Thursday 23 January, 2020
Around the City Gift Shopping

I went to Wild Rose Yoga for yoga practice at 8:00 AM. The teacher was to be May, but due to an injury, Rose substituted. This was my first class with Rose this year. She introduced some slightly different and challenging sequences, and we were all tired but refreshed at the same time – it was an energetic, but fun practice.

Today, I went shopping for gifts. My thought was to walk out to the northwest corner of the old city, and continue on to the showroom of Shinawatra Thai Silk near the old city.

Monument to the Three Kings

Along the way, I passed the Monument to the Three Kings, I have written about them in previous posts, as I pass this monument often. I posted more detail on December 31. The monument depicts the three kings that founded Chiang Mai in 1296: King Mengrai of Lanna in the center, and his two friends, King Ngam Muang of Phayao (left) and King Ram Nhamhaeng of Sukhothai (right). I walk by this monument often, and just love it. They look proud and self-assured.

Walking along a fairly main road, one often sees evidence that many, many people travel around the city or commute via motorbike.

And I walked by Chang Phuak Gate on the north of the old city. Here there is still a small part of the wall remaining.

Shinawatra Thai Silk

Just a couple hundred meters along Huay Kaew Road, the road stemming northwest from Hua Lin corner, the northwest corner of the Chiang Mai city wall, and I am at Shinawatra Thai Silk. Shinawatra Thai Silk is the oldest silk factory in Thailand, having been founded in 1911. I have been to the factory out in the Sankampaeng district, several kilometers east of the city (not walkable). There you can see silkworms in various stages of growth, how the silk is spun from the cocoons, the dying and washing processes, and how silk cloth is woven. Having seen all of that, I only wanted to purchase a few gifts, so the local showroom is closer and a fairly easy walk from See You Soon.

And the entrance to the showroom:

Bake & Bite

I bought a few things, and then found myself getting hungry. John (husband of Rose, the owner of Wild Rose Yoga) told me of a place near Wat Kate Karam called Bake and Bite that baked their own bread and served turkey and cranberry sandwiches. Being quite a distance, I got a Grab ride (Grab in Thailand is is like Uber) and we headed that way. Even with Google Maps, it was a little challenging to find back in a maze of sois (a soi is a small lane) directly east of Wat Kate Karam. Finally we saw this sign under a bougainvillea, almost hidden:

And then we were at the entrance to Bake & Bite:

And today’s specials includes the turkey sandwich John told me about. Turkey is not common in Thailand, and as I ponder this, Bake & Bite is the first place where I have seen turkey on the menu.

Bake & Bite must have a source for turkey – they are having several turkey items on the specials for today. I did have the turkey sandwich, and forgot to take a photo. It was good with cranberry sauce and home made mayonnaise. Mmmm…

After lunch, I walked back along the river, over the Nawarat Bridge and up Thaphae Road towards Thaphae Gate and the old city. Being in a shopping frame of mind, I headed down into the area known as Chinatown, really just a wide and very busy soi between Warorot Market and Thaphae Road.

Lao Zhou Alley – Chinatown

Lao Zhou Alley is a fun place to shop. Consisting mostly of fabric and clothing shops, there are many hand-made things also.

And it was crowded, especially so because Chinese New Year is this weekend. I get the feeling it is always busy, though.

No sidewalks, one just competes with the motorbikes and small autos to move along. Many of the shops sell flower arrangements, not really the same as those seen in the nearby Flower Market.

There are many fabric shops here, fabric of every kind and color. Here is one example.

This is a very busy soi – and has a high, uplifting mood and energy. I made my way back to Thaphae Road.

Wat Saen Fang

I have written before about the second wall protecting the city from the potential flooding of the Mae Ping River. This second wall, made of earth and clay was called the Kampaengdin, and some remaining evidence of that wall, about 4 or more meters high (12+ feet) can be seen along Kampaengdin Road, and also directly south of Ku Rang Corner, the southwest corner of the old city wall. And outside the Kanpaengdin there was a smaller moat, now a small creek. Along what is now Thaphae Road, there was a gate on the Kampaengdin, the original Thaphae Gate. What I have learned is that about when the original Thaphae Gate was taken down and part of the Kampaengdin dismantled, a temple was built along Thaphae Road at that location.

I crossed over the creek at this bridge. If you do not look down, it is almost impossible to even know that this is a bridge.

And to my right is the entrance to Wat Saen Fang guarded by these 35-meter long naga.

A plaque on the grounds indicates the temple was build in the 1870s, which matches what I have learned about the Kampaengdin wall. This temple is not visited by many tourists even though it is just off a very busy road leading directly to the old city.

The viharn (assembly hall or worship hall) is beautifully and richly decorated.

Inside the viharn, the decoration is less exuberant in its artistry.

This viharn doors open to the east to greet the rising sun, as is almost the rule. And to the back or setting-sun side is a chedi. The chedi is build on a large square base with decreasing size layers supporting a rather grand, colorful bell. What was likely very richly colored floral patterns are now faded and in need of restoration.

After talking for a while to a couple from France, I made my way up Thaphae Road to the old city and my room at See You Soon. With only three days left in this year’s visit to Chiang Mai, I returned to Kanjana and had yet another Thai dinner of pumpkin curry with chicken and brown rice. it was a very good day in Chiang Mai.

Next: Last full day in Chiang Mai