Chiang Mai, Thailand (1)
Updated: Aug 30
We are getting the train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, an 11 hour journey. Not overnight — we chose to do the daytime trip so that we could (a) see the changing landscapes and (b) have a rest day after our busy Bangkok time. It worked really well on both counts.
Chiang Mai is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second-largest city in Thailand by population (about 1.2 million). It is 700 km north of Bangkok in a mountainous region.
The train passes through the central rice-growing areas, stopping occasionally at small town stations, and for the last five hours, climbs steadily into the wet, jungly highlands.
We have visited Chiang Mai before, in 1997.* Many of the iconic sights are familiar.
With our guide Saman, we head up to the top of the mountain in a red taxi pick-up truck — a common conveyance in Chiang Mai. Hang on to your hat (and the safety bar) as we wind our way up Doi Suthep mountain. No seat belts!
One of the most sacred pilgrimage spots in Thailand is Wat Doi Suthep, i.e. the temple of Doi Suthep mountain. If you're feeling energetic (and remember it's very hot and very humid), you can walk up the 300 step dragon staircase, flanked by a naga, a mythical serpent with multiple heads. Or you can be sensible like me and take the cable car up, and walk down.
Scroll down to the old photos* at the end of this post to see how the vegetation has grown in 29 years!
However you get to the top, it's a glorious place.
A mom (okay, tua mom) is a northern Thailand guardian creature: a chimera of dragon, crocodile, fish. What! You thought it was me?
The heart of the temple is the golden pagoda (or chedi in Thai), which houses the sacred relic: half of Buddha's shoulder bone. Legend has it that, in the 1300s, a white elephant carried the relic to the top of the hill, trumpeted three times, and then dropped dead. This was interpreted as an omen (it certainly wasn't a good one for the elephant) and the king ordered the construction of a temple at the site, more than 1000 metres above sea level. Many more elephants were needed to bring construction materials up the hill ... no further elephant health reports were given.
The shoulder bone relic is stored in the rounded portion of the chedi above the octagonal section and below the ringed section. The chedi is covered in gold leaf and is blindingly beautiful, with not a spot of tarnish or rust. Of course not! It's gold! We walk around the chedi, literally dazzled by the sight.
Walking back down the stairs, we hear the sounds of giant cicadas. The video is a bit hazy (humidity!) but turn up the sound ... when you hear a sound like a power saw, that's the cicadas.
Back on the ground we pile into the red pick-up truck again and head down the slopes of the mountain to Wat Pha Lat, the jungle temple. It was built in the 1300s as a resting place for pilgrims making their way to Wat Doi Suthep.
I loved this. I wonder if this jungle temple isn't even more beautiful than the gold temple. In winter, the plants die down and the temple is bare. In summer, when the rains come, it's covered in tropical growth. There's something very Buddhist in this endless cycle of life.
Old stone buildings, moss-covered stairways, intricate carvings, Buddha statues and small shrines are scattered throughout the grounds. There are tourists, but not in large numbers. It's very serene, very quiet, almost mystical.
But now it's time for our hike downhill along the Monk's Trail. A historic forest path, it was used by Buddhist monks to walk between the temples and the town. Parts of the path were uneven, steep and slippery after rain but I managed not to slip in the mud — that adventure (spoiler alert) was to come the next day.
Our guide Saman was very keen on the timestamp frame on his photos.
We're staying in Chiang Mai Old City. It's surrounded by a fortified wall, with four gates. This old gate is a very popular spot for beautifully dressed young women. Spot the odd one out.
The streets of the Old City are narrow, busy and full of vendors and motorbikes. Cannabis shops are everywhere, as are spruikers for muay thai fights.
Street light repairs? Electricians also need un-knitting skills!
Our hotel in the Old City is small, conveniently located and has wonderful staff (as we find throughout Thailand).
We set off for the Night Bazaar one night, only slightly (ahem) delayed by me taking the wrong turning. When we ended up walking into a very quiet neighbourhood with no tourists, we knew we had gone astray. Anyway, the error was quickly remedied by a Grab car and all was well.
I'm a big fan of Thai green papaya salad but I remembered to take a photo only when I was almost finished. Note the large paper and plastic 'plate' for the seafood grill — no cutlery was issued, only plastic gloves.
Next: Still in Chiang Mai (with the elephants!)
*Here we are at Wat Doi Suthep in 1997. A local temple-goer has pressed gold leaf onto Luke's and Lee's foreheads.
This really looks better on a bigger screen, www.julie-anne.online
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