Chiang Mai……wats, night markets & street food

November 25th to 27th

Inasmuch as the most interesting part of Chiang Mai is the Old City we are pretty much staying within the confines of the Old City Walls focusing on the main Wats (temples), some lesser ones (keeping in mind there are over 300 !!!) the general area and of course checking out the food scene. The idea is to go slow and take it all in….as the title of our blog says …”footsteps in the slow lane” and with the knee being a pain in the knee, we are slow! Sorry for the number of pics but there is so much neat stuff here……..

The Chedi Home is reasonably well located and when we need to we take a Tuk Tuk, otherwise walking gives us the opportunity to poke our noses into everyone’s business…The following summarizes our several days in this ancient city. Each day begins with an excellent breakfast with lots of choices and for fruit lovers a veritable cornucopia (counted at least a dozen varieties) …leaving us well prepared for solid walkabouts…

The weather is perfect: clear skies, warm in the morning, getting progressively warmer (30C plus) and humid through the day and cooling off in the evening.

It is an ancient city dating back to 1297 and has a complex history where it has dominated, been part of or subject to a number of kingdoms…The prevailing religion is Buddhism which can be seen in the numerous Wats (temples) and countless shrines which can be found around every corner. We took in some of the major wats as described below but also wandered in and around a great many others….some of which surprised us to their richness..

Wat Chiang Man > Chiang Mai’s oldest temple >> construction was started  shortly after the city’s founding in 1296. It’s one of the most important historic sites in Chiang Mai and although not as photogenic as other temples (and somewhat neglected), it contains two ancient, diminutive Buddha images; one purported to be almost 2,000 years old. This temple is a good example of classic Lanna architecture. Additionally, the annual rain festival is held here every year on April 1st. Click to enlarge…

Three Kings Monument > The Monument is dedicated to the three Northern Lao Kings who founded the city of Chiang Mai. It is also the venue of the King’s birthday celebrations in early December annually. 

…..nearby is the Wat Inthakhin Sadue Muang > A small Buddhist temple with traditional Lanna architecture, once the site of the sacred city pillar.

 

 

Wat Phra Singh > Built in 1345, Phra Singh Buddha was moved here from Chiang Rai when it took over as the capital. The rough translation is ‘Temple of the Lion Buddha’ and is known as the study centre for young monks.Click to enlarge….

We lucked out arriving on Saturday as we got to see the Wua Lai Street Market ( Saturday only > last post) and Sunday’s Night Market, another extravaganza.This one is a kilometre long stretching  from Tha Phae Gate, going towards Ratchadamnoen Road. Lots of stuff on sale and food vendors, makeshift bars and roadside massage areas. 

…the assembly line massage “parlor” was kind of funny, the pic only shows about a 1/10th of the massagers/massagees !

……amongst other goodies we tasted without question, the oyster pancakes were the bigtime winners > oysters + onions mixed with a light egg batter with bean sprouts in the middle seriously DEELICIOUS…nothing in the pans in the pics > as soon as was is made it was purchased, these dudes have a solid product!

…some of the food stations were set-up in the midst of a wat…

The night markets are great fun but you need to pace yourself and utilize best practises to prevent being pickpocketed (our Porto experience has made us wary) >>> only cash for the night (and that in a zippered pocket), no credit cards, wallets etc….this makes it stress free > all other docs, money etc. is back in the hotel locked in a safe! 

…and the beat goes on….

Wat Chedi Luang >  construction began  in 1391, was expanded by later kings, and reached its final form in 1475. The 84-metre (280 ft.) high pagoda was felled to half that height in an earthquake in the late 16th century. To this day the partially renovated chedi remains the tallest structure in the old city and the main attraction. The large Viharn or assembly hall has a brass statue of a standing Buddha installed by King Saen Muang Ma. He also planted the ancient Dipterocarp tree in the grounds. It is believed that a great catastrophe will befall the city when the tree falls. A small cross-shaped building adjacent to the tree houses the city pillar dedicated to the spirit of the city. The tree and the spirit are said to protect Chiang Mai from evil and disaster.

We also visited the Warroot Market outside the Old City > a locals market for every day needs, set primarily in an old concrete multi storey building…a tad gritty > click to enlarge

The Phae Gate is one of four which allow for entry into the Old City and a popular photo spot…

Some street scenes …with “our” street the last pic > click to enlarge

Some of the “lesser” wats, but ones we felt were great “finds”…

…for those of you with building interest check this interior support structure and in the next pic the interlocking tiles they use for the roofing…

……and a 3rd night market, this being the daily one….

….of interest was a stand featured in one of the Anthony Bourdain’s segments, featuring the Cowboy Lady > yes she was there and the marinated pork leg/rice combo was very good and the operation was going full-bore, clearly media exposure doesn’t hurt…some of the other stands were not shabby either

Tripadvisor had advocated that Tikky Cafe was one of the best Thai eateries in the budget class so off we went…well social media can make or break you and in this case they are winners which meant we had a 30 minute wait in a laneway before we could get a seat…funny lady who is the owner: first we got issued a number, then we had to select the meal before even sitting down and when a Chinese couple tried to force their way she took no guff (btw Chinese [mainland] tourists are rude and obnoxious completely oblivious to anyone but themselves…. a bit harsh but I  think true > nyet kulturny). In any event a great meal and the sticky rice (multicolored) + mango were seriously to die for!! On the way out the lineup had only got longer > the kitchen clowning around was for my benefit.

It has been a fun few days and we have a seen and tasted a lot….for our “last supper” we made a return trip to the The Swan, a Burmese restaurant > never had this type of food and it was great. You can get a “bucket” of Hong Thong whiskey = 5 shots for 240 THB (9 CAD) unfortunately Annie nor Moosie are whiskey drinkers and I did have to navigate back to Chedi, so took a pass. 

Tomorrow is another transfer day ….