Thailand Travels

Last Days: Chiang Mai

2010-03-24T00:52:00.000-07:00

Please note: If you want to follow my journey in Thailand from start to finish, please go to the bottom of this page and click "older posts," and go back to the beginning.
We end this part of our journey where we began: Chiang Mai. Back in the old city for 4 days, we enjoyed wandering the alleyways, exploring markets and temples, eating at street stalls and relaxing with 2 hour Thai massages (costing $7Aus). We went to the largest temple in Chiang Mai to meditate alongside about 40 chanting monks.....quite a powerful experience! I also did a 1/2 day Thai massage course, learning some techniques for the back of the body.

We stayed in a quaint guesthouse right in the centre of the old city and our room looked out at the temple across the street. The Thai woman who owns the place, Pat, created a beautiful serene environment with crystals and water features. We felt the warm, loving energy the moment we walked into the place. I had many interesting chats with Pat while we were there and bought a special crystal from her.

On our second day there, as I was just about to leave the lobby to return to our room, I heard a familiar voice asking the receptionist if she could use the internet.....I turned to look and met eyes with Fleur, a South African girl I had met last year at the permaculture course in Australia! She stayed with Tony and I during her Australian travels. Such a small world! We ended up having a few meals together, swapping books and catching up on all our travel experiences. She was on the last leg of her year away and will head back to Cape Town in a week to pursue permaculture.

So, today we flew to Kuala Lumpa and are staying the night in a hotel at the airport. Tomorrow we fly to Borneo to visit the orangutans! Can't wait! Check out the new blog for this part of the trip. Click on my profile at the right and scroll down to the blogs.....see you there!

Wat Rong Khun or The White Temple

2010-03-23T02:52:00.000-07:00

Six kilometres south of Chiang Rai is this most amazing modern white Buddhist temple, created by a rather eccentric visual artist, Chalermchai Kositpipat in 1999. His work depicts the nature of Buddha: white for his purity and the reflective mirrored glass for Buddha's wisdom.

Tony being greeted by the artist himself! He spent about one million US dollars from proceeds of sales from his paintings, which are on exhibit in a separate hall.

As you walk over a bridge to the temple gateway, there are hundreds of grasping hands pleading for help from each side of the floor. I assume this represents Hell. Menacing looking devils guard each side of the temple gates. Then as you walk up the bridge, you notice a pond with water fountains, before passing through the entrance to the Temple itself, with a huge statute of Buddha meditating. All around the walls are modern depictions of Buddha's teachings. There are images of the twin towers collapsing, space ships, mobile phones and Superman. We stood and examined the murals for ages as we saw more and more interesting icons of our modern world. Photos were not allowed inside, so you will have to use your imagination.

The Golden Triangle

2010-03-22T07:22:00.000-07:00

Not much to see really except the Mekong River and a few river banks, boats and a some fishermen.

Maybe that's why they built a huge Buddha and an amusement park right on the Thai bank, so tourists would have something to enjoy.

Tham Luang Caves

2010-03-22T07:12:00.000-07:00

Only 6 kilometers from Mae Sai is a group of 3 caves, and because we weren't tired of exploring caves yet, we decided to have a look. The main large cave goes for several kilometers; I think we trekked about 300 metres and I got claustrophobic and suddenly had to get back out to the light!

Can you see the group of people in this formation???

How about this angel or old monk with his staff???

Mae Sai, Thailand's Northern most tip.

2010-03-22T06:59:00.000-07:00

We called this our pixie house! It was actually quite spacious inside and overlooked the Mae Sai River and Myanmar (Burma) on the opposite shore.

A chilly morning on the Mae Sai river. This is our trusty little Toyota Vios.

On the Left is Myanmar; on the right Thailand. Notice the rubbish on the Myanmar side.....we witnessed people throwing bags of garbage over their fences straight into the river! Also, their grey water pipes emptied into the water. Thailand has a pretty good recycling system and the people are educated about keeping the place clean.

Royal summer palace gardens (near Mae Sai)

2010-03-22T06:49:00.000-07:00

What a surprise we got when we traversed yet another mountainous track and came upon these beautiful gardens! At the age of 80 and with her own finances, the king's late mother (Princess Mother) built a beautiful holiday retreat in the mountains. She had a love for embroidery and gardening, so she commissioned these incredible gardens using labour from the local hilltribes, thus encouraging them to participate in something other than the opium trade. She obviously was a socially conscious woman and has left an incredible legacy.

The gardens and palace are between Mae Salong and Mae Sai.

Picking Tea in Mae Salong

2010-03-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

Candied fruit and a free toilet! What more could you ask for?

Akha Hilltribes Educational Village

2010-03-22T06:14:00.000-07:00

Learning some dance steps of the Akha Hilltribe women.

The Akha people originated from Tibet and China and migrated south to Thailand when the Communists persecuted them. They live in mountainous regions and farm the land. They were one of the tribes that grew opium, but the Thai government has encouraged new crops and tourism as alternatives. Tony and I decided not to trek into the hilltribe villages because we felt uncomfortable wandering into their space like so many tourists now do. Instead we opted for a village that was set up by a non profit community development association. The Akha people do live there (you'll see the inside of one home), but they control the whole thing and they receive the proceeds from the entrance fees.

Weaving cotton.

Their homes are simple, dark inside and make our houses look like royal palaces.

The Kitchen

Sleeping quarters for the mother and children. The husband had a similar space next door.

A satellite dish, looking a little out of place next to the meager house we just looked at. Television is the one luxury they have in these modern times. If you look closely, you will see 2 fish being dried on a stick on the dish!Pork anyone????

Budhha Rock Carvings

2010-03-22T02:46:00.000-07:00

Carvings we spotted along the road......there was a cave and temple attached but it was after 5pm and it had closed.

Chiang Rai Caves

2010-03-22T02:39:00.000-07:00

Next to the "beach" we found a cave used as a temple: Tum Phra. One of the monks actually lives in the cave (you could see his washing and dishes etc). It had some statutes dating back a few hundred years. This cave had great energy and was lovely and cool compared to the hot humid day outside.

I decided to help the monk by sweeping his kitchen/laundry area!

Another smaller cave had this monk statute in it.

Chiang Rai Beach!

2010-03-22T02:29:00.000-07:00

Chiang Rai is another smallish city, so we explored out of the way places. We found what the Thai's call a "beach." It was on the river's edge and as they are heading into spring/summer when the heat waves hit, local vendors set up stalls along the river and the place is apparently packed on the weekends.

A restaurant on the river!

Building bamboo structures along the "beach" area or vendors to sell food and drinks.

Chiang Dao Cave

2010-03-22T02:04:00.000-07:00

After spending the night in Pai, we had to drive the notorious mountain road back to the main highway and then on to Chiang Dao, where we went to a fantastic cave.

Is it just me, or can you see some faces in these cave walls??

Pai, Northwest Thailand

2010-03-22T01:35:00.000-07:00

One of many hazzards on Thai roads! If you look on the map (below), we drove on Hwy 107 and turned on Hwy 1095 and drove as far as the Hot Springs (which we didn't go to because it is a commercialised swimming pool, not what we wanted). I'm not sure why Pai is not on the map because it's a big place. We went there because a lot of people recommended it. We liked it once we got there, but it took 1 1/2 hours of driving up and over a mountain on a winding, steep road and I ended up car sick. We found a neat place to stay the night.

Our bungalow at Pai Farm

Quite serene, overlooking the fish pond. Tony had a great time fishing......caught a couple of big catfish, of which he was most proud!

The library and eating area for the organic restaurant. They grew veggies right there at the farm.

Just outside of Pai was a Chinese village, settled with refugees during the revolution.

We enjoyed a cup of Chinese tea in a traditional tea shop. It brought back fond memories of our China experience.

Building a new shop in the Chinese village.

Golden Triangle Adventure

2010-03-21T03:30:00.001-07:00

We're back in Chiang Mai after spending 6 days on the road, traveling north into the Golden Triangle (where Thailand, Burma and Laos meet at the Mekong River.) Tony drove the1000 kms. Once we got out of the city areas, it was just like driving at home, except the big 4 X 4's that constantly flew past us, crossing double lines and coming close to head on collisions with several buses. We didn't see any radar or police on the road, except for a few checkpoints, where we got waved through. We think they were looking for illegal border crosser's, as they glanced in the back seat each time. It was nice having a car and being independent (and not taking an organised tour which we both find too tiring and confining). It allowed us to stop and buy sticky rice from road side stalls or to veer off the beaten track to some different places.
Stay tuned for photos. I'm having trouble uploading today, so will try again tomorrow!

Pun Pun Organic Farm

2010-03-13T01:53:00.000-08:00

Pun Pun means a thousand varieties and was the name given to a seed saving farm in Northern Thailand. In my last post(see below), I talked about the cooking course we did at Pun Pun.The group of people living there are dedicated to saving seeds that are mainly indigenous to the area. Mud brick buildings dot the property and there's even 2 coffee shops, one where we had a latte with coconut milk! Sweet and Yummy! Inside both coffee shops, you will find earthen couches with soft mats and cushions, books and lots of interesting small handmade trinkets. It's all a bit rustic, but I loved it.

There were veggie patches scattered around the property, intermingled with banana and papaya trees.

This is the communal meeting room where we did yoga every morning and ate breakfast. They also hold communityplanning meetings here. The pic on the right is taken from inside, where the cat enjoyed the morning sun.

One of the coffee shops. The couch is made from mud!

Papaya and banana trees.

The other coffee shop, all made from mud bricks. And inside the shop, is a very cosy room for reading and chatting over a coconut milk latte.

This is the new restaurant half way through its construction. A group of 20 interns, learning about earthen building, took 6 weeks to complete the restaurant to this stage. Below are some pics of the mud bricks, made from red dirt from the property, rice husks and straw.

Some pics of earthen huts and homes at Pun Pun.

Thai Cooking Course

2010-03-12T20:17:00.000-08:00

Cashew and Tofu Stirfry

One and a half hours drive North of Chiang Mai is Pun Pun Organic Farm and Cooking School. Krit is our host and is full of passion for the environment, growing organic vegies and fruit, teaching yoga and cooking traditional Thai cuisine. Our classroom was an open air kitchen, and in an atmosphere of fun and frivolity, we learned to prepare 11 delicious dishes, all made from organic produce. Krit even showed us how to make soy milk and tofu.

Delicious spring rolls! So fresh, full of goodness.

Preparations for Sweet and Sour Vegies

Mango and Sticky Rice! Yumm! Loved this one!

Pad Thai

Making papaya salad.

Krit and his assistant, Wen. (I called her Santa's helper because she miraculously prepared all the ingredients so we just had to show up)

Surrounding countryside.....quite smokey while we were there. It's the dry season, so a lot of farmers burn off and we were told that some locals actually burn in the national park (illegally) so that they can chase and shoot the wild boars (to eat). We did hear shotgun fire one night. Most nights we could hear the crackling of fire and at times it sounded like explosions; this was from the bamboo alighting.

Happy Birthday!

2010-03-12T19:29:00.000-08:00

March 11 was my birthday! We arrived at Chiang Mai River House at noon and the beautiful owner, Amarin, presented us with a plate of luscious fruit that we quickly devoured as we sat on the deck overlooking the river. A week earlier, Tony and I had unexpectedly ended up at "The World's Largest Jewelry Store," thinking we were going to a village where we could watch silver smiths and jewelers at their trade. We just so happened to see an amethyst ring that fit me perfectly, and since amethyst is my birthstone and it was approaching the 11th, we decided this was one of those serendipitous moments and bought the ring.

And this is where I spent the afternoon on my birthday! Wearing my new ring, feeling pretty relaxed and happy, reading a good book and drinking tea! Ahhhh, how much better does it get?!

Later that day as we walked along the riverbank to the markets, we came upon a mass of sunflowers and I thought to myself: "These really express how I feel right now: happy, bright and alive! Thank you sunflowers!!

Chiang Mai Zoo

2010-03-12T19:07:00.000-08:00

For a change of pace, we headed off to the zoo for a few hours......as far as zoos go, it was pretty nice, with animals roaming in large enclosures surrounded by beautiful gardens.

From the graceful and delicate......

To the downright scary!

From the inquisitive and perceptive.....

To the prominent and lofty!

But our favourite of all was the baby panda, born in Aug 2009.

The keepers play with Miss Panda for 2 hours a day. She was the most popular at the Zoo with loads of school kids, everyone trying to get close and personal. I was more interested in watching the people take photos.....not sure if they actually saw the panda with their naked eye. Ever since digital cameras were invented, we seem to spend more time behind a lens than interacting with real life!

Monks, Buddha's and Temples in Chiang Mai

2010-03-12T03:07:00.000-08:00

A monk people watching under a sacred Jackfruit tree at Doi Suthep Temple.

I wanted to sit down on the carpet in front of this monk and meditate, but I felt uneasy about it. Instead, I sat adjacent to where he was, in front of this huge Buddha. There was definitely a peaceful energy in the place and I could have sat there all day, except Tony was waiting to go on to the next temple. This city should be called TempleTown! There are temples everywhere.

I think it's the enormity of all the statues that really astounds me. Also, the enormity of the temples, which after awhile becomes almost "ho hum, another huge temple!" See if you can spot me in this next shot!

Monks have to do their washing sometime!

Buddhist teaching.....meant for us humans but I think the canine's are much quicker learners!

Paying my respects to Lady Buddha with a gold leaf.

Welcome to Chiang Mai!

2010-03-04T06:35:00.000-08:00

After the peacefulness and serenity of Jemeluk Beach in Bali, I was hit with culture shock on arrival in Chiang Mai. It is a bustling, energetic city with intense traffic, lots of Buddhist temples, a multicultural array of eating places, massage salons on every corner, and a night market shopaholics would die for.
Yet in the midst of all the noise and haste, down a quiet lane, surrounded by shady trees and a fish pond, is our beautiful little guesthouse, a haven we can retreat to after facing the fray of Chiang Mai city!

Common room at Hanibah House. I sat out on the veranda (pictured in the foreground) at 6am this morning and meditated with the birds.

Chiang Mai: A Buddhist sort of town.....

Taking the Tut Tut to the markets.

If you would like to read about my Bali experiences, please click on my profile to the right and look for Barb's Bali Travels.