Winter 2024-2025 in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Thursday 5 December 2024 Seeing the Iron Bridge at night The Iron Bridge in Chiang Mai, known locally as Sapphan Khua Lek, is transformed for the holidays with vibrant decorations. These decorations are installed before Loy Krathong in November and remain on display well after the New Year celebrations. Loy Krathong, one of Thailand’s important festivals, takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar. […]
Tuesday 3 December 2024 A walk to Wat Chai Mongkhon I am in a good routine here in Chiang Mai. I practice yoga at Wild Rose Yoga about three times per week, go to the gym twice weekly for strength training with Ning my personal trainer (her Instagram is pt.ning, she posts several times per day, including a few videos of me). Mornings when I do not have a yoga class or training session, I […]
Saturday 30 November 2024 Returning to Wat Suan Dok a familiar and favorite temple It is the end of November. And November was a very eventful month for me: long travel from Southern California to Bangkok, exploring temples in Bangkok, overnight in a hospital in Bangkok, returning to Chiang Mai, and easing into an exercise routine of exploratory walks, strength training at the gym, and [next week] adding frequent yoga sessions at Wild Rose Yoga. […]
Friday 29 November 2024 Revisiting the Klong Mae Kha One of my continual fascinations is with the Kamphaengdin, the second wall around the eastern and southern parts of the original Chiang Mai walled city. As Chiang Mai grew and expanded outside what we now call “the old city,” to protect the expanded part of the city from flooding, an earth, brick, and clay wall (the Kamphaengdin) was built along the inside of an existing klong, […]
Wednesday 27 November 2024 Walking along the Ping River I wanted to walk along the Ping River to see evidence of the recent floods in Chiang Mai. The floods resulting from heavy storms in late September and early October were the worst in at least 50 years and affected 30 provinces in northern Thailand. As the flood waters receded, the national, provincial, and local governments launched massive cleanup efforts. By October 22, the mayor of […]
Saturday 23 November 2024 Revisiting a favorite temple Wat Chedi Luang Wat Chedi Luang is a very old and important temple to the Thai people. The 3-Sis guesthouse where I stay is directly across the street from Wat Chedi Luang, so I see busses of tourists, many Thai, arriving every day while I am eating breakfast. In years past, I would do my morning meditation at the base of the large chedi before breakfast. When […]
Friday 22 November 2024 Walking the entire circumference of old Chiang Mai For my first full day in Chiang Mai, I thought I would walk the entire circumference of the Chiang Mai old city wall & moat, about 8 kilometers (5 miles). Given my recent experience in Bangkok, I am wearing a hat and carrying water with me. Brief History of the Chiang Mai Wall Chiang Mai was built by King Mengrai in 1296 as […]
Tuesday 19 November 2024 Full Day in Bangkok 5 – Phed Mark and an Adventure This will be a longer post as the “Adventure” requires a longer narrative. Phed Mark A very common dish eaten by Thais is Pad Kaprow (often, including by me, misspelled Pad Krapow with the “r” in the wrong place). Having learned of and coming to like Pad Kaprow over the last couple of years, I thought I would have a […]
Tuesday 19 November 2024 Full Day in Bangkok 4 – Wat Saket Wat Saket the Golden Mount Temple I have been to Wat Saket on one of my first winters in Thailand (about 11 or 12 years ago). I remember well not feeling a strong connection when I visited then. It is a Royal Temple of the Second Class, so considered rather important in the Buddhist Religion in Thailand. Being a 15-minute walk from Wat […]
Tuesday 19 November 2024 One Full Day in Bangkok Part 3 – Wat Suthep Wat Suthep When looking at the list of Thai royal temples of the first class in Bangkok (a short list of ten), I noticed Wat Suthat and realized (1) I had never been there, and (2) it was not terribly far from Wat Pho. Being a Royal Temple of the First Class, my interest was peaked. I learned that the construction […]
Tuesday 19 November 2024 One Full Day in Bangkok Part 2 – Wat Pho Wat Pho Wat Pho is known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, and its official name is Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm Rajwaramahaviharn. Wat Pho is first on the list of ten temples in Thailand classed as royal temples of the first class. Wat Pho was built under the reign of King Rama I in the early 1800s. The most significant […]
Tuesday 19 November 2024One Full Day in Bangkok Part 1 – Wat Arun My plans for today will be very similar to my one full day in Bangkok last year, so this post will be quite similar to that from last year and years past when I was only in Bangkok for one full day. Bangkok is a large city, about the size of Los Angeles with twice as many people. It has a frenetic […]
James the Intrepid Pilgrim 