Back in Chiang Mai

Finally back in Chiang Mai, only this time we are staying a ways outside the city proper in what might be thought of as the suburbs. There was an Italian restaurant about a ten minute walk down the road, but it was closed….permanently.  To get to the city, you can call a taxi which will cost ~$10 US  or you can walk (5 min) to the main road and catch the “bus” to the city for $0.60 cents.

Our bungalow

We’re about 9 kilometers form the city center, at a small hotel consisting of five (?) wooden bungalows, set in a garden-like setting. There really is nothing much around here.

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire - It was Christmas day

Hanging off a songthaw

The upside to the taxi is it takes exactly where you want to go, the down side to the bus is that it takes you to the bus stop, which may or may not be convenient, and they run on a “schedule”, although it is not posted. The bus is a yellow songthaw. A songthaw is a modified pick-up truck with a small cab on the back. They come in different colors and you can find them all over Chinag Mai. The color indicates the area they cover, for example the red ones typically are for the city center and slightly around the city, although some friends who speak Thai were able to convince a red one to go our hotel late one night. Basically you flag one down, hop in the back and pay the driver when you get off. The cost is based on distance. They can get packed full with people hanging off the back. We were on one that had 13 people inside and six hanging off the step in the back, myself included. It makes for a heck of a ride and a great experience.

The lady owner of the hotel, who speaks English well, makes a nice American style breakfast and if you eat dinner here, her cooking is fantastic Thai food. You can let her know if you want it Thai spicy or tourist spicy. Needless to say I go with tourist spicy or even less.  I borrowed one of the hotels’ bicycles, built for short people, and went for a ride.

Farm field near the hotel

The road meandered through farm fields, past local homes and of course a few temples. Many of the houses were small traditional style homes; there were newer constructed modern homes; and some downright large beautiful homes that would not be out of place in most Chicago suburbs. Then there were those that looked like storage lockers, one square room with a rolling shutter garage door.

Farmer and his buffalo

At the time of the day I was riding, school was just letting out and the , storefront restaurants were setting up their grills for evening dinners. This type of cooking, outdoor on the street, is common throughout the villages and the city markets and streets.

Steps up to Doi Suthep

In this trip to Chiang Mai we did a lot of touristy things that I will cover in this and the next post.  We started with a trip up a nearby mountain to the Doi Duthep Temple.   The area at the base of the steps leading up to the temple is a myriad of souvenir shops, food vendors and lines of tuk-tuks and sonthaws all ready to relieve you of your Baht.

Doi Suthep

Inside one of the shrines

Another view of Doi Suthep

Yes I know it’s another temple, but that is part of the reason to visit Chiang Mai. I did not think this temple was as impressive as some of those in Chiang Mai, but the view was great. Well, it would be great if the smog wasn’t so thick. The pollution must come from all the vehicles in the city and maybe some power plants, although I did not see any.

Monks have to go too

There isn’t any heavy industry in the area, so it must be the innumerable cars, songthaws, and tuk-tuks spewing emissions everywhere. While the temple may not have been impressive to me, it certainly was popular with throngs of other tourists and practicing Buddhists who come to worship.

On the way down the mountain we stopped a small waterfall, and I do mean small. Once you've seen Victoria Falls, all others will lack in comparison. It was hardly a rivulet, cascading down maybe 30-40 feet.

The nice thing about it was I was able to remove my boots and socks and cool my feet in the cold, clear water.

The internet is not good here. Can't upload photos. I promise I will update everything when I get home. 

Next up: Tiger Kingdom, Ziplining and a Thai Cooking Class