Friday 30 January 2026
Out and about in Chiang Mai, moving from The 3-Sis to See You Soon

A few days ago, while walking down Tha Phae Road towards the Ping River, I saw this very nice display of lanterns or lamps or something above a massage spa. Very nice and colorful, so I took a photo.

On that evening, I continued down Tha Phae Road, across the Ping River, and over to The Duke’s again. I was there in time for the early specials and chose the pulled-pork sandwich with a side of fries and a salad. Back home, I first went to Chief’s Burgers and Brew in Solana Beach for the burgers, and over the years have come to love all the other food I have tried there. Chief’s has my absolute favorite French fries, against which I measure all other fries-I love Chief’s fries! I also love their tri-tip tacos, the red chili, the green chili, the chili-rice bowls, the tri-tip sandwich, the potato salad, a simple, but well-done BLT, and new this past year, the pulled-pork sandwich.

How does The Duke’s pulled-pork sandwich compare? The Duke’s does a good job, and while close to that at Chief’s, it is not quite as good. And, while the French fries at The Duke’s are good, they are just not quite as good as the fries at Chief’s. Here is The Duke’s pull-pork sandwich and fries. A good meal (I look forward to the same meal at Chief’s when I return home).

Walking back from The Duke’s up Loi Kroh Road, I passed Sherry’s Silver. When I was first here for the yoga workshop in 2011, I bought some silver jewelry at Sherry’s Silver for my then girlfriend. I have never forgotten the two statues at the entrance. I’m not exactly sure what they are, two sexy-looking ladies in historic outfits. The are not thewada that are seen at temples. I’m just not sure, but they caught my eye.

Moving Day

Friday is moving day. The 3-Sis is owned by three sisters (and their parents), thus the name. One of the sisters, Poppy, manages The 3-Sis. About 8 years ago, another of the sisters, Ice, and her husband Ball, opened a restaurant and shop about 100 meters down the main road called See You Soon. While making my reservation with Poppy about 8 years ago, she asked if I had considered staying part of the time with Ice and Ball at See You Soon. I did not know they had rooms. It turns out they have 6 rooms upstairs but I think they are not advertised, only for friends. So since then, I spend about 3/4 or more of my time at The 3-Sis, then move to See You Soon. It is all the same family, and I know the staff at both.

I checked-out of The 3-Sis at noon and left my luggage with them. I have errands to run, and I was told that my luggage would be moved to See You Soon for me (very nice!!). So off I went, I would normally have a Friday afternoon yoga class at Wild Rose Yoga, but decided to skip it to rest my back a little. I have been aggressively active almost every day with yoga, strength training, or hiking, and even on my rest day I walk around the city a lot (kilometers every day).

I passed Chala Number 6, a very upscale (and expensive) hotel across the soi from The 3-Sis. They always have beautiful flowers on display at Chala Number 6. Today I noticed two large, what I’m calling “face vases” at the front doors. (You may have to click on the images to expand them to see the whole effect.)

Nearby was a large vase and lotus flowers in the small pond.

I continued on to my errands. First, I dropped off laundry at Bear Wash, a laundromat. I could do my own laundry, but for 100 baht (about $3), a lady who works there will do it for me-wash, dry, and fold, and it will be ready in 3 hours or less. I have used this lady for a few years now and she knows me. And when I pick up my finished laundry I always tip her.

Next on the list was to drop off my Keen H2 sandal/shoes to have the back side panels restitched. This is weak point of the Keen H2 sandals-the back side panels’ stitching always comes loose. When I asked John where to go for such a repair, he suggested I take my shoes to the man at Chiang Mai Gate. He said that man does very good, reliable work. He is referring to a man who sits near the Chiang Mai Gate market working on shoes. I have seen him there for years…he seems to be there every day. So I headed that direction.

I have mentioned often that a soi is smaller than a road and typically larger than an alley, more like a “lane.” On my way from Bear Wash to Chiang Mai Gate, I passed through a soi that is very small, so small I would almost touch both sides, so I took a photo.

And, yes, motorbikes do go through this soi. I got to the shoe rapair man at about 12:00, showed him what needed to be done, and he said they would be ready at 4PM. Nice – I thought he would need them for a day or two, so one day is good…better than good. (And when I did pick up the shoes, he charged me a whopping 50 baht (about $1.65.)

Next on the list is a haircut at my favorite barber, the Samlaan Barber. On the way, I walked down a soi I seldom pass through and passed by the Terracotta Arts Hotel. No shortage of terracotta decorations, and a nice ambience with the flowers and the terracotta singha lion-like creatures guarding the entrance.

Along the wall outside, I got a photo of the elephants in the wall.

And a little further down the soi, there is another entrance, this one guarded by two monkey-men?!?

On to the Samlaan Barber. I had to wait a little while, and it gave me time to cool off. Chiang Mai is warmer now in the afternoons-summer is on the way. In December and early January, the afternoon high temperatures were 27-28C (about 80-84F), and now the highs are 30-32C (84-90F).

Aftrer the haircut, I went back to Bear Wash, retreived my laundry, and walked to See You Soon to check in, and not only was my luggage at See You Soon, it was upstairs in my room. (Yay!)

I cleaned up, rested a little, and headed over to Grill of Punjab for Indian food for dinner. Tomato soup and chicken dhansak. Chicken dhansak is a traditional Indian dish in which chicken is cooked with lentils, vegetables, and spices. Since I am a fan of lentils, I tried it, and it did not disappoint. The tomato soup is also good. A very good meal to end moving day.

I am now living at See You Soon for the last 12 days of my 13th winter in Chiang Mai. How the time flies by!

Next: Doi Inthanon, the highest mountain in Thailand.