Reflections and Impressions on Another Winter in Chiang Mai

I have been home for four weeks now, and reflecting on my recent month in Chiang Mai, the first thoughts are that (1) it was different than I had expected, and (2) unexpected things occurred that changed the experience; not making it better or worse, just presenting different experiences. I did not have firm expections; my hope was 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 mostly fulfilled – I did not do yoga, because my right elbow injury flared up, I visited temples, discovered temples new to me, I walked around the city every day, and I hiked down from and up to Wat Palad more than once.

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. People are proud of their countries almost everywhere, but it is subtly more powerful in Thailand. This is attributed in part to Thailand having remained independent in the face of rampant colonization in SE Asia. 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 revisit 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. There are many good restaurants in the old city, and because farms and markets are so close, the food is fresh.

The 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, Johnnie, Iew, and ??? made my stay enjoyable.

The Wall / Moat

Chiang Mai was built as a walled city more than 800 years ago, 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 entire circumference.

Wild Rose Yoga

Wild Rose Yoga is owned and operated by Rose and her husband John. They done a stellar job attracting good teachers and good students, all making up a supportive, caring, and close-knit kula. I did not participate in yoga classes this time because of my elbow injury having flared up, but I saw Rose and John many times, and cannot wait to return to yoga at Wild Rose Yoga. I love doing yoga at Wild Rose for the class 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 massages.

The Temples

I have many favorite temples. A goal of mine is to reduce the more than 2000 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 my favorites are: Wat Chedi Luang (I was there every day for my morning meditation), Wat Palad, Wat Jed Lin, Wat Lok Molee, Wat Suan Dok, Wat Srisupan, Wat Chiang Man, and Wat Jet Yod (I am tempted to put Wat Umong on this list, but I did not visit Wat Umong this year).

Hiking to Wat Palad

I only learned about hiking from Chiang Mai University to Wat Palad a few days before I was to leave last year. Before I arrived this year, I communicated with Steve Epstein, the current leader of the Green Papaya Sangha meditation group to coordinate a hike up to Wat Palad so I could learn the trail, where it starts, and what it is like. A group of about eight of us did that hike, and spent some time at Wat Palad. Wat Palad is truly a favorite temple of mine, it has great energy, and no wonder: Thich Nhat Hanh lived there for a few years in the late 1960s.

Wiang Kum Kang

My visit to the ruins at Wiang Kum Kang courtesy of Jang was one of the highlights of my month in Chiang Mai. When Jang suggested taking me to the excavated ruins near where she lives, she was appealing to my expressed love and interest of the temples in and around Chiang Mai. She had no knowledge that I had hoped to find Wiang Kum Kang, but that idea had slipped from my thinking. So actually being able to visit the excavated ruins was a treat beyond my imagination. A truly great and unforgettable afternoon; Thank-you, Jang!

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.