An Ohioan In Asia

Charming Chiang Mai

July 1st, 2006

Herbal Accutane Proper Dosage Where To Get Aldactone Forum Buying Prednisone Zithromax Dosage Discount Cipro Testimonials Avapro Weight Price For Lotrisone Description Herbal Erythromycin United States Where Order Aricept Online Clinic Seroquel Discount Phentrimine Age Nizoral Tablets Where Order Elimite Description Purchase Ultram Topeka Where Order Flomax Mexico Where To Get Levitra NoRX Generic Stromectol France Herbal Lasix Shipping Herbal Hoodia France Price For Soma Cheapest Pills Amoxil Order Elavil Nashville Order VPXL Columbia Where To Get Diflucan NoRX Price For Prevacid Get High Generic Flomax Weight Natural Levitra For Add Price For Cymbalta Faq Where To Get Diflucan NoRX Where To Get Stromectol Canada Where Order Female Viagra Shop Where To Get Phentrimine Italy Discount Zithromax Online Clinic Order Soma OklahomaCity Purchase Female Viagra Phoenix Hoodia Shipping Lipitor Faq Nexium Generic Stromectol Drug Information Buy Diflucan Charleston Zithromax Erythromycin Review Price For Cipro Free Samples Where Order Elimite Proper Dosage Generic Tramadol Overnight Delivery Where To Get Neurontin NoRX Purchase Amoxil Atlanta Lexapro Dosing Generic Stromectol Weight Propecia Shipping

We left the village of Ban Hat Bai June 22, 2006, and traveled to Chiang Mai, the major city in northern Thailand and the second largest city in the nation.The drive to Chiang Mai took longer than expected after our bus broke down on the highway.

The travel agency quickly sent another one, though, and we didn’t lose much time. We stopped at Chiang Mai University for a discussion about minority groups in Thailand (see “Village People” blog) and then continued to our hotel, driving past the city’s ancient gates and moat.

Chiang (“city”) Mai was founded in 1296 A.D. on a plain surrounded by mountains. The Ping River runs through it. For much of its history, Chiang Mai was inaccessible from the rest of the country and it has retained a distinct flavor. It is greener and quieter than Bangkok, 500 miles south, but equally cosmopolitan. About 1.6 million people live in Thailand’s “Rose of the North.”

We stayed at the Central Duang Tawan hotel, a full service hotel located in the heart of Chiang Mai’s famed night market, Thanon Chang Khlan, which opens at 5 p.m. and closes around 11:30 p.m. The hotel features an excellent restaurant and recreation facilities including a swimming pool, workout room, sauna, steam room and Jacuzzi. Service workers in Thailand acknowledge visitors with a gracious gesture: They bow their heads slightly while raising their clasped hands, held together as though in prayer.

(China has a “one child” policy and Chinese hotels have a “one key” policy. This can be slightly inconvenient when you are sharing a room with another person. You need to plug the key into a wall outlet when you enter the room to turn on the electricity. If you don’t have they key, hotel reception can get you into the room, but you will not be able to turn on any of the lights or watch TV.)

I took a long walk through Chiang Mai on one of our rare “free” mornings. It’s a modern city and gives every indication of being prosperous. It attracts a lot of tourists, too. Residents use an amazing variety of bikes, scooters, motorcycles, and cars to get from one place to another. Most people don’t wear helmets when they drive on the road, even if they’ve got four people on a scooter, even if two of them are children. The city is plastered with images of King Rama. (One of our hosts says that a kind of cult has evolved around the king. I believe it.)

I didn’t see anything that resembles a bus system, but you can always get a lift from a cabbie driving a pickup truck or a Tuk Tuk (a motorized pedicab.) If you have time for a more leisurely jaunt, you can probably catch a man on a bicycle pulling a cart behind him.

Chiang Mai’s night market reminded me of Dakar, Senegal. The market encompasses a large courtyard with hundreds of shops spilling out onto sidewalks throughout the neighborhood. You’ll find Internet cafes and massage parlors on every block. (The cafes vary in price and quality. I didn’t have time for a massage.) There is a large entertainment complex near the hotel with a dozen bars built around a long promenade leading to a performance stage. The complex offers a “free show” for visitors alternating drag queens with Thai kickboxers — an unusual pairing to say the least. Kickboxing is very popular.

We attended a dinner show at a “sit down” restaurant, Khun Khantoke, featuring traditional dancing. (Visit www.khumkhantoke.net.) Most of the people in the restaurant sat cross-legged on cushions to eat. My group sat at a table built into a trough, so we didn’t have to cross our legs. The dinner, as always, was excellent. The waiters brought us dish after dish. We’ve never ordered a meal in Asia. The food is brought to the table and everyone shares.

After dinner, we enjoyed a fireworks show featuring small, hot air balloons, which we lit and set aloft. Cool.

The next morning we took a 7.5 mile drive up the Doi Suthep mountain to visit Bhuping Palace. We road a bus, driving past hundreds of uniformed young people making the trek on foot — an initiation ritual for new students. The royal winter palace features beautifully landscaped grounds and gardens. It is open Friday, Saturdays, and Sundays when the royal family is not in residence. (They live elsewhere and are rarely in Chiang Mai.)

BAMBOO TREE

BAMBOO SPROUT

We drove back down the mountain to a jumping off point for people visiting the Wat (“temple”) Doi Suthep. We took a cable car to the temple site, avoiding the 306 step climb.

UP THE TRAM

DOWN THE STAIRS

The temple was built in 1383. According to legend, King Kuena of Chiang Mai selected a white elephant to carry a Buddha relic to its proper place. The elephant wandered the mountain, stopped at a certain point, and knelt down. It then died. The people built a pagoda on that very spot.