Reflections and Impressions on my 4th Winter in Chiang Mai

I have been home for exactly three weeks now and as I reflect on my winter in Chiang Mai, the first thoughts are very similar to those I had after returning a year ago, that (1) it was very different than I had expected, and (2) unexpected things occurred that changed things; not making it better or worse, just presenting different experiences. Going to Thailand, I did not have firm expectations; my hope was that I would do yoga frequently, spend time walking to break in my hiking boots for my walk on the Camino de Santiago in April, walk around the old city, and visit temples. And those expectations were fulfilled – I did yoga about six times per week, I did much deliberate walking, a long walk every other day, starting with a 10,500 step circumference of the wall/moat (6 km or 4 miles), and increasing from there to walks of over 33,000 steps. I visited temples, discovered a couple of temples new to me, and I walked around the city every day, including hiking up through the jungle to Wat Palad a few times, and all the way up to Doi Suthep twice.

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 may be attributed in part to Thailand having remained independent in the face of rampant colonization in SE Asia in the 18th, 19th, and into the 20th centuries. 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 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. In that category, my favorites were Ole’ (Mexican) and Street Pizza, both of which I covered in this blog with pictures. The food at 3-Sis was also very good and definitely worth noting, as was the food at “See You Soon”. 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, and I even had the same room. The location is good, the food good and consistent, and the people made my stay enjoyable: Poppy, Tine, Iew, Night, and a few others whose names I did not learn. A bonus this year was the opening less than a block from The 3-Sis of “See You Soon” a cafe and small guest house run by Poppy’s sister Ice and her husband Bon. I saw Poppy and her parents at both places – clearly the family is helping wherever needed to make the businesses run smoothly.

The Wall / Moat

Chiang Mai was built as a walled city more than 700 years ago, with a moat outside the wall (the earth excated for the moat became the base of 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 entire circumference three or four times per week, about a six-kilometer (four-mile) walk (or as a start to a longer walk outside the old city).

Wild Rose Yoga

Wild Rose Yoga is owned and operated by Rose and her husband John. Rose has done an outstanding job attracting good teachers and good students, all making up a supportive, caring, and close-knit kula. I was able to go to yoga classes 5 or 6 times per week, and enjoyed the variation in the teachers, most of which are Thai: Ayree, Dutchie, Jean, and also Gernot Huber, a German who lives in Chiang Mai whom I met at a yoga workshop four years ago. All of the teachers challenged me in various ways, educated me, and all had a sweetness to their approach. I love doing yoga at Wild Rose for the class, and also for the great energy of the building and people.

The Temples

I have many favorite temples. A goal of mine is to reduce the more than 2400 pictures to about 200 and post them on Picasa. I said that last year, and did not get to it (and I may not this year, as my focus is on preparing for the Camino de Santiago in 8 weeks). In that group will be pictures of the temples I visited often: 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.

Hiking to Wat Palad and Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

I only learned about hiking from Chiang Mai University to Wat Palad last year. I came to like Wat Palad, and enjoyed the peacefulness for meditations and its calm and peaceful atmosphere, up in the jungle, and off the tourist trail. 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. I hiked to Wat Palad a few times on my own, and also with my Australian friend Tom. I also hiked to Wat Palad and on up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep twice – the second half from Wat Palad to Doi suthep is steeper and more of a challenge. It was nice to be able to get out of the noise of the city into the peacefulness and quiet of the jungle very quickly (“very” is relative … about a 40-50 minute hike).

Overall Impression

My winter in Chiang Mai was an interesting, and unforgettable journey.

Next: Walking the Camino de Santiago, April, 2016.