Before leaving Chiang Mai we stopped at barorose market for snacks.  You can get almost anything here.

They had all the bugs we saw before, plus hornet maggots still in the hive.

They also had eels, turtles and frogs in buckets being gutted right in frontof us.

On the highway back to Bangkok (we didn’t take the mountains back) we stopped at many roadside businesses, such as a porcelain workshop (I have a feeling someone who collects coffee mugs might get a souvenir from here).

This is a giant monument that is a road sign.

We ate lunch at a roadside restaurant that was delicious and cheap.  I also found (albeit late in the trip) one of my favorite drinks: Guava Juice.  Even though this bottle (look closely) was made by “Michigan” brand, it was still my favorite.

Another crazy bus at a rest stop.

Later we came across a bunch of roadside banana frying stands.

As it began to rain and night fell we got closer to Bangkok and we stopped at Sam’s brother-in-law’s favorite restaurant on the route for dinner.

The chief chef at work on the sidewalk.

Back in Bangkok we drove very slowly through the flower district on our way to Fortville, where Sam and I would stay our final two nights in Thailand.

From the window you can see the tip of the old Bangkok fort (the lighted part with the triangle on top near the edge of the open window) which the hotel is designed to resemble.

The fort straddles the Chaopraya River and the view from the balcony (not in our room, but down the hall) shows a canal that empties into the river.  You can see the top of the new suspension bridge that goes over the Chaopraya peaking out over the other buildings.