May 25, Friday
I'm awake very early, but unfortunately have no window to look out of. Once people start moving around and getting up, we get the porter to take down our beds and reconfigure everything back to our two seats. Finally I get to see out of the window at the Northern Thailand countryside. It is very peaceful.
Rice fields
forests
and farmers out working in their fields
We arrive in Chang Mai at about 10:30 in the morning. The train is supposed to be a 14 hour ride, but it always takes 16 hours we are told. For some reason (lucky number 14?) they don’t want to simply change the arrival time, or duration, on their advertisements.
After we get off the train we are taken to the guest house where we will be spending the night; it’s called “People Place 1”. It is actually a hotel and has quite a nice lobby area, though the rooms are fairly spartan
Our scheduled activity is not until the late afternoon to visit “Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep Rajvoravihara”. All names in Thai are extremely long ! We have the option of taking a cooking class (not for me, I love to eat but don’t like to cook) or go for a bike ride through the country-side. We all opt for the bike ride.
They have good mountain bikes and helmets for all of us. I end up wearing my “Lake Titicaca” safari type hat under my helmet to protect me from the sun, but as soon as we are in the country lanes in the shade I take it off and just keep the helmet on. So much cooler. Violet, one of our fellow travellers had to stop because the heat and humidity was just too much. Luckily they were able to call the driver with the truck to come and pick her and the bike up to take her back to the hotel.
The ride on the city streets was a bit scary with all the traffic, but our local guide was very good and just by holding out his hand, traffic would stop to let us make our road turns safely across lanes of traffic. He later explained that he would not get that type of cooperation if it was just him, only when there is a group of tourist bikers. Still, I am very appreciative. After leaving the city, we are riding on the side of a road following what I think was the river Ping.
Our first stop is out in the countryside at a temple (Sorry, don’t have the name) and we weren’t given a map of our route, so I have absolutely no idea where we were.
This must be the fattest Buddha I've seen on my travels
And the famous serpents guarding the entrance to the temple. Do you notice anything different about this one ?
It is actually a serpent, swallowing another serpent !
Inside there are bright colours everywhere.
And the side walls are completely painted with a story about a wronged wife who takes revenge !
The country side is beautiful, but unfortunately we don’t get to stop to take pictures. My camera is in my bag, precariously hanging over the back tire of my bike. I can’t keep it on my wrist and ride the bike (hand breaks !) at the same time. At some point, we leave the road and drive through country lanes which is much more enjoyable and we are under the trees and in the shade, which is much cooler. We ride through what used to be a leper colony and is now a rehabilitation centre, with little cottages that people live in. There is also a centre where people with disabilities learn an art trade (painting, making jewelry, wood carving, etc). I end up buying a carved wood bird of peace which is quite lovely. No idea where I will hang it, but I wanted to buy something to support the people living and working here.
Picture found on the internet: The former leper colony
Picture found on the internet: Riding along the Ping River
Picture found on the internet" Riding through the country lanes.
From there it is just a short ride to the restaurant where we will have lunch. I order some pad Thai which is delicious. We are now back on the main road, in the full afternoon sun, and it is extremely hot and humid. I’m not sure I am going to be able to make it. The peddling is easy, it’s the heat and sun stroke that I am worried about since we no longer have any shade. I’m quite disappointed at not having pictures; even when we did stop, I was too tired to manage more than drink water.
Me on one of our rare stops today
We make a few more quick stops along the way and I find out that we have ridden a total of 21 km so far in 38C heat, and that is not factoring in whatever the humidex levels are. I would have been better off not knowing because after that, the biking seemed interminable. I was slowing down and stopping to drink lots of water when they announced that the truck would meet us at the next temple and we would not have to ride all the way back into the city. I was thanking God, Buddha, the angels and everyone else I could think of. We needed to be back at the hotel and ready to take off again by 4:30 to get to the Temple; there was no way we would make it back in time if we biked.
When we finally get off our bikes, it is at an outdoor market where fruits and vegetables are for sale.
These are live grasshoppers, storred in egg crates.
These are the fresh fried grasshoppers that are for sale. NO, I DID NOT SAMPLE. Gave me the shivers just to look at them.
John, Lindsey and Mike in the back of the truck, riding back to our hotel
Our local guide (sorry, I did not write down his name), Karsten, Mel and Me. See the big grin on my face? That's because I don't have to bike any more today !
When we finally make it back to the hotel, we only have time for a quick clean up and change of clothing (since we are all soaking wet from sweating in the sun) before we head out again, this time in a mini-van.
The Temple “Phrathat Doi Suthep Rajvoravihara” is located on top of Doi Suthep mountain and it takes quite a while to get there since we are battling traffic in the city and going up an extremely long series of hair pin turns up the mountain. We still have the same driver as well and he is making everyone cringe.
We arrive at the temple and most of my fellow travellers opt to climb up the more than 300 steps up to the temple. Violet and I opt for the cable car instead. I’m loving this because there is no way I would have made it up the steps after that bike ride! When we arrive at the top, it is to hear small bells tinkling in the breeze. There aren't very many people around yet, it is very quiet, and the sound of the bells is very pleasing and peaceful.
Shoes off for the entire area of this temple, but the marble tiles are extremely clean
The famous golden umbrella of Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep Rajvoravihara
This is a Theravada Buddhist temple, and a few minutes past 6 pm the monks group up and start chanting. They then enter the temple to chant some more. Most of the people who are visiting the site are respectful and quiet. Wish there had been time to find a quiet spot to meditate, but our guide takes us around the temple grounds explaining the history of the many buildings and statues.
The monks chanting their evening prayers
The Buddhas within the temple
Other Buddhas are scattered around the outer areas. This one looks like it comes from outer space.
Graceful reclining Buddhas
Prayer bells
Ornate doors
And of course the everpresent serpents guarding the doors
“According to legend, holy relics discovered during the reign of King Kuena (1355-1385) were placed in a howdah on the back of a white elephant, which carried them to Wat Phrathat, then it dropped dead due to fatigue from a long journey. The present complex dates from the 16th century and was expanded or restored several times later.”
The staircase we will be using when we leave. Can you see the teeny tiny people at the bottom? And that's not even the bottom !
It is dark by the time we leave the site and there is a beautiful view of the city below us. Too bad my camera’s battery died ! We all head back down to the bus using the stairs, more than 300 of them. The ride back to the guest house is faster than on the way up since the traffic has eased a bit.
I had to make a quick stop at a photo shop since I left all the extra passport photos for my visas with my application to renew my Canadian Passport. DUH ! The others went to walk around the night markets and grab a bite to eat. I didn’t even bother with dinner once I had my photos; I just headed back to my room for a quick shower and dropped into bed. What an exhausting day !
I'm awake very early, but unfortunately have no window to look out of. Once people start moving around and getting up, we get the porter to take down our beds and reconfigure everything back to our two seats. Finally I get to see out of the window at the Northern Thailand countryside. It is very peaceful.
Rice fields
forests
and farmers out working in their fields
We arrive in Chang Mai at about 10:30 in the morning. The train is supposed to be a 14 hour ride, but it always takes 16 hours we are told. For some reason (lucky number 14?) they don’t want to simply change the arrival time, or duration, on their advertisements.
After we get off the train we are taken to the guest house where we will be spending the night; it’s called “People Place 1”. It is actually a hotel and has quite a nice lobby area, though the rooms are fairly spartan
Our scheduled activity is not until the late afternoon to visit “Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep Rajvoravihara”. All names in Thai are extremely long ! We have the option of taking a cooking class (not for me, I love to eat but don’t like to cook) or go for a bike ride through the country-side. We all opt for the bike ride.
They have good mountain bikes and helmets for all of us. I end up wearing my “Lake Titicaca” safari type hat under my helmet to protect me from the sun, but as soon as we are in the country lanes in the shade I take it off and just keep the helmet on. So much cooler. Violet, one of our fellow travellers had to stop because the heat and humidity was just too much. Luckily they were able to call the driver with the truck to come and pick her and the bike up to take her back to the hotel.
The ride on the city streets was a bit scary with all the traffic, but our local guide was very good and just by holding out his hand, traffic would stop to let us make our road turns safely across lanes of traffic. He later explained that he would not get that type of cooperation if it was just him, only when there is a group of tourist bikers. Still, I am very appreciative. After leaving the city, we are riding on the side of a road following what I think was the river Ping.
Our first stop is out in the countryside at a temple (Sorry, don’t have the name) and we weren’t given a map of our route, so I have absolutely no idea where we were.
This must be the fattest Buddha I've seen on my travels
And the famous serpents guarding the entrance to the temple. Do you notice anything different about this one ?
It is actually a serpent, swallowing another serpent !
Inside there are bright colours everywhere.
The country side is beautiful, but unfortunately we don’t get to stop to take pictures. My camera is in my bag, precariously hanging over the back tire of my bike. I can’t keep it on my wrist and ride the bike (hand breaks !) at the same time. At some point, we leave the road and drive through country lanes which is much more enjoyable and we are under the trees and in the shade, which is much cooler. We ride through what used to be a leper colony and is now a rehabilitation centre, with little cottages that people live in. There is also a centre where people with disabilities learn an art trade (painting, making jewelry, wood carving, etc). I end up buying a carved wood bird of peace which is quite lovely. No idea where I will hang it, but I wanted to buy something to support the people living and working here.
Picture found on the internet: The former leper colony
Picture found on the internet: Riding along the Ping River
Picture found on the internet" Riding through the country lanes.
From there it is just a short ride to the restaurant where we will have lunch. I order some pad Thai which is delicious. We are now back on the main road, in the full afternoon sun, and it is extremely hot and humid. I’m not sure I am going to be able to make it. The peddling is easy, it’s the heat and sun stroke that I am worried about since we no longer have any shade. I’m quite disappointed at not having pictures; even when we did stop, I was too tired to manage more than drink water.
Me on one of our rare stops today
We make a few more quick stops along the way and I find out that we have ridden a total of 21 km so far in 38C heat, and that is not factoring in whatever the humidex levels are. I would have been better off not knowing because after that, the biking seemed interminable. I was slowing down and stopping to drink lots of water when they announced that the truck would meet us at the next temple and we would not have to ride all the way back into the city. I was thanking God, Buddha, the angels and everyone else I could think of. We needed to be back at the hotel and ready to take off again by 4:30 to get to the Temple; there was no way we would make it back in time if we biked.
When we finally get off our bikes, it is at an outdoor market where fruits and vegetables are for sale.
These are live grasshoppers, storred in egg crates.
These are the fresh fried grasshoppers that are for sale. NO, I DID NOT SAMPLE. Gave me the shivers just to look at them.
John, Lindsey and Mike in the back of the truck, riding back to our hotel
Our local guide (sorry, I did not write down his name), Karsten, Mel and Me. See the big grin on my face? That's because I don't have to bike any more today !
When we finally make it back to the hotel, we only have time for a quick clean up and change of clothing (since we are all soaking wet from sweating in the sun) before we head out again, this time in a mini-van.
The Temple “Phrathat Doi Suthep Rajvoravihara” is located on top of Doi Suthep mountain and it takes quite a while to get there since we are battling traffic in the city and going up an extremely long series of hair pin turns up the mountain. We still have the same driver as well and he is making everyone cringe.
We arrive at the temple and most of my fellow travellers opt to climb up the more than 300 steps up to the temple. Violet and I opt for the cable car instead. I’m loving this because there is no way I would have made it up the steps after that bike ride! When we arrive at the top, it is to hear small bells tinkling in the breeze. There aren't very many people around yet, it is very quiet, and the sound of the bells is very pleasing and peaceful.
Shoes off for the entire area of this temple, but the marble tiles are extremely clean
The famous golden umbrella of Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep Rajvoravihara
This is a Theravada Buddhist temple, and a few minutes past 6 pm the monks group up and start chanting. They then enter the temple to chant some more. Most of the people who are visiting the site are respectful and quiet. Wish there had been time to find a quiet spot to meditate, but our guide takes us around the temple grounds explaining the history of the many buildings and statues.
The monks chanting their evening prayers
The Buddhas within the temple
Other Buddhas are scattered around the outer areas. This one looks like it comes from outer space.
Graceful reclining Buddhas
Prayer bells
Ornate doors
And of course the everpresent serpents guarding the doors
“According to legend, holy relics discovered during the reign of King Kuena (1355-1385) were placed in a howdah on the back of a white elephant, which carried them to Wat Phrathat, then it dropped dead due to fatigue from a long journey. The present complex dates from the 16th century and was expanded or restored several times later.”
The staircase we will be using when we leave. Can you see the teeny tiny people at the bottom? And that's not even the bottom !
It is dark by the time we leave the site and there is a beautiful view of the city below us. Too bad my camera’s battery died ! We all head back down to the bus using the stairs, more than 300 of them. The ride back to the guest house is faster than on the way up since the traffic has eased a bit.
I had to make a quick stop at a photo shop since I left all the extra passport photos for my visas with my application to renew my Canadian Passport. DUH ! The others went to walk around the night markets and grab a bite to eat. I didn’t even bother with dinner once I had my photos; I just headed back to my room for a quick shower and dropped into bed. What an exhausting day !
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