Around Chiang Mai by Motorbike (and More), Part 1

Please forgive the radio silence… for the last five days I’ve been in the city of Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand.  I’ve been keeping relatively busy–hey, I’ve even managed to do a little bit of sightseeing.

Khae and I took a “VIP” air-conditioned bus here from Bangkok’s northern bus terminal (where we also enjoyed a hearty breakfast of KFC and Pepsi)–the trip took about nine hours.  The service, however, was quite exceptional: comfortable seats, movies, snacks, the whole works. We arrived in Chiang Mai after dark and took a tuk-tuk (does that qualify as a pun?) to a guesthouse that one of Khae’s friends had recommended.

The next day, we woke up and found ourselves on a quiet soi in a district made up mostly of Buddhist temples, English-language bookstores, massage parlours, and guesthouses.  A foreigners’ district, to be sure, but nothing like Khao San Road in Bangkok.  Whereas Bangkok is notable for its crazy nightclubs, go-go bars, and other similarly wild places, Chiang Mai is all temples, bookstores, and coffeeshops–in other words, I’m in heaven!  I only wish I had more time here to hang out, take courses, drink coffee, and read…

Our first full day in Chiang Mai, we rented a motorbike–a Yamaha Fino, to be exact–and proceeded to spend most of the day riding around and getting lost, until I gradually acquired enough of a sense of the city’s geography to navigate our way back home (by now, I’ve gotten pretty comfortable riding on the back of a motorbike).  That night, we walked to the Night Bazaar, which is supposed to be Chiang Mai’s major tourist attraction–but which was actually pretty lame, at least after having been in Thailand for over two weeks, and already having seen the same stuff in every other market.

The next day, we attempted to go sightseeing, but got lost again (and hot, and frustrated) and then spent the rest of the day cooling off by getting massages, reading, and sipping iced coffee.  We also hit up the Good View restaurant, on the riverside, which had a nice live band with a great singer.  That was actually the single best Thai meal of my life, and with the amount of Singha I consumed, it’s probably a good thing Khae was the one piloting the motorbike on the way home.

On our third day, Khae was feeling a little bit under the weather, so I proceeded to set about some serious sightseeing.  I packed my Swiss Army man-purse with my camera and other necessary equiment, and caught a songthaew (like a pickup-truck-taxi with two benches in the back) to Wat Jet Yod, a 16th century temple that is well-known for being the site of the 8th revision of the Buddhist canon.  The Wat was very peaceful, with few other visitors present, and I was able to spend a good long time walking around, enjoying the calm, meditative atmosphere, and taking pictures of the beautiful Lanna (northern Thai) architecture and antique Buddha images.

Afterwards, I walked along the side of the highway to the National Museum.  The museum doesn’t allow photography, but it’s well worth a visit.  I learned quite a bit about the history and culture of northern Thailand, especially the rise and fall of the Lanna kingdom.

The next day, Khae was feeling a little better, and after my morning routine of internet use and T’ai Chi practice in the park by Tha Pae gate, we set out on our journey up the mountain to the legendary temple of Doi Suthep… which I’ll have to save for my next blog post, because that’s a whole story in itself.

Until then, thanks for reading… and for those of you concerned about my health, don’t worry: I’m quite alright now