The Other Side of Chiang Mai

Night Market

Chiang Mai...there's more than just visiting Temples!

Chiang Mai is a bustling city with lots to do both within the city and it's environs.  The Old City is a slightly more compact area than the rest of the city, and is surrounded by remnants of the original city walls, further surrounded by a mote.  The Old City is host to the Sunday night market (non-stop street food, bargain shopping, and wall-to-wall people), where you walk along with throngs of people who move as a single mass.  There is also a Saturday night market just outside the Old City; same concept, same crowds, sometimes same vendors, just bigger and along more streets.

Pedestrian bridge over mote to Old Walled City

We were also in Chiang Mai during the Chinese New Year, so we frequented the Chinese night market- just as crowded as the other night markets but the street food was Chinese, signs were in Chinese, and the music and entertainment were Chinese (I am just assuming this...it all sounds the same to me!).

So, when we weren't busy touring the Wats or shopping, we indulged once again in another Thai massage (awesome!), and we took a cooking class at the Tad E. Lee Cooking School.  Actually, I took the class and Nathan came as an observer, but he was quickly designated as the class photographer and everyone in the class handed him their cell phones to take photos of all the action. 


There were eight of us in the class and our instructor, Art, who was entertaining to say the least!  Art served Nathan all the food he prepared while demonstrating, and the class eventually coerced Nathan to help grind the curry spices and make the sticky rice. Everyone got to choose what they made from a list of options- I made Thai fresh spring rolls, Chicken Pad Thai, Tom Kha Kai (coconut milk soup), and Khao Soy (Chiang Mai noodle curry).  All were relatively easy providing you had the ingredients- just a lot of prep work.  

Everything we prepared looked professional, tasted delicious, and we made several new friends (we met up with a lovely couple, Daniel and Ani, from the class later on in our trip in Hong Kong where they reside!)  There was a lot of food and needless to say, we left with a doggie bag and had dinner ready that night to eat at home.

Next Day was the elephants!  We carefully selected an elephant sanctuary that did not allow riding, did not chain the elephants, and did not use any form of cruelty.  The elephants in these sanctuaries have been rescued from circuses, work farms, etc, and are brought here to rest and just enjoy life and be pampered.  We went to the Lanna Kingdom Elephant Sanctuary. 

There were five of us and five elephants- one just a baby!  After we changed into our work clothes and shoes, we were asked to cut sugar cane and feed it to them along with some bananas (they really love bananas and will follow you around if they think you have some).  

It was then time to walk with them down to the river, and while they waded through the river, we cut some fresh river grass with a machete and fed them the grass as well.  Then we hiked to the fields where we cut down banana trees (the actual main stems) and after further cutting the trees into bite-sized pieces we fed that to the elephants.  Getting the picture yet?  Basically, they eat non-stop all day!  We then prepared medicine balls for the elephants where we ground sugar cane, tamarind, and bananas in a mortar and pestle until total mush, then rolled the soft mixture into a ball and placed it directly in the elephant's mouth.  Apparently it helps with digestion.  Basically, elephants are eating and pooping machines!  A typical elephant eats between 200-600 pounds of food per day.

Then it was off to the mud pool where the elephants threw mud upon themselves.  We were then to join them- we removed our shoes and got in with them and rubbed mud all over them while they laid back enjoying every minute!  A skin treatment of sorts.  Then off to the pool where we were given scrub brushes and waded in chest high water (with God-knows what germs and other savory things) with the elephants to scrub them down.  The Mahouts (elephant care-givers) started splashing water everywhere and we were totally soaked!  Meanwhile, the elephants clearly enjoyed this playtime.  It was then off to the showers and change back into our clothes to enjoy lunch, give a few more bananas, and get a farewell kiss (imagine a vacuum cleaner hose on your cheek).

Next Day- Flight Of The Gibbon, which is a zip line/sky ridge course over the mountain rain forest canopy (there are gibbons here and apparently they swing over and through this rain forest).  To say we were nervous is an understatement!  Harnesses and helmets fitted, we climbed and climbed up the mountain to reach the first zip line.  We thought that would be it but noooo.......there were a total of 14 zip lines to follow!!  The first one is also the longest zip line in SE Asia. Just great....

Well. It was my turn.  Looked down and my stomach turned.  That initial leap off the platform high in the air was a moment I will never forget!  I flew so fast, spinning around, felt like I left my stomach back on the platform.....all I kept thinking was keep your feet up for landing at the next platform, as we were instructed earlier.  Next thing I knew, I was flying right at the upcoming platform-backwards!  Made it! I did it! Only 13 more zip lines to go......it did get easier as we advanced along, but the landings were always the scariest part of the run.  There were also two vertical drops, and several opportunities to zip line as a couple.  (Lisa- I did look for your diamond stud earring you lost on the zip line ten years ago....I just may have spotted a gibbon sporting some bling, not absolutely sure.....)

So, where did this all take place?

Chiang Mai - "Wat"-ed Out

Chiang Mai is not what we were expecting.  We thought it would be a quaint town with a pedestrian-only Old City and pleasant streets to stroll along.  NOT.  It is a big, crowded, and congested city with probably more motorbikes than you can ever imagine (and we heard to expect worse in Bangkok and in Vietnam)!  Most streets do not have sidewalks, and those that do are narrow, uneven, and encumbered anyway by parked cars, motorbikes, cafe tables, and large utility poles.  Strollers, wheelchairs, or tourists with rolling suitcases- you’re out of luck- no ADA ramps.  Nevertheless, Chiang Mai is crowded with pedestrians and you just share the road and pray each time you venture out in the city.

Dining Room/Antique Shop of Tanita House

Tanita House

We had a unique stay in Chiang Mai- an antique shop/art gallery/guest house/tea house - Tanita's.  Our room was a renovated rice storage shed and the main dining area was within the antique shop.  Aor, the owner, was wonderful and became family! 


This leads me to the Temples ("Wat" in Thai) of Chiang Mai.  There are literally hundreds of them (over 300)!  Every block has one or two Wats, to serve the local communities.  Some are staffed by resident monks, others serve as a religious shrine of sorts, but almost all are quite ornate, with the typical Thai roof, lots of gold, and statues of serpents, elephants, and Buddha.  We set out on our first day to visit the main Wats in town and by the third Wat, they all started blending together.  They all have similarities- they consist of a complex of several ancillary buildings surrounding a main Wat within a gated wall, women must cover their legs and arms as a sign of respect, and no shoes- for anyone!  There is always a “feature” shrine, usually a Buddha of one form or another.  The ones we visited included:

Wat Ket Karam (next to our accommodation)- this Wat honors the Year of the Dog.

Wat Phan Tao- a teak wood temple originally used as a palace, built towards the end of the 14th Century.  One of the few remaining all wooden structures of its kind in Chiang Mai.

Wat Chedi Luang- highest temple in Old City; original temple building dating back to 1385 with more recent additions.  One of the smaller structures did not permit women to enter as they are considered "unclean" due to their menstrual cycles.

Wat Phra Singh- renovated in the 19th Century, one of the more impressive temples with the iconic Lanna-style roof and intricate facade.

Wat Sri Suphan- dating back to 16th century, is also called The Silver Temple.  It is almost completely clad in silver and is one of a kind in Thailand and possibly in Asia.  Lots of solid silver here!

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep- (Phuping Palace) Took a local, shared tuk tuk up a winding mountain road outside of town to visit this Temple!  This is the most visited and most highly revered temple in Chiang Mai. This 600-year old temple requires a climb up 309 steps to reach the actual Wat (yes in case you were wondering, I counted them!) 

In Chiang Rai (about three hours north of Chiang Mai) we visited the following two temples plus an additional museum/shrine:

Wat Rong Kuhn- (the White Temple)- a temple unique for its all-white plaster with pieces of glass that sparkle in the sun. The white signifies the purity of the Buddha, while the glass symbolizes the Buddha’s wisdom and the Dhamma, the Buddhist's teachings.  Most interesting is the entrance to the Temple, as it is a bridge you cross that symbolizes taking you from "Hell to Heaven".  Thai people believe that when you die you first go to hell, then if you followed the teachings of Buddha, you would be granted eternal happiness and cross up to a state of happiness in Heaven.  The Temple was designed by Chalermchai Kositipipat, a famous Thai visual artist who privately paid to build it. The complex is still not complete.  This was hands down the most beautiful and humbling of all the Temples we visited. My absolute favorite!!!

Wat Rong Sues Ten (the Blue Temple)- just outside of Chiang Rai, a modern Buddhist temple distinguished by its vivid blue coloring and elaborate carvings.

The Black House- a collection of around 40 buildings (wood, glass, concrete, brick, or terracotta) dotted around a peaceful garden, that contain the collection of paintings, sculptures, animal skins and bones, and unique collectibles of artist/professor/Ph.D in Metaphysics and URBAN PLANNER, Thawan Duchanee.  His works demonstrate a sense of Thai spirituality tinged with oriental and western philosophy as well as how Buddhism is perceived in a contemporary setting.  I’ll let the photos of the site speak for themselves.......

yes, this is the actual sign to the rest room!