Chiang Mai
We caught a bus from Ayuthaya to Chiang Mai on Tuesday night. It was the King's birthday that day so the bus couldn't come into town so we were picked up by 2 motos and driven to a cafe where we got a tuk tuk back past where we started out and to the highway. The bus met us on the other side of 4 lanes of traffic so we had to run to the other side with all our bags. The bus was crap!!! Mum said the bus she took to Chiang Mai 25 years ago was alot better because it had shock absorbers and a gear box. We arrived 10 hours later and found a little guesthouse after 4 attempts, not many vacancies in town. Had a rest then walked to the night bazaar (700 metres long and on both sides of the street). So many stalls and interesting things for sale.
Hand carved soaps
Hairclips
Today we walked around town to see some Wats. The first was Wat Chiang Man, the oldest Wat in town with crystal and marble Buddhas.
Then we walked past the Three Kings Monument.
From there we walked to Wat Phan Tao, a beautiful teak building with a big golden Buddha.
Next stop was Wat Chedi Luang, built in 1441 with a huge stupa restored by UNESCO with full sized elephants and a replica of the Emerald Buddha.
Then we went to see Wat Phra Singh, the most visited temple in Chiang Mai. As we were leaving we passed a parade with a school marching band and monks!
The last stop was Wat Prasat, the oldest unreconstructed temple in Chiang Mai. It was beautiful with gold stencils of Buddha's life painted on the walls.
Tomorrow we are going to Doi Suthep, a temple on a hillside just out of town. Then we are taking a bus to the Thailand/Laos boarder the following day.
posted by Lorna Tornquist @ 8:43 pm
2 Comments
2 Comments:
Hi Lorna & Joan,
Great to hear from the travellers. Really enjoyed the pro pics and story notes on Hell fire pass etc, need to get there some day. Your pics are just fantastic I don't think you need to do a course. Chiang Mai seems like a different place to what it was 25 years ago and as for the bus trip as I recall it was memorable. Hope you are having a fantastic time and enjoy the northern parts of Thailand before heading into Loas. How are you going with the veg diet and how's the heat up there? No doubt it's a bit cooler up north. How is the food and what are your favorite foods? Have a safe trip on to Loas and hear from you soon.
Love, dad
Hi Guys,
Returned from the south coast Tuross Head after a week at Greg's beach house which is really nice and right on the beach. Managed to catch up with Ray Jacka and Jackie who are moving into their new home at Narooma. No cell phone or internet down there and it was good to get home this evening to catch up on your travels. you are doing a fantastic job of recording your travels and we look forward to the updates. Take care and hear from you soon.
Love, S & L
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