CHIANG MAI,
Northern THAILAND |
Overnight Train
Bangkok to Chiang Mai
We boarded the train in Bangkok at
9:30 PM ready for another adventure. We had first class seats
(not cabin deluxe) and you sat facing each other for the first
part of the journey. Then the porter came and transformed your
seats into sleeping berths, one upper and one lower. There were
curtains you could pull across for privacy, although it didn't
cut out the sound of your neighbors snoring! |
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The night train proved to be a rough
go and Gord especially, being in the top bunk, could not sleep for
the jerky side to side motion and the constant clickity,
clickity, click of the train along the tracks. The train stopped
at a multitude of stations and Gord said that is when we was able to
catch a few winks. I was anxious to see the countryside so perched
myself up to look out the window at first light. The countryside had
transformed to lush hilly terrain, totally different from the flat
floodplains of Bangkok.
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Doi Suthep
After our check in at the CM
Bluehouse, a guesthouse run by a couple of expats from
Hawaii, we caught a songthaew (pick-up truck) to take us
up a steep series of hairpin turns rising up to the flanks of
Doi Suthep, the huge form that looms over the city.
According to legend, holy relics discovered in the 13th century
were place on the back of white elephants which carried them to
Wat Phrathat, then dropped dead of exhaustion. This is the site
where the temple was built. |
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 There are 306 steps leading to the
upper terrace. We encountered a couple of children
from one of the surrounding hill tribes dressed in their
traditional garb. The top of the stairs were guarded by a huge
gold inlaid dragon, its tail flowing down the length of the
stairway to form the railing.
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The courtyard was surrounded  by
beautifully decorated buildings with engraved gold plates and
walls painted with murals depicting the life of Buddha. |
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Everywhere,
excessive amounts of gold.
Below was the
impressive view of Chiang Mai sprawling to the horizon. |
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Buddha's and Bells
Doi Suthep was chockers with statues
of Buddhas in keeping with Thailand's reputation of having more
Buddha images than people.Most of the Buddhas were gold but
some were carved from jade and other stones. |
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The succession of bells, each having
a different tone, can be heard chiming over Chiang Mai. |
Of course there were the
usual stalls selling souvenirs from the temple but there were also
many items that we had not seen before and we purchased a few
trinkets from the over-exuberant women, all trying to compete for
our business!
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Shopping Paradise
We discovered a number of markets
around Chiang Mai, all encompassing blocks and blocks of vendor
stalls. There was the Saturday Market with numerous
streets of crafts and jewelry and other handmade items for sale,
very reasonably priced. The Night Bazaar a great
experience even just for the atmosphere, consisted of rows of
stalls lining the streets, some permanent structures. Nothing
carries a pricetag and haggling is the order of the day. By far
the largest was the Sunday Market where locals and
tourists packed the streets of Chiang Mai bustling with cheap
souvenirs, food, hill tribe products, ethnic garments,
woodcarvings, and every craft imaginable. |
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There was even Siamese fighting fish for sale. |
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Somehow in the crowded frenzy we bumped smack into Jim and Penny
from Ali Kai II whom we had not seen since New
Zealand. Again.....small world! |
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