Mae Ping River cruise ~ Chiang Mai

One of the many recommended activities in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is a cruise on the river Mae Ping East of the city.
The cruise lasts 2 ridiculous hours on an old boat. You will be taken to a temple, a market and an authentic fishermen village along the river. All this for about 400 baht (12.5$). You can add 50 baht more and get a Khao Soi, a traditional delicious meal of Northern Thailand (some people will jump out of their seats at this price *wink*).
Although some parts of the cruise can be scenic and relaxing, I don't find it very cheap for a mere 2 hours of boat ride with rushed visits to interesting spots. 400 baht after all pays 5 lunch meals! Ha!

Tour Eiffel Panorama

Another shot of the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris on a beautiful Autumn morning.
This view is from the Champs de Mars where the Peace monument is. The place was still empty with few tourists wandering around.

I don't know about you but I've met many people who dislike the Eiffel Tower, finding it ugly and breaking the charm of Ol' Paris.
I personally find it beautiful and a marvelous piece of architecture. I especially enjoy it when the tower sparkles for a minute every hour at night.

Have you ever been to Paris to visit the Tower? Do you like it or do you find it ugly and intrusive?

La Blue Eiffel

An unusual shot of the Tour Eiffel in Paris. I have not touched the colors, so yes.. It was blue :)

In 2008, the Eiffel Tower was lit in blue every evening because France was presiding the E.U. at that time. It was an overcast evening so the sky appeared pinkish.

You can see a different view from the tower here. It also had the yellow stars that represent the European Union flag.

Enjoy!

French Icon

When we hear "Paris", one of the first images in our head is: The "Tour Eiffel".

This 324m (1063 feet) high tower is the tallest standing structure in Paris and is the most visited single paid monument in the world. It was built in 1889 for the Exposition Universelle and was supposed to be destroyed in 1909. As it has been used by the army and by a radio station (an antenna is on the top), the city of Paris gave permission for the tower to stand longer and it later became one of the icons of the city of Love.

It is also a great idea to visit the tower at night as it is all lit up (different colors depending on the occasion). Every hour, it starts sparkling for a few minutes. Don't miss it!