A five-day stay in Chiang Mai unexpectedly became an eye opener about Thailand's tourism and how a simple village or a waterfall or even a forest can be turned into a tourist attraction. Chiang Mai is a very tourist-friendly city. It was clean, convenient and confortable throughout my stay. I did enjoy every single moment in Chiang Mai.
The first thing I fell in love in Chiang Mai was this cafe` called Charcoa. It was an oasis for me to spend hours and hours chit chatting with friends or just reading a book. The owner must have had full passion to run a garden cafe` like thi. We can see and feel the effort in the details of how the furnitures are layed out or how the food was presented. I will always remember this lovely Charcoa. 
I met a friend of my travel mate at Chiang Mai. She has many many stories and anecdotes about everthing from the former Royal family of the Northern Thailand to Orphanage in Tarchilake. Our conversation at Charcoa went on and on till they left for Mei Sai. I would never feel bored to listen to her. 
This is my favourite seat at the cafe`. I was very comfortable spending time there. The fruits salad with yogurt and the omelet were delicious and perfect for breakfast. I ever thought about running a cafe` in my retirement age. In everything we do, what makes a difference is the passion and effort that we've put in. I thought Charcoa was well designed and I could feel the passionate touches. I hope to enjoy my moment at Charcoa again in the near future.
The beauty of Chiang Mai is the mixture of modern life demonstrated by the heavy traffic and the remains such as this The Phae` gate, one of the five gates of the old city. In day time, this empty square displays part of the entrance to an ancient city surrounded by the four walls which again is encompassed by the mote.
At Saturday nights, the square is transformed into a night market linked to the stretch of shops. This Saturday walking street is one of the interesting places for me.
It is very vibrant with many road side eateries where the authentic local foods are available.
This lady was selling local products such as accessories. The tribal blouse and nicely decorated cap added more colors into the dynamic walking street. The tick-tack sound that she made by scrubbing the rod on the wavy back the wooden frog was also comparative with the musics created by the flutist. 
I took the photo of this child as she reminded me of the naivety of the childhood. I dearly remembered the freedom from any hardship and sophistication in my childhood**********************************************
There are many Wat in Chiang Mai, most of them are inside the old city. This Wat is on the way from the guest house I stayed to the prison shop. I love the Thai massage at the prison shop where the authority give chance for the female inmates to learn and work as masseuses before their release. The prison shop also sells the knitted coasters, table cloths and other hand-made materials. I believe such opportunities help find a career for the ladies who are determined to change after the release. 
In this Wat, I noticed the different form of arts in the details. Although I was tired cycling back from the Chiang Mai University, I decided to drop by and take a look at it. It was very peaceful and pleasant in the compound. The wood carvings on the wall such as "Siddhartha leaves home" and "Supreme Enlightenment" were magnificent. 
This beautiful tree was in the temple compound. The purple, red, orange and white flowers are showing off their beauty. What a waste to miss the famous Chiang Mai's flower festival by just a few days. 
It took me more than an hour to walk from Moon Muang to the night bazaar. With inappropriate footwear for the long walk, I suffered from the leg and the back aches. The night bazaar was busy and dynamic but I did not find uniqueness in it. Maybe, it is not just my taste. 
The signboard of the big seafood shop was very bright and attractive. But I could not find any thing authentic. I will remember my special dinner at the night bazaar - the roti (equivalent to Parata in Singapore context) :) ******************************************
******************************************
2 comments:
nice photos and interesting write-up.
but still why your already-opened eye re-open is not clear in the story. ;)
:) Thanks for the comment. The facts I learnt from that trip are in the conclusion (last few sentences in part 3). Having the same weather, similar culture why Thailand can make a lot more money from tourism than our home land.
Post a Comment