Saw was dee Holiday Inn!!

I decided to try something a bit different this trip, and start out by staying at a local hotel for a few days for a bit of a vacation. The hotel I chose is located on the Chiang-Mai Lamphun Road---so named because it is the road that connects Chiang Mai and Lamphun! This road is tree-lined, with massive trees that grow together at the top creating a bit of a canopy. They were planted originally to shade the head of the Kings' daughters as they traveled between the two cities, in days of old. Modern intrusions like traffic, smog, roads built over root systems and other indignities have damaged some of the trees requiring their removal. However, thanks to efforts to preserve the remaining trees, you can still see the elegant canopy and imagine what it must have been like to be transported, probably by elephant, in luxury. It has always been a favorite sight of mine, and one I used to see almost daily, living in a neighborhood called Sunpaliang and driving this road to get into the city. About half-way between my old neighborhood and the city sits a huge, multistory hotel. When I first came to Chiang Mai, it was a Weston, then it became a Sheraton, and now it is a Holiday Inn. It has always boasted a wonderful brunch, the one treat of the hotel that I would occasionally get to enjoy when I lived here. However, I always wanted to stay here---it looked so pretty, and inviting...but was out of reach on my volunteer "wage"! So, this stay is something of a long wish fulfilled...and I have to say the old hotel is living up to my expectations in grand style!! I have a room on the 24th floor, with a view of the winding, rain swollen and rich chocolate-colored Ping River winding its way across the landscape. Today I have enjoyed the breakfast buffet, the Dimsum buffet, and tomorrow it is brunch joined by dear friends! The pool is just as nice as I always imagined, and there is a Thai-massage in my near future. Bliss! Who knows, maybe I'll even venture outside after brunch?!?!