Chilling In Chiang Mai Thailand
Chilling In Chiang Mai, Thailand
From Hanoi, we flew to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand.
We have always wanted to return to Chiang Mai, since we were last here almost twenty years ago.
Back then, we really enjoyed our time in the city, and when we left, we cycled north from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai, where the Karen tribe of the long neck women live.
Just like we felt twenty years ago, Chiang Mai is a dazzling and fabulous place to visit.
Within the walls of the old city, there are old Buddhist temple complexes called Wats, dating back to the year 1294 A.D. when the city was settled mostly by migrants from nearby Burma (now Myanmar.)
The city has a rich and complex history embroidered with many myths, legends and folklore adding to its charm.
Chiang Mai is most famous for its beautiful ancient Buddhist temples.
Beside Bangkok, Chiang Mai is home to some of the most stunning Buddhist Wats in Thailand.
Many of these beautifully designed Wats were fully renovated and restored and have dazzling decorations with amazing, ornate details.
We chose to stay inside the old quarter in a charming and elegant heritage hotel.
The traffic inside the old city is less, and you can walk everywhere at ease.
There are many good restaurants and cafes in the old city.
Now that Thailand has legalized the use of Marijuana, there are many cafes and restaurants entirely dedicated to making drinks and food with pot.
One night after having dinner, we looked for a place to have dessert and almost went into a cafe to enjoy their homemade tropical fruit ice cream, until we saw that all their desserts included a description of the THC content, meaning that they were all made with Marijuana.
Chiang Mai has many night markets and weekend markets as well.
These markets, which tend to be extremely crowded with locals and tourists, are places people come to eat and drink, buy gifts and souvenirs or buy crafts, clothing and jewelry.
The tribal traditional clothing, in particular the simple long skirts the women wear, are made from beautifully designed fabrics that are woven in colorful patterns.
They fit every woman, because they wrap around the hips like a sarong.
The same colorful woven patterns are used to decorate shirts and jackets and look bright and lovely.
In the old city, there is a weekly Sunday night market.
The Wats on the main street stay open late for the market, and people can visit and admire the well lit old wats with their beautiful decorations.
There is a lot to see and do outside of the old quarter.
There are busy big historical markets near Chinatown, selling all sorts of dried fruits and nuts, local sweets, dried fish, shrimp paste, rice products and food items.
Nearby there are markets selling fabrics, traditional and modern design clothing and all sorts of odds and ends.
We had some fun days exploring the markets, dining in little places that made fabulous food, and sitting in cafes to rest.
The striking mountainous landscape around the city provides a lot of wonderful hiking opportunities and it is also home to two tribal villages.
I will describe our visit to the Hmong tribe later on.
It is now the holy-days time of the year.
We usher in a new year and I wish to extend a warm blessings to you for a blessed year to come.
Peace to all seeking hearts today. The light has come to offer miracles to bless the tired world.
I appreciate you!
I appreciate who you are, and all that you do that makes the world a better place…
May peace prevail on Earth!
With love from Chiang Mai,
Tali
