December 29, 2019 Saturday Sightseeing in Bangkok I have been to Bangkok several times, and the negatives are “in your face” – it is very hot and humid all the time, it is crowded, and noisy. Getting around the city is challenging as there is always more traffic than the roads can handle, not unlike many other major cities. But if you are willing to pus aside the negatives, Bangkok is a wonderful city; the […]
Wednesday December 26 – Friday December 28, 2018 The Long Journey Across the Pacific Los Angeles to Bangkok Thailand via Incheon (Seoul), S. Korea The journey from Los Angeles to Bangkok is a long, long day of travel, It takes about 24 hours from leaving the house to arriving at the hotel in Bangkok. The drive to Los Angeles International is close to an hour, then it is advised to be at the airport 3 […]
Tuesday, December 25, 2018 Preparing to Return to Thailand for a Yoga-Focused Month I am about to return to Chiang Mai, Thailand for a month of yoga, part-time work, and enjoying the culture, sights, and food. Along the way, I’ll spend just one full day in Bangkok to see a few of my favorite sights: Wat Arun, the Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho, and the Jim Thompson House/Museum. This will be my seventh successive winter in Thailand […]
Saturday, January 26, 2018 A Last Walk Around the Old City and Wat Saen Muang Ma Luang Today is my last day in Chiang Mai for this visit. My ride to the airport comes to See You Soon at 8:00 PM, and the flight to Incheon, S. Korea (the airport for Seoul) is scheduled to depart from Chiang Mai at 11:55 PM. I skipped yoga this morning, and spent some time packing and preparing for the […]
Wednesday, January 24, 2018 Walking from Wat Nantaram to Find the Old City Earthen Wall Chiang Mai has a long and rich history having been founded over 700 years ago. In my perusing the internet to learn more about the city’s history, I have learned that there was a second wall around much of the city, an outer wall of earth, said to be over 3 meters (10 feet) high. My guess is that after […]
Monday, January 22, 2018 Return to Wat Phra Singh There are over 33,000 Buddhist temples in Thailand in current use. Of those, 272 are classified as Royal Temples, and only two temples in Chiang Mai are classified as a Royal Temple of the First Class. The first is Wat Srisuphan, and the second is Wat Phra Singh. Other temples in Chiang Mai are very important to the Thai people and are classified as Royal Temples, […]
Thursday 18 January 2018 Return Visit to the Silver Temple, Wat Srisuphan I am a computer system administrator. During my visit to Chiang Mai, the agreement I have with my manager is that I will work half-time while I am here doing yoga every day and enjoying being in a different culture. This works fairly well because the computers I manage do not really care where I am, and internet access is very good in […]
Tuesday 16 January 2018 Hiking to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep With the weather expected to get warmer over the next few days, I thought today would be a good day to make a hike up the mountain to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. A week ago I hiked up to Wat Phalad with my Australian friend Tom. Wat Phalad is a little less than half-way up the mountain to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. […]
Monday 15 January 2018 Walking to the Flower Market and Wat Kate Karam My typical routine each morning is to go to Wat Chedi Luang for my morning meditation, have breakfast, then go to yoga at Wild Rose Yoga. After yoga today, I decided to make the walk to Wat Kate Karam over the new walking bridge from the flower market. Most of the walk is outside the old city, or as locals would say, […]
14 January 2018 Sunday A Walk along the West side of the Wall/Moat Today my Australian friend Tom is leaving Chiang Mai for his home after yoga and lunch. We met at Amrita Garden restaurant in the old city after yoga at Wild Rose Yoga. I had to rush up to 3-Sis to change clothes and check-out, as I am moving to See You Soon today. The 3-Sis is owned by a family of three […]
13 January 2018 Saturday Visiting the Chiang Mai National Museum Today is my Australian friend Tom’s last full day in Chiang Mai. He starts his journey home tomorrow after yoga and a farewell lunch. After our exposure to a less-known part of Chiang Mai’s history with our visit to Wiang Kum Kam, Tom asked me if I had been to the National Museum next to the Wat Jed Yod grounds. I have been to Wat […]
Thursday 11 January, 2018 Exploring Wiang Kum Kam My Australian friend Tom and I decided to visit Wiang Kum Kam. I had been to a few of the sites three years ago, and I knew that Tom was interested in history. And, Tom has a motorbike, and will only be here for a few more days. Before the current old city of Chiang Mai was built by King Mengrai and his two friends, in 1296, […]
James the Intrepid Pilgrim 