, all sorts of travelers and ages and origins. And the business of taking care of them and taking care of each other. Interesting to watch.

We do that actually every morning at breakfast as we have breakfast just across the street and up a bit at a raised open cafe in another hotel. This is the restaurant staff: waitress, cook, and manager (left to right). They too have somewhat adopted us, taught us a lot of Thai, fed us great breakfasts, and kept the coffee pot full. We always saved and read the previous day's Bangkok Post (the current day's edition did not arrive until 10 am), did some people watching and took our time getting started.  

Not quiet by any means is Moon Muang, one of the four perimeter streets of the old square city surrounded by the old city wall and the old moat which still exist in places. Moon Muang is nearly always busy. Sidewalks between Soi 7 and Soi 5 have hawkers, food stalls, a 7-11 (ubiquitous throughout Asia), a full market just off to the right, and Bank of Siam on the corner.  

and is quite pretty. This is just across from Soi 7, though not typically in our line of sight as there is normally heavy traffic.

Off of Soi 7 are many smaller lanes, some very quiet and I have gotten turned around often back in there. Patt seems to know where we are, what lane connects where and what place we have seen before — claims to and I sure can not dispute it. Surprises me when we show up on Soi 9 or get back to Moon Muang.

and some of the lanes between the Sois are full of tourist stuff. One place after the other offering pizza, German food, sushi, or what ever.

Many tour operators are in the area including cooking schools. Patt attended one with these two vivacious girls from Taiwan. I went over to have lunch with them. Got there late, missed my turn.

The Old Wall near our neighborhood.  Note the "moat" beyond.

and part of the Old Wall rebuilt near a street market— either the Saturday or Sunday one,  and it was on the other side of town.  

Outside of the Old Town was a market for hill tribe goods, did not need to buy these as we found a few more things that had not changed one little bit. Not even the design. I have one at home now that I use as a computer bag or camera bag a red one and blue one exactly like these.

and also outside the Old City we found this street. The sign just down the street reads "Siam Magic Massage" - not that there are not ample opportunities for drink and massage in our neighborhood either, just not this obvious.