Some Reflections and Impressions on my Winter in Chiang Mai

I have been home for six weeks now, and as I reflect on my winter in Chiang Mai, the first thoughts are that (1) it was quite different than I had expected, and (2) unexpected things occurred that changed the experience; not making it better or worse, just presenting different paths and experiences. I did not have firm expectations; my expectations or hopes were that I would do yoga, visit temples including my favorites from past visits, and walk around the old city every day. And those expectations were fulfilled – I did yoga, I visited my favorite temples and discovered temples new to me, and I did walk around the city every day.

The Thai people
The people in Thailand are nice. There are many factors contributing to the personality of the Thai people. Partly they are Buddhist, partly the people of Thailand have a subtle, but powerful pride in their country. This is often attributed in part to Thailand having remained independent in the face of rampant colonization. This independence is attributed to the efforts of both King Rama IV (King Mongkut) and King Rama V (King Chulalongkorn) in the 19th century. Whatever the reason or the contributors are, the people of Thailand are nice. They treat visitors to their country nicely, they treat each other nicely, and the culture is one where people are caring, compassionate, and nice.

The food
There is no shortage of really good food in Chiang Mai. My favorite Thai restaurant was Kanjana, a small restaurant at which I ate about three times per week.I had traditional Thai dishes there, but my favorites were pumpkin curry, fried morning glory, fried rice with pineapple, chicken, and chiles. I was happy to find Blue Diamond, a smaller restaurant serving mostly vegetarian dishes. I also found a couple of western-style restaurants for a break from Thai food. My favorite was Boutique della Pasta, an Italian restaurant run by an Italian who makes all the pasta fresh daily. The food at 3-Sis was also very good and worth noting. Almost all of the food in the old city is good, and because farms and markets are so close, the food is fresh.

3-Sis Guest House
What makes a good place to stay is the people, the staff. The 3-Sis Guest House changed very little from the previous year. The location is good, the food good and consistent, and the people: Poppy, Tine, Boom, Johnnie, Su, made my stay enjoyable.

The Wall / Moat
Chiang Mai was built as a walled city, with a moat outside the wall. Many parts of the wall still exist, particularly at the four corners and around the five gates. I love the character of the old wall, and walked the circumference about three times per week, about a six-kilometer (four-mile) walk. If I were going to Wat Suan Dok, well outside the wall on the west through Suan Dok Gate, or Wat Srisupan, also well outside the wall on the south through Chiang Mai Gate, I did not walk the circumference.

Wild Rose Yoga
Wild Rose Yoga was better then ever. Rose and her husband John have done a stellar job attracting good teachers and good students, all making up a supportive, caring, and close-knit kula. Every class at Wild rose was a joy – I love doing yoga at Wild Rose for the class, becasue of the good people, and also for the great energy of the building. Through Wild Rose, I met Dao and David, and Dao and Rose led me to Jang for the hot stone oil massage.

The Temples
Too many favorites. A goal of mine is to reduce the more than 1000 pictures to about 200 and post them on Picasa. In that group will be pictures of my favorite temples. The temples I visited often and thus are my favorites are: Wat Chedi Luang (I was there every day), Wat Palad, Wat Jed Lin, Wat Lok Molee, Wat Suan Dok, Wat Srisupan, Wat Chiang Man, Wat Umong, and Wat Jet Yod.

Hiking to Wat Palad
I only learned about hiking from Chiang Mai University to Wat Palad a few days before I was to leave. Wat Palad is truly a favorite temple of mine, but hard to access. Hiking makes it more accessible.

The Train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai
I enjoyed the train ride from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. It was interesting to see the extent of the rice fields growing in central Thailand. At 12 hours, the ride was a bit long, but until it became dark outside, it was an interesting part of the journey.

Overall Impression
My winter in Chiang Mai was an interesting, and unforgettable journey. I’ll contemplate my overall impressions a bit more and post another note.