Chiang Mai

We woke on the train to a hazy sunrise through a dry jungle (proof). We were shuttled to our hotel for a freshening up before our next excursion, but I did a quick looksee down at the river first (and saw a guy getting a traffic ticket)…

Mid morning, we again hopped in the vans and drove out of town and up the mountains to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, perhaps one of the more fun Buddhist temples. Fun, because there were several activities predictive of our lives and stimulating our luck. Like others, there were many great works of art…

In addition to the art, there was a little more nature since we were up on the mountain. Unfortunately, the smog prevented much of view. But, exiting through the gift shop, as we are want to do, I again enjoyed the vast collections of Buddhists trinkets and amulets…

We got back to the hotel, then I did another little tuktuk ride and walk around with Kundry & Alastair in the old city. This batch ends with two pix of our group: the gals & the guys…

The next day was a full free day to choose our own activities, so of course I got a slow start. Eventually however, I made it out of the hotel, took a tuktuk back to the old city and visited four different museums. The first was the Chiang Mai City Arts and Cultural Center. Interestingly, there was a group of local kids on a field trip so we had a couple fun interactions and it was great to see Thai students learning about their country…

Right across the street was the Lanna Folklife Museum. Similarly great presentation, but a separate ticket. The same group of students followed me across the street and I had a nice chat with the kid in the hat. Lots about artisan crafts, but I wondered about that rather sexy statue…

If you didn’t already know, there are a great many Buddhist temples or “Wats” and especially in the old city. I hung out at this one talking to I guy from Phuket, and taking another batch of pix…

The next museum I went to was about the Treasury – money – and while no one else was there, it was quite good. I thought this would be particularly relevant to the student group…

After some refreshment, I went to the largest and oldest temples in the center of the old city of Chiang Mai, Wat Chedi Luang. The stupa was particularly huge, like an ancient pyramid. Along with other common features of Buddhist temple complexes, this one had several lifelike wax figures of local enlightened monks ensconced in glass cases…

In addition, the Wat Cheti Luang complex has a museum of Buddhist manuscripts. I went to the top of the building in the first pic, and it has several cabinets filled with books and documents. “Monk Chats” is another interesting feature. I had a brief conversation with one young monk. He seemed bright and educated, but young and inexperienced, obviously putting way too much faith in Buddhism to answer all his questions. While I have more reverence for Buddhism than other faith traditions, like all religions, it stuck deeply in doctrine and dogma. Having now wandered through quite a number of temples, shrines, and now museums, I find them stultified by the narrative. Nonetheless, the art is very cool…

After freshening up in the hotel, the group met in the lobby to go to the Saturday night market. We walked the length, and you can get a taste of it in the time lapse. The best part was the school girl busker whose sweet voice was a profound counterpoint to the hustle and bustle all around her…

Later that evening, the group met again to go to the Chiang Mai Caberet, a fun, high energy drag show featuring some ladyboys, etc. While definitely lurid and lascivious, it was very entertaining, often funny, and more than worth the price of admission…