Tuesday 17 December 2024 A birthday hike to Wat Phalad on the Monks Trail Today is the 121st anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, USA on 17 December 1903. Their first flight was 12 seconds covering 120 feet at a speed of 6.8 miles per hour, and on their fourth flight that day, they covered over 850 feet in 59 seconds. I contemplate this when I am in an […]
Thursday 19 December 2024 The Labyrinth at Wat Jedlin I walk by Wat Jedlin almost every day when going to Wild Rose Yoga or to Pump Fitness 2.0 for strength training with PT Ning. Every holiday season there is a labyrinth set up in the parking area of Wat Jedlin. And every year a different labyrinth is built. Walking back from a workout with Ning, I stopped to see this year’s labyrinth. I’ll cover more […]
Thursday 12 December 2024 Wat Sriping Mueng in the Hai Ya district After seeing the Klong Mae Kha renovation project, I headed west along See Ping Muang Road Soi 4, the only east-west road outside the Klong Mae Kha near me. This is larger than most sois (like Suriyawong Alley is a road, not an alley) and a little busier than I had expected. This will connect with See Ping Muang Road, then I can […]
Thursday 12 December 2024 South of Chiang Mai Old City and Wat Yang Kuang Revisiting Wat Yang Kuang in the Hai Ya sub-district of Chiang Mai. I was walking south down Suriyawong Alley. After passing the two old standalone chedis (see my previous blog post), I came to the entrance of Wat Yang Kuang, sometimes written as Wat Yang Guang. There are two entrances, an old pedestrian entrance, and an entrance into which cars can […]
Thursday 12 December 2024 A walk south of Chiang Mai Old City Returning to the Hai Ya sub-district of Chiang Mai, south of the old city. Started the day with a strength training session with personal trainer Ning. Ning is very experienced, having been a personal trainer for more than 12 years. She posts short videos on Instagram of her and clients in the gym, including a few of me (Ning’s Instagram is pt.ning). After […]
Friday 6 December 20204Three temples in Chiang Mai Old City Wat Lam Chang Leaving Wat Chiang Man and turning right on Ratchapakhina Road, Wat Lam Chang is only about 80 meters away. Its name translates to “Temple of the Tethered Elephant,” derived from its historical location where the royal elephants were housed and fed in medieval times. These elephants were used to carry members of the royal household and were very unlikely to have been […]
Friday 6 December 20204Three temples in Chiang Mai Old City Wat Chiang Man Leaving Wat Saen Muang Ma, I went east through a soi (Ratchapakhina Soi 1) connecting Prapokklao Road and Ratchapakhina Road, two of the major north-south roads in the old city. I was happy that I had missed another connecting soi, because that one (Prapokklao Soi 13) is home to several “soi dogs,” dogs that live in the sois and are fed by […]
Friday 6 December 20204 Three temples in Chiang Mai Old City Walk in the north of the old city I had no yoga class or strength training scheduled today, so something of a rest day. I decided to revisit three temples to which I have been many times in the north half of the Chiang Mai Old City. There are at least 50 temples in the approximately mile-square Old City so there are probably many […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
James the Intrepid Pilgrim 