We flew from Bangkok to Chiang Mai in a little over an hour. We are staying in the "Old City" at the lovely boutique hotel, The Green Tiger which has an excellent vegan restaurant.
Here's the view from our room
All total, we will be in Northern Thailand for 15 days, 5 of which we'll be in Chiang Mai, the land of "misty mountains".
The other 10 days, we will be traveling north into the mountains to the border of Thailand/Laos/Myanmar. We will be visiting the colorful hill tribes and will even experience a homestay.
Located in a verdant valley on the Ping River, Chiang Mai is the largest city in northern Thailand with its population of 131,000.
The name Chiang Mai means "new city" for it was founded in 1296. In 1997, Chiang Mai celebrated its 700th anniversary. As the guide book says, "Its Old City area still remains vestiges of its walls and moats from its history as a cultural and religious center."
Here's the view from our room
All total, we will be in Northern Thailand for 15 days, 5 of which we'll be in Chiang Mai, the land of "misty mountains".
The other 10 days, we will be traveling north into the mountains to the border of Thailand/Laos/Myanmar. We will be visiting the colorful hill tribes and will even experience a homestay.
Located in a verdant valley on the Ping River, Chiang Mai is the largest city in northern Thailand with its population of 131,000.
The name Chiang Mai means "new city" for it was founded in 1296. In 1997, Chiang Mai celebrated its 700th anniversary. As the guide book says, "Its Old City area still remains vestiges of its walls and moats from its history as a cultural and religious center."
Today, Chiang Mai is one of the few places in Thailand where the past and present seamlessly merge. There are modern buildings standing side by side old temples.
In its heyday, Chiang Mai was the center of Buddhism in northern Thailand. That emphasis is still felt today. Throughout the city and mountainous areas, one will see a plethora of stunning, elaborate Buddist temples. In fact, there are over 300 "wats" ( a place of Buddhist worship) scattered around the city and countryside. No other province in all of Thailand has more. We were duly impressed with the beautiful ancient temples in both Chiang Mai and its mountainous areas.
Our first day we took a private walking tour of the old city, which is sprawling. We enjoyed this walking tour for it was a great way to get a feel for the city and to learn about its history.
One of the first things we learned is that Chaing Mai is known for its delicious coffee and amazing latte art!
We walked past the fortress of the city which was built in 1800. We learned that "the plan called for a square formed by moats and walls that faced the cardinal directions". So they built a wall constructed around the moat.
We walked to Thapae, one of the original 5 gates of the fortress around the Old City. It is located on the eastern side of the old city fortress.
We also walked past the ubiquitous Thai Massage Parlors. It seemed as though signs such as the one below lined the streets.
One in particular caught our attention.
It was the only massage center that we saw that had a TripAdvisor certificate of excellence!
It was the "Womans Massage center by
Ex-Prisoners"!
Our guide took us to another part of the city to see the woman's prison
which is actually the spot where some prisoners come each day to sell their hand made items which they have learned how to
make in prison. In prison, they are taught to sew and to administer Thai massages so they'll have the means to support themselves when they are released from prison.
In addition to selling their hand made items, they also serve food at their little cafe.
Each night the ladies return to their prison cells on the outskirts of the city. But for many, their days are spent in this lovely place, filled with birds and flowers... a little oasis in a bustling city street.
Afterward, we toured various temples and learned the symbolism of the exquisite dragon being consumed by the crocodile guarding the entrance of the temples.
This dragon or serpent motif also is seen on
the roofs of the temples.
So many of the temples are still brilliantly illuminated with inlaid reflective colored glass which glistens in the sunlight.
Our guide took us to see numerous brick relics such as this 600 year old temple.
We also saw any temples that were under renovation.
So often, the side streets were lined with lovely temples, many of which had monks inside.
It was an action-packed, busy day filled with stunning sights and historical knowledge!
Our first day we took a private walking tour of the old city, which is sprawling. We enjoyed this walking tour for it was a great way to get a feel for the city and to learn about its history.
One of the first things we learned is that Chaing Mai is known for its delicious coffee and amazing latte art!
We walked past the fortress of the city which was built in 1800. We learned that "the plan called for a square formed by moats and walls that faced the cardinal directions". So they built a wall constructed around the moat.
We walked to Thapae, one of the original 5 gates of the fortress around the Old City. It is located on the eastern side of the old city fortress.
We also walked past the ubiquitous Thai Massage Parlors. It seemed as though signs such as the one below lined the streets.
One in particular caught our attention.
It was the only massage center that we saw that had a TripAdvisor certificate of excellence!
It was the "Womans Massage center by
Ex-Prisoners"!
Our guide took us to another part of the city to see the woman's prison
which is actually the spot where some prisoners come each day to sell their hand made items which they have learned how to
make in prison. In prison, they are taught to sew and to administer Thai massages so they'll have the means to support themselves when they are released from prison.
In addition to selling their hand made items, they also serve food at their little cafe.
Each night the ladies return to their prison cells on the outskirts of the city. But for many, their days are spent in this lovely place, filled with birds and flowers... a little oasis in a bustling city street.
Afterward, we toured various temples and learned the symbolism of the exquisite dragon being consumed by the crocodile guarding the entrance of the temples.
the roofs of the temples.
So many of the temples are still brilliantly illuminated with inlaid reflective colored glass which glistens in the sunlight.
Our guide took us to see numerous brick relics such as this 600 year old temple.
We also saw any temples that were under renovation.
So often, the side streets were lined with lovely temples, many of which had monks inside.
Here are just a few more photos of some of the wondrous sights we saw today.
