Holidays in Thai: Chiang Mai on February 2nd, 2016
I woke up to a quite pleasant morning that’s unique to little towns like Chiang Mai, which the occasional horns of motorbikes and constant peddling of vendors striking a delicate balance between scary silence and annoying noise. It’s like, the whole town has been born again.
Morning, outside hotelBreakfast, chicken rice in a Chinese restaurant
With the help of that restaurant owner, we got on a Songthaew for Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep.
Songthaews outside Su Thep, this is apparently a buyer market, yet they were very much united in their high prices. #UnionMakesUsStrongPath to/from Wat Phrathat Doi SuthepGateway to Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep. To avoid having people in the photo I could only shoot at this angle
There's a "ticket counter" at the front entrance of Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, which only sold tickets for foreigners. But don't worry, just turn right and walk a few steps out, it's the side entrance of the temple, no ticket stands.
Three-King sculpture in Wat Phrathat Doi SuthepIt seems every temple in Thailand has got some homeless dogsIt feels that Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep is barely a religious institution given all these photo-taking tourists. (Anyway, this is still better than Five-Tower temple in Hohhot under Communism reign.)And there’s quite some tourists in the temple, a majority of which were tours by Chinese travel agencies.Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep is definitely one of the richer temples (of course, it’s royal temple), not a lot of temples in Chiang Mai can kept their towers so shinyShoes off to enter the inner part of Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep./caption][caption id="attachment_129" align="alignleft" width="760"]Roads on Mount. Suthep
I came across some website that said it’s cherry season in Chiang Mai from late January to early February, and cherries are quire awesome in Miao Village on Mount. Suthep, so we took a Songthaew and went further up Mount. Suthep. It turned out the whole Miao Village was a shopping street, which not-so-convenient commute. Some said that the prices here are at least reasonable, but it seemed that I, being secluded from the commercial world for so long, had totally no idea how much things were. So after wandering in the village for half an hour, we returned with only some fruits, which we ate up in an hour. As for cherry, again, this is a shopping village.
The only cherry tree blossoming in Miao VillageFruits in Miao VillageAfter quite a phenomenal cold wave, it feelt good to see some flowers. (Though later they were everywhere in Bhuping Palace.)Non-Commercial part of Miao Villagee
It’s rumored that Bhuping Palace was for Royal Families exclusively between January and March, so we didn’t plan to visit it. But the Songthaew drivers along the way all said they could take us there, after which it turned out that Phuping Palace was open. (Guess the correct rumor should be that Bhuping Palace “might” be close), probably due to that, there weren’t many people around.
And this is Bhuping Palace (Botanic Garden)Looking at this, it reminds me ofWe twa hae run about the braes, and pluck the gowans fine.Roses in Phuping Botanic GardenRose in Phuping Botanic GardenRose in Phuping Botanic GardenGreenhouse in Phuping Botanic GardenI hadn't seen any flowers for so longStill Bhuping Botanic GardenStill Bhuping Botanic GardenFinally Bhuping Palace, though it's pivateJungle in Bhuping Botanic PalaceAnd there's a pool hereAbnormally large bambooEnding the Botanic Garden part with this strange-looking flower
Then we carpooled to Nimmanhaemin Road. (Of course, after quite a long wait for 8 enough people for a Songthaew.)
Now I understood why they asymmetrically designed a three-lane road, as people are usually reluctant to brake when going downhill, so they are given more space.
We had heard by rumors of motion sickness about Mount. Suthep before. When going uphill, it’s nothing; yet when it comes to downhill and it became a fast and dizzy ride. #FreeRollerCoaster
After going down from Mount. Suthep, we find a restaurant to alleviate that motion sickness.Lunch in that same restaurant
Then we walked along Nimmanhaemin Road to Wat Suan Dok.
Quite interesting burger designAnd AliPay has occupied every shop hereSome artwork along the roadUbosot of Wat Suan DokGroups of white towersIt’s quite nice to enjoy the tranquility without tour groupsGroups of white towersLike the lighting from this angleIt feels like “Oxford: City of Dreaming Spires” under sunsetThe white towers from another angleWat Suan Dok is located just north of Chiang Mai Airport, a China Eastern plane taking offThe animals in the temple were fed regularlyAnd they were well clothed too. (I’m really curious whether this monk cloth was custom-made)Sun pouring on this wall of Ubosot
Then we left Wat Suan Dok, as the sun had almost set. Mom said she’s still fine and felt like walking, so we wandered back to hotel.
At dusk, I purchased a coconut with 25THBWe had dinner at a local restaurant with no English menu. I ordered this bowl of noodles with hand gestures and 50THBMotion & StillnessWat Phra Sing at night
Back to hotel, I came across some astonishing TV channels. First, a sell-everything channel.
Selling toothbrushes on television. #WeSellEverythingI don’t read the Thai words on the left, in the best guess, quite a blackmail to sell four toothbrushes at 580THB.
And there’s education channel, it seems the whole Thai education can go online.
A program on a educational channelYes, this man on a strange channelIn just a few minutes that man finished all the electric fields in high school textbook.#UniversityDiplomaInAMonth
Roads on Mount. Suthep
