The night bus to Chiang Mai is full of tourists and at least that way, we get a nice lie-in (compared to the train) as everyone sleeps right up until five minutes before we arrive, at 8am. We can’t check in to our hotel yet (they’re very strict on check-in or check-out times here) but we drop our bags and have another cat-wash in the lobby bathroom before setting out to explore our new location.
We’ve heard Chiang Mai extolled by many fellow travellers and walking into the historic center, a perfect rectangle bounded by moats and, in some places, the remains of a brick rampart, it’s easy to see why. It’s a very westernised, hipster town, replete with smoothie bars, trendy coffee shops and brunch spots. But, to be honest, as we’re currently looking for breakfast, it’s a perfect setting! One avocado toast later (just to blend in, I swear) we’re feeling a bit more up to some sightseeing. The city centre is nice and compact, and absolutely peppered with temples and monuments (over three hundred overall!) so we can just wander around staring at whatever catches our fancy. My very basic research has uncovered a list of about six “must-see” holy sites which we cross-reference when in doubt at an ornate entrance, and otherwise our only other guiding principle is… checking out the post office to get those all-important souvenirs back to England. After a bit of a cultural overdose on our temple run of Bangkok, and not enough sleep on the way here, we’re both committed to taking it easy today and we gently stroll around, snaking around multicoloured shrines and gilded dragons.
The latter seem to be a local feature: every place of worship is accessed by sweeping staircases flanked by two long, slim reptile sculptures, fiercely guarding the entrance with their mouths open. These are always intricately detailed and generally also brightly painted. Tomorrow, we’ll get the chance to see one in the making at the Silver Temple: created out of stucco, it starts out as just a long cylindrical shape, with detail being added pat by pat from head to tail. While overall the architecture is familiar, we can definitely see the differences with Bangkok already, which makes sense as Chiang Mai is the capital of the old Lanna kingdom, an independent neighbour of more southern Siam until it was absorbed by it in the 18th century.
As we wander around, we check out Wat Phan Tao, a small, bijou teak building tucked right next to the famous Three Kings Monument, then move on to the towering ruins of Wat Chedi Luang, looping back up to the historical Wat Chiang Man (the oldest temple in the city) and finishing at golden Wat Phra Sing. It’s a lot of temples in one day but they’re all quite different. Wat Chedi Luang in particular stands out: while most other sites are kept in careful repair, this one is centred around a massive, crumbling chedi which used to house the famous emerald Buddha (which we saw now in Bangkok). While most of the detail on the central structure is gone, it’s still standing tall and dwarfs most buildings around it - you can see it from several streets away! The atmospheric ruins made this visit extra special - that and the bus of school kids, several dressed in Hogwarts robes, that were walking around at the same time as us. Wat Phra Sing is the other one deserving of a special mention: the vast complex is kept in immaculate state, and there’s gems to be uncovered everywhere you look. The most impressive bit for us is the bamboo garden at the back surrounding the imposing golden chedis - we’re still close to New Year and many Thai people are here to pray for good luck, some bringing their babies for an early blessing!
The other thing Chiang Mai is well known for is its food - and that holds true for us too. Throughout our first couple of days we sample a selection of delicious Thai dishes at small restaurants like “It’s good kitchen” (it is good!) and amongst others finally try the staple dessert mango sticky rice - yummy - and the local specialty main Khao Soi: noodles in a curry broth, topped with crunchy fried noodles - also very nice. Happy and full and having walked all around the city (despite our initial vow of a light programme), it’s time to check-in for some well-deserved rest and a much-needed shower!
Oh I'm sorry you did not picture the schoolbus with Hogwarts robes! - Beautiful this!