Saturday, December 28, 2019 One Full Day in Bangkok Friday I arrived in Bangkok very tired after the long journey from Los Angeles. Sunday (tomorrow) I shall leave for Chiang Mai after breakfast. So today, Saturday, is my one day in Bangkok to see a few of my favorite sights, namely Wat Arun, Wat Pho, and depending on time and my energy level, Wat Phrea Kaew. After breakfast (seen in the previous post), I cleaned […]
Wednesday, December 25, 2019 The Journey to Thailand I am leaving for Thailand on Christmas night. The first flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong leaves at 11:30 PM. To get to Los Angeles easily, I reserved a rental car for a one-way trip from San Diego to Los Angeles International. This is far cheaper than parking my car at Los Angeles Int’l for a month, and simpler than taking the train to Los Angeles […]
Sunday, December 1, 2019 A Walk on the Beach at Del Mar I am planning my upcoming eighth month-long (or longer) yoga-inspired visit to Chiang Mai, Thailand. Given that this is the eighth successive January in Chiang Mai, I could say my annual winter in Chiang Mai. I’ll be leaving Christmas night, traveling from Los Angeles International to Hong Kong, a three-hour layover, then on to Bangkok, Thailand. I’ll be in Bangkok for two days […]
Monday, January 28, 2019 Return to Two Favorite Temples on My Last Day After our visit to Wat Suan Dok, our driver took us up the canal road to the north of the old city and Wat Jed Yod, right by the rather nice Chiang Mai Historical Museum. Wat Jed Yod History Wat Jed Yod, sometimes translated as Wat Chet Yot, is a major temple in the Chiang Mai area, outside and north of the […]
Monday, January 28, 2019 Return to Two Favorite Temples on My Last Day Today is my last day in Chiang Mai. My flight leaves tonight at 11:15 PM, arriving at the Incheon (Seoul) airport tomorrow morning at 6:15 AM local time. After breakfast, I finished packing and checked out from See You Soon just before noon, leaving my luggage with them. A taxi will take me to the airport at about 7:30 PM, so I […]
Saturday, January 26, 2019 Return Visit to Wat Sri Suphan My friends Liz and Bryan from the Seattle, Washington area were visiting Southeast Asia, and their time in Chiang Mai overlapped my last few days. After they got settled in their accomodation inside the old city, I met them and we walked to the Saturday Night Market along Wua Lai Road near Wat Sri Suphan. We made our way to Wat Sri Suphan as the […]
Saturday, January 26, 2019 Walking Along the South and West Side of the Wall – Part 2 Wat Phra Singh After entering the old city through Suan Dok Gate, I was close to Wat Phra Singh. Wat Phra Singh is of four temples in Chiang Mai with the Royal Temple status. King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII), the older brother of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), bestowed on it the status of Royal Temple […]
Saturday, January 26, 2019 Walking Along the South and West Side of the Wall – Part 1 It is Saturday, and I leave late Monday. After yoga, a cleanup, lunch, and some shopping (for a few souvenirs for friends at home), I decided to take a walk. I intended to walk south from Chiang Mai Gate along the south end of the wall/moat, then up along the west side to Suan Dok Gate, and check […]
Tuesday, January 22, 2019 A Second Hike Up Doi Suthep, Part 2 We left Wat Phalad and headed up the trail towards Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. The trail leads from Wat Phalad to the main road, and that 300 meters is a very steep section. Once across the road, we follow the trail back into the jungle and the noise of the road is soon gone, replaced by the jungle noise, birds and insects. […]
Tuesday, January 22, 2019 A Second Hike Up Doi Suthep, Part 1 Because I have been going to Wild Rose yoga every day, I see and talk with some of the same people. A couple from Germany and a couple from Arizona expressed interest in making the hike up Doi Suthep to visit Wat Phalad and Wat Phra That Dio Suthep. I was also interested in making that hike again. The only day that fit […]
Sunday, January 20, 2019 Four Local, Neighborhood Temples, Part 4 Wat Pan On Wat Pan On is what I call a “neighborhood” temple, smaller, and less frequented by tourists. It is an older temple, having been built in 1501 according to records. Wat Pan On is on Rachadamnoen Road near Tha Phae Gate (the eastern gate) in the Chiang Mai old city, one of the major streets closed each Sunday afternoon and evening for the […]
Sunday, January 20, 2019 Four Local, Neighborhood Temples, Part 3 Wat Pan Ping Leaving Wat Umong Mahathera Chan from what was actually the front entrance, I was directly across the street from Wat Pan Ping. Wat Pan Ping is not a high tourist destination, and thus is a quiet temple in a very busy area, and a very old temple in Chiang Mai. It is very close to other more tourist-centric destinations, like the Three […]
James the Intrepid Pilgrim 