Sunday 8 December 2024 Changklan Road and the Flood Area Sunday walk to see remaining flood damage Being not quite as hot this morning, I thought it would be interesting to walk down the two roads close to the Mae Ping River south and east of the old city. This area was more than 2 or 3 feet deep with water during the floods of late October and early November. I had seen this area […]
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 […]
Thursday 5 December 2024 Seeing the Iron Bridge at night The Iron Bridge in Chiang Mai, known locally as Sapphan Khua Lek, is transformed for the holidays with vibrant decorations. These decorations are installed before Loy Krathong in November and remain on display well after the New Year celebrations. Loy Krathong, one of Thailand’s important festivals, takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar. […]
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. […]
Friday 29 November 2024 Revisiting the Klong Mae Kha One of my continual fascinations is with the Kamphaengdin, the second wall around the eastern and southern parts of the original Chiang Mai walled city. As Chiang Mai grew and expanded outside what we now call “the old city,” to protect the expanded part of the city from flooding, an earth, brick, and clay wall (the Kamphaengdin) was built along the inside of an existing klong, […]
Wednesday 27 November 2024 Walking along the Ping River I wanted to walk along the Ping River to see evidence of the recent floods in Chiang Mai. The floods resulting from heavy storms in late September and early October were the worst in at least 50 years and affected 30 provinces in northern Thailand. As the flood waters receded, the national, provincial, and local governments launched massive cleanup efforts. By October 22, the mayor of […]
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 […]
Friday 22 November 2024 Walking the entire circumference of old Chiang Mai For my first full day in Chiang Mai, I thought I would walk the entire circumference of the Chiang Mai old city wall & moat, about 8 kilometers (5 miles). Given my recent experience in Bangkok, I am wearing a hat and carrying water with me. Brief History of the Chiang Mai Wall Chiang Mai was built by King Mengrai in 1296 as […]
Tuesday 19 November 2024 Full Day in Bangkok 5 – Phed Mark and an Adventure This will be a longer post as the “Adventure” requires a longer narrative. Phed Mark A very common dish eaten by Thais is Pad Kaprow (often, including by me, misspelled Pad Krapow with the “r” in the wrong place). Having learned of and coming to like Pad Kaprow over the last couple of years, I thought I would have a […]
James the Intrepid Pilgrim 