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 […]
Sunday, 23 November 2025 Photo excursion to Rock n’ River in the Doi Saket District It seems that many Thai people are pretty taken with TikTok, one of the latest social media crazes. They love taking many photos of themselves posing in interesting or picturesque places. And my friend Mukda is no exception. She works and manages her shop all year, so when friends (like me) come to town, she wants to go on excursions […]
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 […]
Monday, November 17, 2025 Around the Moat 3: North and East I am starting to walk east along the north side of the moat. And, like at the southwest corner, a little of the wall is still intact, seen at the far right of the photo. Wat Lok Molee It looks to be a long walk, but each side of the moat is only about 1.5 kilometers (just under a mile). Less than half way […]
Monday, November 17, 2025 Walk Around the Moat 2: West I am now at the southwest corner of the moat, starting the walk north along the west side. A photo looking north as I start walking northward. A little of the wall remains here, seen on the right of the photo. Over time, a road inside the wall evolved. The city outside the moat had grown up to the moat. Because there was a need, […]
Monday, November 17, 2025 Walk Around the Moat 1: East and South I am back in Chiang Mai for my 13th winter here. I arrived on Sunday, November 16, after leaving Bangkok without any emergency hospital visits, unlike last year. I am writing this entry on Wednesday. In my past 12 winters in Chiang Mai, I experienced exactly one day of rain…not 0, not 2 or more, but only one. Today is the third day […]
Thursday 6 February 2025 Traveling Home and Reflections on My Twelfth Winter in Chiang Mai Traveling Home to the United States Being my last day in Chiang Mai for this winter, I spent a low-key, mellow day on Thursday. First I went to The 3-Sis for my last breakfast because I love the Thai omelet, which is not on the menu at See You Soon. Also, I wanted to bid farewell to the staff at […]
Monday 03 February 2025Afternoon excursion near Mae Rim, Air Diamond Cafe When we were driving north to the Dantewada Waterfall Park, we passed an actual airplane just off the main highway. Mukda said it was a coffee shop but she had never stopped there. On the way back from Dantewada, I suggested that stopping there might be fun. Air Diamond, part of the Black Canyon Coffee chain, is a coffee shop in an actual Airbus […]
Monday 03 February 2025Afternoon excursion near Mae Rim, the waterfall park We left the lake at Huay Teung Thao and headed north, farther from the city of Chiang Mai. We are going to a place with a waterfall or more than one (more photo opportunities), and it is in the district north of Mae Rim called Mae Taeng. The place is the Datewada Waterfall Park, and it was a lot of fun being there and […]
Monday 03 February 2025Afternoon excursion near Mae Rim, lunch on a lake My friend Mukda had told me that on Monday she had to go north of Chiang Mai to pay her business tax and she asked me to come with her. She said there was a nice place where we could have lunch near the provincial tax office. I met at her massage shop and her two massage ladies, Yui and Anna joined us. […]
James the Intrepid Pilgrim 