chiang mai, dubbed the 'city with a hundred temples' and often called 'rose of the north' was the location of my city crawl on a tuesday afternoon. founded by king mengrai in 1296, it later became part of lanna thai kingdom.
we hired a tuktuk at 320B for 4 persons and the driver brought us to the places we wanted to go. as a tuk tuk usually only sits 3 persons, me-the 4th person sat on a modified seat next to the driver. it was a very small one and i had to hold on to the hand rail on the roof. if i am not wrong, my 'seat' is the vehicle's battery box but was topped-up with a cushion. oh, it was such a stiff ride while the 3 ladies sat at the back.
2 of our modes of transportation while in chiang mai. the pink coach was our coach for 5 days. i did not get on the red taxi. you just hail one and ask the destination, then you can hop on.
on the left is a wooden shrine on the right of the main temple.
inside the main temple. if you look closely at the top left photo, you can see a guy asking the monk to bless a mong kon (a cord worn on the head on thai boxer). he was asking for blessing for his family. the westerners all who visited were really keen and interested.
i have seen a photo of this venerable monk before. yes, he is alive, sitting there. you can hardly see any rise and fall of the chest. the devotees have so much respect for him. well, i do too.
how beautiful.
the day was starting to get hotter and hotter and the sun did not show any sign of exhausting itself. i could feel my face being covered by a layer of dust. even the camera which was hanging on my neck was covered too.
we hired a tuktuk at 320B for 4 persons and the driver brought us to the places we wanted to go. as a tuk tuk usually only sits 3 persons, me-the 4th person sat on a modified seat next to the driver. it was a very small one and i had to hold on to the hand rail on the roof. if i am not wrong, my 'seat' is the vehicle's battery box but was topped-up with a cushion. oh, it was such a stiff ride while the 3 ladies sat at the back.
2 of our modes of transportation while in chiang mai. the pink coach was our coach for 5 days. i did not get on the red taxi. you just hail one and ask the destination, then you can hop on.so while the rest spent 400B for 2 hours of massage, 4 of us were visiting 3 of the oldest wats in the old city.
first up- wat phra singh which houses the phra singh buddha image which is said to have come from sri lanka.
well, i am not a devout buddhist or am i an expert in buddhism, so you guys just enjoy the photos and the intricate work of the temple.
on the left is a wooden shrine on the right of the main temple.
inside the main temple. if you look closely at the top left photo, you can see a guy asking the monk to bless a mong kon (a cord worn on the head on thai boxer). he was asking for blessing for his family. the westerners all who visited were really keen and interested.
i have seen a photo of this venerable monk before. yes, he is alive, sitting there. you can hardly see any rise and fall of the chest. the devotees have so much respect for him. well, i do too.
how beautiful.the day was starting to get hotter and hotter and the sun did not show any sign of exhausting itself. i could feel my face being covered by a layer of dust. even the camera which was hanging on my neck was covered too.
we then moved to wat chedi luang. i think this is one of the biggest temples inside the old city.
on top- the naga, which is found at the entrance of most temples is the guardian of the temple. it is sanskrit for serpent.
the new temple buiding at the entrance called viharn. love the ceiling.
this is what you go for at chedi luang. this chedi was destroyed in an earthquake in 1545 and now stood at 60m.
other smaller shrines around the chedi. this one houses some relics of monks.
the relics in their cases on top left. a reclining buddha is also in another shrine. and they even have a monk chat programme here. i saw a white young couple chatting with one monk. the rest were lepaking there as their tables were empty.
the last chedi for the day was wat chiang man, the city's oldest. this houses a crystal buddha and an emerald buddha.
this is my best shot of the crystal buddha.
the small crystal buddha statue is kept in the golden shrine inside the temple.
there were dogs wandering everwhere they were all so well-fed. someone was selling birds too. you can buy one and release it. on the right are paintings of lord buddha's journeys or stories.
the larger viharn.
time was not on our side. we did not expect to spend so much time at the three wats. well, there were just so much small details to take in at the wats. we got the tuk tuk driver to bring us to wakokot market which the receptionist recommended. one of the biggest in chiang mai if i am not wrong. it is situated in chiang mai's chinatown. well, the market closes at around 6p.m. and we were there at 5.15p.m.
top right is the entrance into chinatown. just a street with one block of shops on both sides.
above, wakokot market. you know, that is the name printed on the map, but the locals called it 'walolot'. haha...i couldn't get myself to say the ls in the name. it tickled me. the ladies got what they wanted to find- siang pure oil at one of the chinese medicine shops. 
we sat in long rows and we had the triangular cushions to lean against. but be careful not to push too hard, it would fall.
appetisers- fried crunchy banana and a bowl of vege soup. the soup was very salty.
on top- the naga, which is found at the entrance of most temples is the guardian of the temple. it is sanskrit for serpent. 
the new temple buiding at the entrance called viharn. love the ceiling.
this is what you go for at chedi luang. this chedi was destroyed in an earthquake in 1545 and now stood at 60m.
other smaller shrines around the chedi. this one houses some relics of monks.
the relics in their cases on top left. a reclining buddha is also in another shrine. and they even have a monk chat programme here. i saw a white young couple chatting with one monk. the rest were lepaking there as their tables were empty.the last chedi for the day was wat chiang man, the city's oldest. this houses a crystal buddha and an emerald buddha.
this is my best shot of the crystal buddha.
the small crystal buddha statue is kept in the golden shrine inside the temple.
there were dogs wandering everwhere they were all so well-fed. someone was selling birds too. you can buy one and release it. on the right are paintings of lord buddha's journeys or stories.
the larger viharn.time was not on our side. we did not expect to spend so much time at the three wats. well, there were just so much small details to take in at the wats. we got the tuk tuk driver to bring us to wakokot market which the receptionist recommended. one of the biggest in chiang mai if i am not wrong. it is situated in chiang mai's chinatown. well, the market closes at around 6p.m. and we were there at 5.15p.m.
top right is the entrance into chinatown. just a street with one block of shops on both sides.bottom left, the moat which is now much smaller than what it used to be. bottom right, what remains of the old fort surrounding the old city now. our hotel is outside the old city. how dull.
above, wakokot market. you know, that is the name printed on the map, but the locals called it 'walolot'. haha...i couldn't get myself to say the ls in the name. it tickled me. the ladies got what they wanted to find- siang pure oil at one of the chinese medicine shops. then it was goodbye to the tuk tuk driver who dropped us at the hotel at around 6 plus.
had to take a shower before the bus picked us up for our dinner.
those who went for the massage were all waiting at the massage centre.
dinner was at a place called kantoke palace. it serves nothern thai cuisine. khan means bowl while toke means small. so it is literally the tray used as a small dining table by thais. dinner was accompanied by traditional dances of nothern thais.
dinner was at a place called kantoke palace. it serves nothern thai cuisine. khan means bowl while toke means small. so it is literally the tray used as a small dining table by thais. dinner was accompanied by traditional dances of nothern thais.
we sat in long rows and we had the triangular cushions to lean against. but be careful not to push too hard, it would fall.
appetisers- fried crunchy banana and a bowl of vege soup. the soup was very salty.the 8 bowls included fried chicken, fried potato, fried pork rind, pork curry, fried cabbage, pork tomato chilli paste, fresh cucumbers and green chilli paste. they also had sticky rice in a bamboo basket and for dessert, fruits again and crispy rice cakes. everyone said the food was not appetising and the most attacked dish was fried chicken. they would refill the bowls when the food finished.
the dancers would perform 8 dances but we left after 3. the aunties all did not know how to enjoy them and were complaining that the music and dances were putting them to sleep. i quite enjoy them.
the dancers would perform 8 dances but we left after 3. the aunties all did not know how to enjoy them and were complaining that the music and dances were putting them to sleep. i quite enjoy them.so these were the things i did on my first day there. was so glad that i did my own sight-seeing of the old city. the rest did not get the chance at all.
p/s: i paid my samans online. rm300 gone.
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