James the Intrepid Pilgrim

Further Reflections on My Month in Thailand Last winter (2014-2015) I have been home from Chiang Mai for six months. Reflecting on my last winter in Chiang Mai, I have similar thoughts to those I posted five months ago: (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; […]

Reflections and Impressions on Another Winter in Chiang Mai I have been home for four weeks now, and reflecting on my recent month in Chiang Mai, the first thoughts are that (1) it was different than I had expected, and (2) unexpected things occurred that changed the experience; not making it better or worse, just presenting different experiences. I did not have firm expections; my hope was that I would do yoga, visit temples including […]

Sunday, 25 January 2015  The Journey Home I am reminded again of one of my favorite quotations, a sentiment often made, and very well-said by the following, the last line in the book Up Country by Nelson DeMille: The journey home is never a direct route; it is, in fact, always circuitous, and somewhere along the way, we discover that the journey is more significant than the destination, and that the people we meet along the […]

Friday 24 January 2015  Last Day Walk Last night in the lobby of the 3-Sis Guest House, I met a brother and sister from Washington State (my home state), and I saw them again today at breakfast. They are just starting a short leisure visit to Chiang Mai after couple weeks of business elsewhere in SE Asia. I told them of my plans to visit a few of my favorite temples being that this was […]

Friday, 23 January 2015  Last Full Day (?) This is my last full day in Chiang Mai. All right, that is not quite true, because tomorrow the plane does not leave until 11:55 PM, so on one hand that is a full day, but I’ll only have a room until noon, and will leave 3-Sis for the airport at 8:30 PM. It is close to a full day, and today, Friday, is my last full […]

Thursday, 22 January 2015  A Silk Factory and A Textile Exhibition My Thai friend Jo picked me up at 3-Sis at 9:30 and we were off to the Samkampaeng area east of the old city to the Jolie Femme Thai Silk Factory. The making of silk has a long history in Thailand. My understanding is that the making of silk in northern Thailand had dissipated in the twentieth century. After the war in the late […]

Wednesday, 21 January 2015  Walking to Wat Suan Dok Again It is a bit of a long walk, but I wanted to return to Wat Suan Dok. Wat Suan Dok is a large temple out near Chiang Mai University. The term “Suan Dok” means Flower Garden. This area outside the wall was for a long time the royal flower gardens, thus the gate on the west side of the wall is Suan Dok Gate, and […]

Wednesday, 21 January 2015  Revisiting Temples Across the Street Wat Chedi Luang is across the street from the 3-Sis Guest House, where I am a staying. I do my morning meditation at the foot of the large chedi in the back area of the property (pictures in previous posts). The city pillar is also located at Wat Chedi Luang. Most cities in Thailand have a city pillar housed in a shrine. The shrine is believed […]

Monday, 19 January 2015  Elephants and the Flower Market After seeing Wat Kate Karam, I was headed across the Mae Ping River to the Warorot Market and the Flower Market. Going towards the bridge, I passed a shop in front of which is a large colorfully painted elephant. It is almost two meters high. Quite noticeable. I went into the shop. They are an outlet for a project called Elephant Parade to help save the […]

Sunday, 18 January 2015  A Lazy Sunday Sunday was a kind of lazy day, at least as far as walking around old Chiang Mai city. I met my friend Aaron at 3-Sis for lunch, and we walked down to the Khao Soi place a little way behind the Three Kings Monument. not really wanting more spicy food, I had just chicken with rice. The Northern Thai dish Khao Soi can be very spicy. It is […]

Friday, 16 January 2015  Afternoon / Evening After visiting Nimmanhaemin Road, on my walk back to 3-Sis, I stopped again at Wat Phra Singh. It was suggested that I take a look at the old, smaller viharn (worship hall) in the back and view the old paintings on the inside walls. There are always crowds at Wat Phra Singh, just like at Wat Chedi Luang. I made my way past the large viharn, back by […]

Friday, 16 January 2015  Nimmanhaemin Road, Shopper’s Paradise A very popular place for shopping is Nimmanheamin Road, outside the old city, about half a mile from the northwest corner of the wall. I have never been to Nimmanhaemin Road, and decided to check it out. If there is shopping, there has to be food. so at the worst, I should have a good lunch. It is quite a hike out to Nimmanhaemin Road, perhaps a […]