Northern Thailand Revisited

It's been almost five years since I've traveled to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. I had opportunity to visit my good friend Doris this month who was coming from Japan for a conference. As it turned out, I had no idea that visiting Chiang Mai would bring back so many good memories of when I lived there in 2012.

Doris and I decided to make a day of traveling the area and playing tourist. Our plan was to reserve a driver and vehicle for the day, allowing us to visit specific places and not have to worry about parking or directions. It's so great to have a driver drop us off where we want and wait for us, all for an incredibly reasonable daily price!


WAT PHRA THAT DOI SUTHEP

Our first stop was one of the most famous temples in this area of Thailand nestled in the mountains to the west of Chiang Mai. According to Lonely Planet:

"The monastery was established in 1383 by King Keu Naone to enshrine a piece of bone said to be from the shoulder of the historical Buddha. The bone shard was brought to Lanna by a wandering monk from Sukhothai (see post) and it broke into two pieces at the base of the mountain, with one piece being enshrined at Wat Suan Dok. The second fragment was mounted onto a sacred white elephant that wandered the jungle until it died, in the process selecting the spot where the monastery was later founded."

This temple area is a large complex of buildings and gardens, some of which I don't remember from my last visit eight years ago. The terrace at the top of the steps is dotted with breadfruit trees, small shrines, rock gardens and monuments, including an important statue of the white elephant that apparently carried the Buddha relic to its current resting place.

Due to the recent death of the King of Thailand, there was a portrait and memorial reminders.

This temple is in the mountains which meant we enjoyed cooler temperatures and views of Chiang Mai below. Doris was particularly impressed with the narrow roads and switchbacks we traversed on our way up and down the mountain... to the point of having to close her eyes a couple times =)


HMONG VILLAGE

Fortunately, our driver knew of a nearby Hmong hill tribe village close to the temple. I did not know much about the Hmong people, apparent migrants from China centuries ago, and was thrilled for the chance to visit.

While the hills and mountains might have offered the Hmong a remote place to live years ago, modern roads and forms of transportation have brought these people into mainstream life in Thailand today. According to a Bangkok Post article in 2013, nearly a million of these non-Buddhist people were treated as outsiders in Thailand even though many are native to this land. Fortunately, this trend changed in the last number of years and the Hmong have become integrated into Thai society.

It was fascinating to see kids in the traditional dress as well as some playing games in the street like in many other parts of the world. Of course my mind went back to when I was a kid playing in the streets of Canada -- only we were playing Street Hockey when the streets were dry and building snow forts when the snow plow would clear our road of snow and pile it in one area. Needless to say, my memories of childhood will be slightly different than these kids here in Thailand!

As in most small villages in the tropics, the locals make their living by selling locally-made products so the market along their main street was in high gear when we got there.

BHUBING PALACE

The Bhubing Palace is also known as the King's Winter Palace. Built in 1961 to accommodate the royal family and dignitaries during state visits to Chiang Mai, we found the palace open to visitors since no one was currently occupying it.

I was wearing shorts, however, and had to rent long pants from the guards at the front gate and wear them during my visit as a sign of respect for the king.

There were some wonderful garden areas as we ventured around the grounds. We also came across a vendor selling the most amazing near-100% strawberry juice... almost made the trip worthwhile in and of itself!

SUANBUA MAESA ORCHID

Our next stop was an orchid farm that Doris saw online. It was a nice change of pace that brought us down the mountain and back near the city limits of Chiang Mai.

Orchids are my Mom's favorite flower and, seeing the variety that day, I can understand why. The orchid farm not only did a great job in growing the flowers but had a nice gift area with orchid-made jewelry, scents and note cards. It was also interesting to see where Thailand got the design for some of it's stamps!


KHAOMAO - KHAOFANG

I remember going to a unique restaurant when I lived in Chiang Mai and wanting to visit it again when I could. It is quite the experience, actually, having dining tables strewn about outdoors near some form of water -- like lake, stream or waterfall. Doris and I arrived while it was still daylight, allowing us to see the beautiful lobby complete with dome structure and natural setting.

Hang, even the bathroom still amazes me with water flowing down rocks in the sink area and the 'facilities' located among trees and other elements of nature.

Of course, the meal was also top-notch offering the typical Thai cuisine. I must have hit the jackpot on the spice-meter having Som Tom as appetizer and catfish curry soup for an entree. Let's just say, I didn't have any sinus congestion that evening =)

The restaurant really 'lights up' at night so visitors can enjoy the illuminated gardens and water features.

Tribute to the King

Before I left school on Thursday October 13th, a Thai coworker-friend pulled me aside and told me that the country of Thailand was awaiting a formal announcement early that evening regarding the king. Since the majority of us foreigners at school don't speak Thai, the Thai staff often look out for us by keeping us abreast of important events and announcements.

It was known that Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) was admitted to Bangkok's Siriraj Hospital on October 3rd. For years now (since 2009) the king has been battling health issues and, sure enough, the world was informed that King Bhumibol Adulyadej died at age 88 after a 70 year reign on the throne. The announcement came in a statement from the Royal Palace read on state TV Thursday evening.

It is an understatement to say the country of Thailand is now in mourning for a king who was absolutely dearly loved. When looking back at his life, he not only reigned for 7 decades but advanced the country through his modernized inventions, contributed to culture through his artistic bent and constantly made himself accessible to his public. In fact, King Bhumibol Adulyadej is known as the one who brought Thailand into the modern age.

Flags were immediately set at half-mast and government workers were told to wear black for the next year as a sign of respect. In addition, the country is to abstain from celebrations and wear dark muted colors for the duration. I must admit it is a sobering experience to venture out into Bangkok and be reminded of this mourning period when:

• Walking through crowds in public areas, such as the subway, and see only black and white dressed people moving about
• Noticing all 'loud' advertising and music silenced in public areas like malls and public transportation
• Observing memorial displays all across the country with black and white ribbon adorning buildings, fences and signs
• Coming across Thai web sites and other publications accessed in this country set to a monochrome (black and white) display as a reminder to the loss of a beloved king

I've lived in Thailand for five years now and my heart goes out to this nation in mourning. The more I learn about the King of Thailand, the more respect I have for this person who demonstrated such a positive example throughout his life. King Bhumibol Adulyadej will certainly be missed.