Winter 2013-2014 Chiang Mai, Thailand
Some Reflections and Impressions on my Winter in Chiang Mai I have been home for six weeks now, and as I reflect on my winter in Chiang Mai, the first thoughts are that (1) it was quite different than I had expected, and (2) unexpected things occurred that changed the experience; not making it better or worse, just presenting different paths and experiences. I did not have firm expectations; my expectations or hopes were that […]
January 30, 2014 Wednesday The journey home started in the evening of Tuesday, January 29 at about 8:15 PM when Jo and Lucia picked me up at 3-Sis to head to the Chiang Mai airport. Lucia and I are on the same Korean Air flights for both legs of the journey (1) Chiang Mai to Incheon, then (2) Incheon to Los Angeles. The first flight from Chiang Mai to Incheon, S. Korea (the main airport […]
January 28, 2014 Tuesday Early my last morning, before breakfast, I took a last walk around the neighborhood, to a few of my close-by, favorite locations. After breakfast, it will be final packing, and hoping everything will fit. First stop, Wat Chedi Luang. Notice on the sign it is spelled as one word. In the Thai language, there are no spaces in a sentence, so their natural tendency is to merge words together. Sometimes I […]
January 27, 2014 Monday This is my last Monday in Chiang Mai for this trip. As I did almost every morning before breakfast, I walked around Wat Chedi Luang. When one enters the temple grounds, the large viharn (worship or prayer hall) is right there in front of you. This is a very large hall, although at first it does not seem all too large, but it is. The main viharn at Wat Chedi Luang […]
January 26, 2014 Sunday This is my last Sunday in Chiang Mai for this trip. I joined Linda for breakfast at the Tamarind Village, and took this shot of the large and beautiful tree in the courtyard of the Tamarind Village. After breakfast, I wandered over to the Monument to the Three Kings, and went into the Lanna Cultural Museum across the street. Lanna was most of northern Thailand and Laos prior to the the […]
January 25, 2014 Saturday Jo had told me that there was a smaller viharn at Wat Suan Dok that she just loved. I have been to Wat Suan Dok many, many times, and I am familiar with the property, but do not know of this smaller viharn. The main viharn at Wat Suan Dok is very large. Wat Suan Dok After breakfast with Linda, we got a tuk-tuk to Wat Suan Dok to find and investigate […]
January 24, 2014 Friday Linda was off for most of the day at a Thai cooking school where they take you to a market, shop for fresh ingredients, then teach you to cook several dishes. There are many of these in Chiang Mai, and it is an all-day event (or most of the day). So I was basically on my own. Lucia and Jo had come into Chiang Mai from Mae Rim (where Jo lives), […]
January 23, 2014 Thursday The first thing Linda and I did today was to return to the Thai Silk Village in the Samkampaeng area east of Chiang Mai. Linda decided that she wanted them to make her a silk jacket. This was a shorter excursion, as we knew exactly what we wanted. After measuring and discussing, they said they would deliver the finished jacket tomorrow at the Tamarind Village where Linda is staying. (Oddly, all […]
January 22, 2014 Wednesday When I had my last two-hour hot stone oil massage with Jang Niyomwong at Loi Kroh Massage, I told Linda about it, and she asked if I could schedule one for her, too. Today was the day. Linda was to be at 1:00 PM, then Jang would take a break and I would be at 3:30 PM. Linda and I walked out Loi Kroh road, outside the moat on the SE […]
January 21, 2014 Tuesday The silk found in the Sunday Night Market and the other local markets is not the best quality, and to keep the price low, often includes other materials, like nylon and cotton. Linda wanted to go to the source, so to speak, where the silk is made, and where the companies sell the highest quality Thai silk. The area east of Chiang Mai known as Samkampaeng is where there are 2 […]
January 20, 2014 Monday Part 3 Wat Palad is a temple in the forest about half way up Doi Suthep. Many, many tourists go up Doi Suthep to visit Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and pass by Wat Palad on the way up and on the way down the mountain. By my estimation talking to the Red Truck drivers, far less then one percent stop and visit Wat Palad. One driver told me that she […]
January 20, 2014 Monday Part 2 After the Bhuping Palace Gardens, Ms. Ying drove us partway down the mountain the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. This temple is often called simply Doi Suthep, and pretty much everyone knows to which temple you are referring. Doi means Mountain or Mount, and Suthep is the name of the mountain. Wat Phra That is the name of the temple that is on Mount Suthep. Wat Phra That Doi […]
James the Intrepid Pilgrim 