Chiang Mai- a very walkable old town

Chiang Mai is very accessible - we explored the old city on foot and there were lots to see.  The most gratifying thing was discovering an old temple on our own and also seeing the beautiful wood interior of another. What a nice change from all the shiny gold and glitz of the crowded new temples. 

But of course, one cannot come to Chiang Mai and not visit the famous Wat Phratat Doi Suthep, the golden temple at the top of the mountain. So we joined the crowds, many of whom were as weary as we were although many also were there as devout buddhists, kneeling for their blessings. We were also taken to a well-stocked jade wholesaler strategically situated beside the famous temple. The articulate lady owner gave us an informative spiel on the precious stone, enough to sell some members of the group on it anyway. 

We explored the old town afterwards and enjoyed a delicious mango dessert at a store - a refreshing break in the afternoon heat although the exquisite quiet of the old wooden temple was in fact very soothing for the soul. The moat that went all the way around the old town was very pleasant, lined with trees on both sides. It wasn't difficult to walk along it under the shade and it also served as a road sign for us guiding us back to our hotel.

The tour also took us to a huge tourist shop selling decorative umbrellas and fans - there were artisans there doing instant art for your cellphone cover or T-shirt. And they were quite amazing. 

The stay in Chiang Mai ended with a delicious homemade dinner at a private home in a beautiful teak house. We were given a tour afterwards and the owner/chef even showed us his ancestral collection. It was a perfect end to a visit in a historical city (Chiang Mai was founded as the capital of the old Lan Na kingdom in 1296).

This marks the end of our Thailand trip.  Thanks for coming along on the journey.

The tree-lined moat of the old own

Wat Suan Dorg - the first temple we visited in Chiang Mai

Entrance to temple

Not a lot of visitors - it was early in the day

Time for consultation and a blessing with holy water

Entrance to the Wat Phratat Doi Suthep

Crowd waiting near the entrance

Entrance to one of the many chapels

Blessings inside

An exquisite carved candelabra

The golden dome

Row of bells leading to the chapel

Row of buddhas - a repeated at every temple

Jade artisanal shop carving demonstration. This master carver created pieces for the king.

A piece of multi-coloured jade carved into a lion

View of the moat from the park just inside the old city wall

This seemed to be an old wood temple no longer in use - we just happened to bump into it...

Wat Phan Tao - another old wood temple built with teak from the 14th century

Dark teak wood pillars on the inside of Wat Phan Tao - what a different atmosphere

Wat Phan Tao on the outside

This is another temple we found on our walk - much newer and busier. But note the dragons at the entrance are in the same style as the pair at the old disused temple.

The entrance to the artisan shop

Decorated umbrellas

Phone cover decorated on the spot

T-shirt decorated & signed (under an hour)

The best was encountering this on the above a streetside restaurant

Teak house where we had our farewell dinner

Between Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai

Just outside of Chiang Rai, we visited the Karen Long Neck Hill tribe, originally refugees from Myanmar now living in Thailand. The women wore silver collars that kept their necks long. There are a lot of controversy surrounding the use of these tribes as tourist attractions. While we don't know who got the money from the tour company for our visit, we did make purchases of scarves woven by these women and hope to help them in some small measure.

On the way to Chiang Mai, we also had lunch at an Orchid Garden with a butterfly conservatory.  The orchids were attractively displayed although limited in terms of variety. There were a lot of butterflies though and you can see some of them below.

We also visited an elephant sanctuary outside of Chiang Mai where we were assured the elephants were humanely treated. There were a lot of interaction with the elephants, especially in the water where some in the group washed and played with the elephants. I just took photos.  :-)

Chiang Mai has a huge night market, selling everything from clothing, housewares, knickknacks, electronics to food of various kinds. Many people just ate as they walk although there were also large areas where you could sit down as in a food court. It was just bustling at night and there were miles and miles of stalls. 

Hill tribe village

Village Houses

 

Long neck women weaving scarves

They started wearing the rings as children

This one is not wearing a collar, not sure if she was from the tribe but the merchandise she was selling were certainly not done locally.

View of the pineapple fields and the mountains beyond from the village

An exotic looking flower

The orchid garden

This one had a damaged wing

The elephants loved the water and were very playful while in the river

Washing each other

This one was very adept with the money

 Street food market

Grilled crocodile meat

Next post: Chiang Mai temples