Saturday January 6, 2018 First Walk Around the Wall/Moat Chiang Mai was built starting in 1296 as a walled city, also with a moat around it. The earth excavated from the moat was used as the foundation for the wall, ultimately covered in brick. Some, less than half, of the wall still exists, and almost all of the moat still exists. The wall is approximately square, about 1.5 kilometers on a side or about one […]
Sunday 31 December 2017 The Lanterns of New Year’s Celebrations One of the things Thailand is famous for is the lantern festival in November and also the lanterns used in the New Year’s celebrations in various parts of Thailand. And in Chiang Mai, there are hundreds of lanterns floated into the sky on New Year’s Eve. Here is a picture of a few of the lanterns in the sky – this was early in the […]
New Year’s Eve Sunday, 31 December 2017 Today was my first full day in Chiang Mai. And it is New Year’s Eve. There is much celebration as the tourists and Thai people prepare for and start their new year’s celebrations and events both inside and outside the old city. The word “Chiang” in the city name historically meant “walled city.” In the thirteenth century, King Mengrai built a walled city to the north called Chiang […]
Thursday 28-December 2017 The other half of Wat Pho While Wat Arun is being guarded by two giant yak nature-spirits, Wat Pho is guarded by two of what looks to be wise men. Not as fierce or aggressive-looking as the yaks, but they are there guarding the temple every day. Wat Pho is most known as the temple of the Reclining Buddha. That is only one part of Wat Pho. Wat Pho is also significant […]
Thursday 28 December 2017 The journey from Los Angeles to Bangkok: On my travel to Chiang Mai, Thailand, I am spending two nights including one full day in Bangkok to recover from the long travel day and enjoy a few of my favorite sights in Bangkok. Bangkok is a large and almost chaotic city with twice as many people as Los Angeles in a space the size of Los Angeles. It is winter in Thailand […]
Friday, January 20, 2017 Second Hike up Doi Suthep, Wat Phalad, and Thich Nhat Hanh After a class at Wild Rose Yoga a couple of days ago I met Elliott and Amy, a couple from San Diego, now living and teaching in China. They are here in Chiang Mai doing rock climbing, yoga, and wanted to see the temple Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. I told them hiking up the mountain was a possibility, and […]
Wednesday, January 18, 2017 Wat Srisuphan, The “Silver Temple” Today I took a long walk around the circumference of the wall/moat outlining the old city of Chiang Mai. This is about a 6 kilometer or 4 mile walk. At Chiang Mai Gate on the south, I headed south down Wualai Road, really more of a southwest diagonal road, to visit Wat Srisuphan, the so-called “Silver Temple.” To the south of Chiang Mai Gate along Wualai […]
Monday, January 16, 2017 Return Visit to Wat Lok Molee One of my favorite temples is Wat Lok Molee, I think this is one of the most beautiful temples in Chiang Mai. This temple is right along the moat, on the north end about 500 meters east of the northwest corner of the wall, Hua Line Corner. Wat Lok Molee is often overlooked by tourists even though it is so easily accessible and even close […]
Saturday, January 14, 2017 Hiking up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Part 3 A Visit to the Hmong Hill Tribe Village After spending time visiting the temple at Doi Suthep, and descending the 309-step Naga Stairway, we were ready for the hike down. As we passed the lines of taxi-trucks, there were signs advertising going up higher on the mountain to the Bhuping Palace Garden (the gardens owned by the Royal Family) and to […]
Saturday, January 14, 2017 Hiking up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Part 2 The second part of the hike is up a long, steep climbing hiking trail through the jungle to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep much of which is steeper than climbing stairs. The day was warm and humid, and I was sweating heavily. The trail goes along a set of power lines that serve the temple at the top. It may be […]
Saturday, January 14, 2017 Hiking up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Part 1 Today Tom Dickson, a friend from Sydney, Australia, and I are are hiking up Doi Suthep to the temple near the top of the mountain. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep This temple is often called “Doi Suthep,” although that is the name of the mountain on which it is located. Doi means mountain, and Suthep is the name of the mountain. […]
Friday, January 13, 2017 Around the Northeast Corner of the Old City All signs indicate that we are having a break from the dark cloudy and rainy days. Today is bright and sunny, but very humid. After breakfast, I then went off to yoga at Wild Rose. At Wild Rose, I saw Tom Dickson, a friend from Sydney, Australia whom I met last year at Wild Rose, and with whom I made a number of […]
James the Intrepid Pilgrim 