Wednesday 11 February 2026 Last day of my 13th Winter in Chiang Mai My 13th winter in Chiang Mai has come to the last day. Late tonight I leave flying from Chiang Mai to Seoul/Incheon, then to Los Angeles. Last night I had dinner with John and Rose at Bella Madre Pizza across the Ping River from the old city of Chiang Mai. Bella Madre has excellent pizza with a delicious sourdough crust. Night Before […]
Thursday 5 February 2026 Wat Phalad and hiking down the Monks Trail It is a hot afternoon. Temperatures in Chiang Mai gradually increase through February and March, culminating in March and April being the hottest months. Because we would be going up Doi Suthep in the afternoon, and the temperature will be over 32 C (90 F), it was too hot to hike up the Monks Trail, and especially all the way to Wat Phra […]
Thursday 5 February 2026 Up the mountain to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep There is a very important temple, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, on a mountain west of Chiang Mai. This temple is very important to the Thai people, and is a Royal Temple of the Second Class, of which there are only six in Thailand. Of the 40,000 active Buddhist temples in Thailand, less than 300 are listed as “Royal Temples” of the […]
Monday 2 February 2026 Another visit to the so-called Silver Temple Much of my time in Chiang Mai is very solitary. I do talk to friends at the guest house where I stay, I talk to friends at Wild Rose Yoga, I talk to my trainer Ning at the gym, and occasionally share time at dinner with other friends. When I visit temples, hike up the Monks Trail, and walk around the city, I am […]
Thursday 29 January 2026 Revisiting an old favorite temple in Hang Dong District During my first or possibly my second winter in Chiang Mai, I got to visit a unique temple. A Thai lady who is long-time friend-of-a-friend had retired and moved back to Mae Rim where she grew up. She and I connected during my visit and she showed me what she considered some special sights. Back then, I knew very little about Chiang […]
Tuesday 13 January 2026 Revisiting the closest temple to Tha Phae Gate Wat Dok Kham is a small temple very close to Tha Phae Gate, so many tourists who are in the area visit the temple. I can find almost no history on the internet about this temple. The temple grounds are small. And because the viharn door is so close to the sidewalk and the road, what would be the main entrance, on the […]
Saturday 10 January 2026 The “White Castle” temple in the Hang Dong District of Chiang Mai Thailand has 77 provinces. Chiang Mai Province in northern Thailand is relatively large, and includes 25 districts. The Hang Dong District of Chiang Mai province is a large, rural district south and west of Chiang Mai city (although there are other larger districts). Here is a map of the districts of Chiang Mai Province. Number 1, “Mueang” is the […]
Wednesday 14 January 2026 Visiting an important but very quiet temple Walking back to The 3-Sis through the sois (a soi is a small road, smaller than a road, larger than an alley, perhaps a “lane”) after getting a haircut at Samlaan Barber (my favorite barber), I found myself on Ratchamanka Soi 6. And I came upon a temple that is something of an “old friend.” I have visited Wat Phra Chao Mengrai many times […]
Sunday 4 January 2026 Back to the main part of Chiang Mai after seeing the Railway Station After walking from central Chiang Mai to the Railway Station, then along the railway yards, and finally crossing the railway, I am now headed back towards central Chiang Mai. I am walking west along a local road, Rat Uthit Road, towards an access road to get to Chiang Mai-Lamphun Road, the main highway between (you guessed it) Chiang […]
Sunday 4 January 2026 Returning to the Railway Station Walk It is Sunday and I have no yoga, no strength training, and no hikes on my schedule. I decided to take a long walk to the railway station, revisiting the same walk I made the last two winters. I’ll break this into three or four posts, in an attempt to follow my New Year’s resolution to make more frequent and shorter posts. [And I am […]
Monday 29 December 2025 A Day in the Life … Me in Chiang Mai … there are many days. Reflecting on my life here in Chiang Mai, a recurring question that surfaced during my early winters—when I spent a month or more here—still echoes: “you were there for a month; what did you do every day?” That memory precipitated the thought that I might make more frequent and shorter blog posts, more like when I made […]
Monday 15 December 2025 Return to an important Chiang Mai temple, Wat Phra Singh A note: I am much delayed in this blog post. While my life in Chiang Mai seem simple, I have gotten very busy lately. I practice yoga at Wild Rose Yoga at least three times weekly, there is strength training at the gym with Ning twice per week, coffee and meals with friends, and exploring. But all of that is may […]
James the Intrepid Pilgrim 