The most culturally and historically interesting Thai city lies among the rolling foothills of the Himalayan Mountains, 700km North of Bangkok.  Formerly the capital of the ancient Lanna kingdom, Chiang Mai now houses over 1 million people in the metropolitan area, and is Thailand’s fifth-largest city.  Surrounded by mountains and lovely countryside, this city is much quieter and greener than Bangkok, fondly nicknamed the “Rose of the North”.  The heart of Chiang Mai is the walled city, though now only a few sections of the original wall remain, as does the original moat.

Arriving at the Empress Hotel, my heart skips a beat at the sight of the grand lobby, with impossibly high ceilings welcoming us and immense golden statues gazing at us.  Once again, the staff are amazing, catering to us like we’re royalty.  (Throughout the duration of our stay at Empress, we’ll receive gift bags full of chocolates and snacks, fresh fruit platters nightly, handmade change purses and shopping bags, pearl earrings, vases of flowers, and daily turn-down service with fresh flowers and chocolate left on our pillows.)  Our room on the 16th floor is fairly large, slightly dated but very clean, and includes a massive window offering an unobstructed view of the city and the foggy mountains beyond.  We’re happy to throw our bags down and call this place home for a while.

Our first night in town consists of the usual wanderings, exploring the city, seeing what there is to see.  It’s a laid back approach, and a good way to make note of places we want to visit more extensively during our visit.  As we could have predicted, we stumble across a really great night market just around the corner from our hotel.  There are colorful lights strung up to create a canopy over the vendors and shoppers, and there is a fantastic selection of hand carved items, from masks and statues, to jewelry and kitchen utensils.  We barter our way up and down the aisles, accumulating more than a sufficient amount of purchases for one evening.

There are many different open-front restaurants along the edges of the market, but we find an empty table smack in the middle of everything and take a seat.  This is the moment when things slow down… when I stop to admire where I am in the world.  The peaceful night sky and thick still air contrast the bright colors of the lights and people mulling about at ground level.  I sigh with happiness, and a smile sprawls across my face as I realize we’ve just sat in front of a stage.  A stage where Thai singers perform covers of familiar Western hits.  Greatest night ever.

Even closer to the hotel than the night market, is a giant 3D Museum.  And I don’t mean that the museum itself is 3D; of course it is.  But the artwork inside is a collection of life-sized 3D paintings that you can interact with, pose in, and have tons of fun.  It is called Art in Paradise – Illusion Art Museum, and it is unforgettable.  Check out a few of our pictures from the gallery, and you’ll see what I mean!  Also, where I come from I’m used to paying admission fees to events, only to find that the collection is extremely small, and often unimpressive.  Art in Paradise is WELL worth the admission, and then some.  The gallery is extensive, filling two entire floors of a very large building.  Each time we think we’ve reached the end, there is another display to work our way through!

 

 

 

Before arriving in Chiang Mai, we’d read enough about it to know we had to see this walled city, and the ancient Wat Chedi Luang temple within it.  The trek from the hotel to the heart of the city is a 30 minute leisurely walk.  We stop often to talk to locals or other tourists, to visit shops, and to stuff ourselves with delicious Thai snacks and cool beverages.  We are mid-discussion with two local tuk-tuk drivers, when one picks something from a nearby bush and dusts it off.  He uses a knife to slice what looks to me like a small potato, and hands me a piece.  I look at him quizzically, mostly because I don’t want to eat raw potato, and partly because I don’t want to eat mystery food from a mystery man.  However, the drivers assure us it is edible, snacking on some himself, and that it is in fact a fruit.  So, caution to the wind, we chomp down on this unknown fruit/vegetable… and it is delicious!  It does have the consistency of a potato, but is sweet and fresh and crisp like an apple.  I am pleasantly surprised and very glad that I stretched my comfort zone.  I just wish I could now remember what he had called it… Do you??

It is now later in the afternoon, and we have reached the old walled city and ventured within.  After a few more blocks, we can see a massive striking white temple, adorned with the usual gold and flowers.  We lose the shoes and I put on my long sleeved shirt (it’s 35 above, but by this time I know that tank tops are not appropriate temple attire), and we step inside the temple.  Of all the temples we’ve seen so far, and all the ones we will see during the rest of our trip, this is by far the most impressive.  It’s enormous.  Everything is gold, and hand-painted, and covered in offerings.  The altar at the back of the room has about 60 golden Buddha statues, of varying sizes, and about a dozen visitors are kneeling in front of these in peace.  The air feels heavy with light, if that makes any sense, and I feel so at home in a place so far away from home.

We leave the temple, gather our things, and round the corner to check out the rest of the compound.  That’s when I see it.  We had thought the white temple was THE temple, but this – what we are looking at now – stops us both dead in our tracks.This is the original, ancient Wat Chedi Luang.  It is not in great condition, and nobody is permitted inside.  Yet it still screams of power and strength and persistence.  To think that this was constructed by the hands of men with very few tools or resources is ever impressive.  The history here is rich and it can be seen everywhere.

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