I woke up this morning to the sounds of breaking news from our Hotel Room’s TV - “Samak you are bad!! “Samak you are bad!!!” 

Thailand’s opposition People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) is demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej & Thaksin Shinawatra’s PPP (People Power Party) Proxy Coalition Government.

News are reporting that the Protesters are accusing Samak of corruption & a puppet of the former Prime Minister Thaksin, who was removed by a Military Coup in 2006, & who’s charged with corruption & now living in exile in London.

More than 2000 Protesters try to overthrow Thailand’s government by atttacking Bangkok’s Police Headquarters as demonstrations against Samak since Tuesday!

Map of PAD Protest Areas in Bangkok, Thailand :

Spreading from the Capital, & now into the South of the country, the PAD Protesters stormed into the Thai Airport buildings & runways, & Thai authority is forced to close 3 International Airports in Phuket, Krabi & Hat Yai. Results - flights are cancelled & thousands of travellers stranded!

Railroads & Rail lines in the North, North-East & Southern Thailand have also been shut down & closed as a result of vandalism by the Protesters.

Below are some photos of the PAD Protesters in Thailand :

Thai Police Force defending against the PAD Protesters :

PAD Protester’s Message across Thailand - SAMAK YOU ARE BAD :

Haha, we’re now worried for ourselves here in Chiang Mai as we’re warned by our Thai friend’s buddy that we should avoid crowded places such as the Warorot Market & Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai while we’re here.

Well the reasons were news of threats from the PAD Protesters that there may be bombings in such areas. And actually, our Thai friend is telling us now that there used to be a Bombing incident at the Warorot Market in the past! Hey, we were just in the Warrorot Market & Night Bazaar yesterday, & the PAD Protesting had been ongoing since last Tuesday!! Thank goodness nothing bad happened & we were safe!!

But at the same time, we’re worried that the Chiang Mai International Airport may be closed too & that we won’t be able to fly home to Singapore tomorrow!!

Well, I decide to skip my breakfast cos I don feel like eating this morning & instead stay inside our Hotel room. And here below are some photos I just took of the Mae Ping River which can be seen very clearly from our room on the 18th storey :

The 569km long Mae Ping River (or Ping River) is most often associated with Chiang Mai City, & for more than 700 years, Mae Ping River has been a major source of water for Chiang Mai in its historic role as the Capital of the Lanna Thai Kingdom, & its current reputation as the Capital of North Thailand.

In its role of playing a part in making Northern Thailand a rich Centre of wet rice farming, Mae Ping River provides for thousands of Thai people who live on its banks, in & around Chiang Mai, with water for washing, bathing, & irrigating of their gardens & rice paddies.

And as a source of food, Mae Ping River is also used for the transportation of people & goods.

Well, after resting for a while in our Hotel rooms, we’re now at the Holiday Inn lobby about to go out for lunch.

Now we’re looking at its huge beautiful chandeliers!! I simply love chandeliers & won’t stop myself taking photos of them anytime, anywhere!!

Besides, having beautiful fresh flowers, Holiday Inn Chiang Mai also has huge beautiful Stone Elephants in its grand elegant lobby - Elephants are called “Chang” in Thai :

And I especially love this very chubby stunning Red Elephant with gorgeous carvings :

And guess what I saw at the Holiday Inn Cafe?!

Elephant Chocolates - so cool ha!! I’d actually wanted to buy a box for my hubby Dear cos he loves chocolates & these Elephant-shaped ones will be a pretty special gift, but I decide I’d better not cos I’m afraid they may only look pretty but not yummy for eats.  

The River Terrace Restaurant where we have our daily Breakfast - it faces the Mae Ping River :

Here below is a Slideshow containing photos of the Holiday Inn lobby, as well as the outside views from the Holiday Inn main entrance : 

Now it’s time for lunch as we leave Holiday Inn for the Four Seasons Resort, located in beautiful tranquil secluded Mae Rim Valley in Chiang Mai.

Map of Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai :

The followings are the Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai pamphlets :

Upon arriving at the Four Seasons Resort lobby, we’re warmly welcomed by a most courteous & friendly Thai staff & led into the Resort which resembles Thailand’s ancient Lanna Kingdom adorned with magnificent Thai aritifacts :

Spectacular shaped pots filled with fresh flowers floating on water - so beautiful :

We’re now arriving at a most beautiful Lanna-style Pavilion :

This Thai Lanna-style Pavilion is but one of the more than 64 beautifully appointed Pavilions of the Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai :

And WOW!!! Never am I expecting that we’ll be dining here at this Lanna-style Pavilion with a most gorgeous outdoor Terrace!!

Below is the beautiful view of the outdoor Terrace pool & gardens :

Very excitedly & almost immediately, our Thai friend brings me to the nearby Terrace balcony to get a overall glimpse of the Four Seasons Resort, set in 8 hectares (20 acres) of extensively landscaped tropical Gardens featuring Streams, Waterfalls, a Working Rice Farm & Water Baffaloes!!

Stunning veiw from the Terrace balcony :

And I’ve put all my other photos taken of the tranquil scenic views as seen from the Terrace Balcony in the following Slideshow - enjoy :))

Our Thai friend & I soon join my brother, Mom & Dad at our Terrace dinning table at the Pavilion with Teakwood floor, overlooking the Terrace pool : 

Once seated, we’re each given a very cold tower with fresh orchid contained in a bowl to freshen ourselves up before our lunch :

Well, we’ve 2 choices of Italian & Thai Cuisines to select from, & of course being Gourmet lovers, we choose to have both of them!

Here I’m holding the Terraces Menu which contains Italian Cuisines :

And here’s the Sala Mae Rim Menu which contains Thai Cuisines - ”Sala” in Thai means “Open Pavilion or Open Terrace” :

Now comes our Italian Starter - Garden Mille Feuille - a type of Italian bread that contains Grilled Vegetables & Field Greens & Pecorino Cheese, & served with Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Tomato Dressing :

This Garden Mille Feuille is simply superb with lots of herbs & spices - a real good appetitzer to begin lunch with :

Then we’ve the following Thai Sweet & Sour Fish (called “Kraphong Khao Priao Wan” in Thai), which is stir-fried with Sliced Spring Onions, Green & Yellow Capsicums, Onions & Tomatoes - very freshly prepared & tasty :

And below are our 2 other Thai Cuisines - Thai Cashew Chicken & Thai Soup :

This authentic Thai Soup consists of Sliced Carrots, Bean Curds (or Tufo), Thai Coriander Leaves, Mushrooms, Minced Pork, Seaweed, Cabbages & Glass Noodles - very homely & delicious :

And the stir-fried Thai Cashew Chicken (called “Gai Pad Ma Muang” in Thai) consists of Fried Chickens with Straw Mushrooms, Sliced Spring Onions, Green & Red Capsicums, Onions, Tomatoes, Dried Red Chilies & of course Roasted Cashew Nuts - & these Cashew Nuts are the best cos they’re so aromatic & crunchy :

We next have our Italian Napoletana Pizza which is made of Mozzarella Cheese, Tomatoes, Oreganoes, Anchovies & Capers. Freshly baked, this thin crusted Italian Pizza is so yummy we all love it lots :

Our Thai & Italian Cuisines spread :

Now, we’re dining in style & luxury as we enjoy our beautiful Thai & Italian Cuisines & at the same time overlooking & enjoying the serene Terrace pool & gardens :

Here’s a lovely close-up view :

And this is our Italian Mozzarella & Mango :

Made up of thick slices of Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese in between fresh Mango & Thai Doi Kham Tomato with Aged Balsamic Vinegar, with fresh Greens :

It’s my first time eating such Italian Cuisine & these Mozzarella Cheese & Mango are heavenly & I love it :

Here’s another photo of our lovely Thai & Italian lunch spread - haha I just can’t stop taking photos aren’t I?!?!

And well, here below in the middle is our last most lovingly presented Italian Nicoise Salad, which consists of Seared Yellow Fin Tuna with Olives, Needle Beans, Tomatoes, Potatoes, fresh Greens & Lemon Vinaigrette, topped with a sliced Egg :

The Nicoise Salad is perfectly done & tastes so great, especially the seared Tuna which is so so good :

We’ve now come to the end of our superb lunch at the Four Seasons Resort & are leaving - Mom & Dad walking out of the Thai Lanna-style Pavilion :

And as we step out of the Pavilion, we’re met by a Four Seasons Resort staff who inform us that he’ll be taking us on a complimentary Buggy ride around the Resort, then to our car park at the Resort exit - What thoughful & amazing service!!

Well, here below is a Slideshow containing all the photos taken from our Buggy ride around the Four Seasons Resort where we greatly enjoy looking at the many magnificent private Resort Residences (with 1, 2 or 3 bedrooms), & the beautiful residences swimming pools :

We’ve now arrived at the Four Seasons Resort car park where our car is parked.

Whew!! What a most amazingly beautiful gourmet lunch we’ve had today, it’s indeed a real cool experience overall!!