Finishing up in Chiang Mai

Since De Chai was so pricey, we decided to try a cheaper place called 3 Sis, directly across from Chedhi Luang and in the old city. The room was decent and the shower had loads of hot water and good water pressure. Breakfast was a bit sad though – limited choices and the first place I’d been to without fruit – that was an extra 80 baht to order. But the lobby was very pretty and the staff excellent so that helped make up for things.

We found a super restaurant close by called Beetroot Stories, a vegetarian place that used local and organic products that offered yummy food at really good prices. I had a beet salad with goat cheese and Ian had a delicious panang curry. I think our two meals, with fruit shakes came to under 10 dollars.

The Chiang Mai International Horticultural Exhibition was still on but to the opening being delayed due to the flooding.  We hired a taxi to take us to its remote location outside the city. Covering an area of 21,000 square metres, the site boasts exhibits from 30 nations representing 5 continents. The drive up to the park promised some spectacular settings with carefully groomed bushes and flowers lining the entranceway.

We purchased an admission and tram ticket that would allow us to jump on and off the tram and we headed out to see some exhibits. Our first stop was the orchid centre – I never knew there were so many varieties of orchids.

 I loved how some plants grew with their roots reaching out below the pots….

Several countries and companies had exhibits that often included iconic images from their country. Here is Thailand’s with bamboo featuring as a major theme –

Unfortunately Canada, new this year, had a horrible exhibit and I was embarrassed for our country. I didn’t even take a photograph - it was that ugly. It looked hastily thrown together and included a large wall with a huge photograph of Niagara Falls. Inside were mostly photographs and few plants. It was by far the least appealing of all the countries we saw.

Next up was the Royal Pavillion and its surrounding gardens –

We hopped back on the tram to visit the Thai Tropical Garden –

Our hotel had suggested we go to the park around 3:30pm so that we would be there to see the parade and the lights but as the sun set, we were astonished to find the light tacky with a carnival effect. Again, we had made assumptions. Both of us had expected fine tasteful lighting and instead saw this –

Unfortunately our timing wasn’t the best as there were no showcases featuring competitions so we decided to head back to town. It took us quite a while to weave our way through all the vendors at the exit – I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many in one place!

The next day we headed to Doi Suthep and Wat Phra That Doi Suthep located on its summit. We took a tuk tuk to where we had to catch a local bus – if you can call our vehicle that. We negotiated a price and then sat waiting until finally Ian asked when we’d be leaving. The driver informed us that we had to wait until he had a full bus so we negotiated another price so we could leave sooner. I think it ended up costing us 400 Baht return ($13) instead of 200BHT.

The bus drove quickly up the mountain and we had to hold onto the bars as the driver whipped around the bends. Several buses were already parked at the temple entrance –

Several tourists were already making their way up the 306 steps, framed by the naga balustryade.  In the photo below you can see the 7 heads of the naga and the staircase to the left.

Along the stairs sat little girls in traditional costumes of one of the many hill tribes located in Northern Tahiland. These girls were not happy that I snapped off this photo without giving them money first...I wanted to take the photo to show you on the blog how some kids were being used to make money.  Reluctantly I gave them some change - not because I'm cheap but because I don't support this.

 The temple was first established in 1383. After purchasing our ticket –

We entered an open air terrace filled with various statues, shrines and bells to ring for good luck.

A second set of stairs led us into the main cloister where many Thais were paying their respect with incense and prayer –

In the centre of the cloister sit a gold plated chedhi and 5 tiered umbrella erected in honour of the city’s independence from Burma and its union with Thailand.

Flanking the chedhi are several Buddha statues –

We wandered around the site taking it all in. Close to the exit were several mailboxes in which you could make a donation to a specific group –

After watching a dance performance, we headed down the stairs to find our bus driver waiting for us. That night we ventured out to the Saturday walking market where they closed down the road to traffic and it became one huge street of vendors and unfortunately, beggars.

The street was very crowded with tourists not leaving much room to move. Vendors sold T shirts, jewelry, fruit juice, candy, purses, scarves, sandals, and souvenirs. Beggars sat or stood in the middle often singing karaoke or playing an instrument for donations. Some of these folks were in a sad state; a few were blind and one woman was covered in a scaly rash that she scratched absently.

We came to the end of the street where several tuk tuks were waiting but they wanted a ridiculous price to travel a short journey so we walked back.

Originally we had planned to continue up north to Chiang Rai but after seeing how hazy the sky was, we knew it would only get worse the farther north we headed and the news confirmed our suspicions. Our trip to Chiang Mai was done so we headed to Sukhothai, a 5.5 hour bus ride south of Chiang Mai. The air conditioned bus as usual was cheap, maybe 10 dollars each and the ride, although long and dull, was uneventful. Details on Sukothai will follow soon.