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 […]
Monday 15 December 2025 Returning to an important historic temple Continuing my walk west on Suthep Road, eventually I came to the historic Wat Suan Dok. The temple campus is also the home of a university. Several of the more significant and large temples also have a four-year, accredited university on their campus. So, while frequently very quiet and peaceful, at times, the temple area is quite busy. The English translation of the name is […]
Monday 15 December 2025 Sights along the way walking to an historic temple, Wat Suan Dok Feeling the need for a little adventure before diving back into frequent yoga practice and strength training, I decided to take a walk out to see Wat Suan Dok again. Along the way there are also a couple of things I always check out. Monument to the Three Kings In the very center on the old city of Chiang […]
Wednesday 10 December 2025 Last day chillin’ in the village of Thai Mueang Thai Mueang is a small village on the Andaman coast in Phang Nga Province about 60 kilometers north of the Phuket airport. Now a small village, Thai Mueang was once a thriving a hub for a large tin mining operation in the 1950s through the 1980s. When the tin mining ended, most people left, leaving a quiet beachside village. This is a […]
Sunday 30 November 2025 Returning to hike the Monks Trail to Wat Phalad The Monks Trail is a hiking trail from a little west of Chiang Mai University to Wat Phalad. The trail continues from Wat Phalad to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. The first section to Wat Phalad takes 45 minutes to an hour, and is definitely uphill, but not terribly difficult. The second section from Wat Phalad to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep […]
Monday, 1 December 2025 Almost abandoned temple near Suan Prung Gate It seemed to be time for a haircut, so after a strength-training session with Ning at Pump Fitness, I walked to Suan Prung Gate. The Samlaan Barber I see is a very short distance inside the gate. Wat Phuak Hong, The Temple of Swans, is what I call a small, local temple, seldom visited by tourists and primarily for the people living nearby. I […]
Monday, 5 December 2025 Another forgotten temple, standalone chedi north of Chiang Mai North of the old walled city of Chiang Mai, on the road leading north from Chang Phuak Gate lies the remains of Wat Pan Sat. This little‑known temple dates back to the 14th century, a time when the Mengrai Kingdom flourished across Lanna (northern Thailand). All that remains of Wat Pan Sat today is the chedi, a classic Lanna‑style stupa. Its square base rises into […]
Friday, 28 November 2025 Return to Wat Pan Tao across the street Wat Pan Tao Directly beside the famous Wat Chedi Luang on on Prapokkloa Road is Wat Pan Tao (sometimes spelled Wat Phan Tao), a very old temple in Chiang Mai. It was originally founded in the 14th century as a living quarters for the monks of Wat Chedi Luang. The name Wat Pan Tao is said to translate to “temple of 1000 kilns” […]
Friday 28 November 2025 Return to Wat Chedi Luang across the street There are about 30,000 Buddhist temples in Thailand. Of those, 34 are listed as “Royal Temples,” divided into classes: 1 in Special Class, 19 First Class, 6 Second Class, and 9 Third Class. The special Class temple is Wat Phra Kaew in the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Of those 34 temples, only 3 are in Chiang Mai: Wat Phra Singh (first class), Wat […]
Tuesday, 25 November 2025 Returning to walk the Hai Ya District of Chiang Mai The Hai Ya district of Chiang Mai lies south of the old walled city. This is an area where many silversmiths settled and still work. Since the cold I have had is easing, and the day is warm but not hot, I went for a walk to the Hai Ya district. Part of my motivation was to see the progress on […]
Saturday, 22 November 2025 Grandiose, elaborate temple in rural Chiang Mai Province Note: This is a long post with many photos of this elaborate, ornate temple. Wat Sri Don Moon History Wat Sri Don Moon is in the rural Saraphi district of southern Chiang Mai Province. The temple has something of an interesting history. Not more dramatic than many temples in northern Thailand, but a history with some ups and downs. There is no evidence […]
James the Intrepid Pilgrim 