Nov. 6 - Nov 22, 2022

Thailand 

Chang Mai & Pai

Chiang Mai

Edit

Seeing as how the boat is no where near ready and there is really nothing for us to do now in Ho Chi Minh, we decided to come to Chang Mai, Thailand. 

We landed in Chang Mai and that evening there was a night market.  Wow this place is crowded!

Turns out, unbeknownst to us that we arrived just in time for the Loy Krathong Festival!

Loy Krathong is the most famous festival in Chiang Mai.

It is a nationwide festival, but Sukhothai and Chiang Mai are the most popular destinations to observe the Loy Krathong celebrations. In Chiang Mai, the festival is also known as the Yee Peng Festival. 

Loy Krathong is a festival that takes place in the evening.

The essence of Loy Krathong is in its name: “loy” (Thai: ลอย) means “to float” and krathong (Thai: “กระทง”) is a slice of the trunk of the banana plant, decorated with flowers and banana leaf. A candle and one or two incense sticks are stuck into the krathong. Floating this beautiful, expertly handcrafted floating flower arrangement on rivers and waterways is what the festival has been about since its inception.

The three main activities of the Chiang Mai Loy Krathong festivals nowadays are the floating of krathong, several parades, and the release of sky lanterns.

The background of the Loy Krathong Festival in Thailand is somewhat obscure. Some people claim that the tradition of Loy Krathong originates in Sukhothai and was first organized by a court lady called Nopphamat. Others believe it was a Brahmanic festival that was adapted by Thai Buddhists to honor the Buddha. Anyway, the ritual of Loy Krathong is about paying respect to the Goddess of the Water showing gratitude for the use of water, and asking for forgiveness in the ensuing pollution. People float a “Krathong” in the river to get rid of misfortune and bad things that happened in the past and ask for good luck in the future.

We are looking forward to a very busy few days!

Chiang Mai


Wow what a feast for the eyes. There is so many buddhist temples and everything is very interesting to look at.

We walked all over the city today, stopping at Wat Phantao, Wat Khuan Khama, Wat Lok Moli, and the MAYA Lifestyle Shopping Center to get out of the heat for a bit.

Chiang Mai is a city in mountainous northern Thailand. Founded in 1296, it was capital of the independent Lanna Kingdom until 1558. Its Old City area still retains vestiges of walls and moats from its history as a cultural and religious center. It’s also home to hundreds of elaborate Buddhist temples, including 14th-century Wat Phra Singh and 15th-century Wat Chedi Luang, adorned with carved serpents.

Chiang Mai

Tried the famous dish of Chang Mai at this local restaurant called Khao Soi Lung Prakit Kad Kom. The restaurant is very popular and everyone comes at lunch to get this dish called Khao Soi (Egg Noodle Curry). 

A Burmese-influenced dish, though its name translates to ‘cut rice’, is actually made up of deep-fried crispy egg noodles dipped in a coconut milk curry soup. It is always accompanied by a dish of shallots, cilantro, lime, pickled mustard, ginger, and chili paste.  Very good but quite spicy!

In the evening we took in the festivities of the Loy Krathon festival, saw the parade, we purchased a few krathons and joined the crowd to light one and let it float down the river. Then there were the fireworks. Wow what a celebration!

Chiang Mai

Had our first Thai massage today. I had been looking forward to this day for a while! I read an article about Thai Massage and the writer suggested you try Thai Massage Shivagakomarpaj (Old Medicine Hospital).  Luckily we were able to head over there right away.


It was the last day of the Loy Krathon festival so we went out again at night. On Saturday night you can catch a light show Wat Sri Suphan. 

And of coure visiting some more wats:  Phra Sing, Wat Muentoom,

Phra Sing

Built in 1345,  It houses the North s most revered Buddha statue, Phra Phuttha Sihing which is enshrined in Vihan Lai Kham, a Chapel that features exquisite woodcarvings and northern style murals. During the Songkran festival, every April 13-15, Phra Phutthasihing is carried in a parade procession around town so locals can bath the image with scented water, which brings good luck according to a traditional belief.

The viharn Lai Kham is the most famous structure of Wat Phra Singh. It dates back to the year 1345, during the reign of King Phayu, the fifth king of the Mangrai dynasty. The murals are quite damaged but interesting. If you stand in front of the Buddha image, the murals on the left tell the Sangthong story and on the right the Suwanna Hong story. These are stories about the life and customs of the people in Chiang Mai in the past.

Wat Muentoom

The entrance is guarded by two Burmese style chinthe lions  and there is no porch. The gabled end is lavishly decorated with carved gilt foliate work and floral motifs with paneling above the door.

The door which is made of teak is painted in red lacquer and decorated with a few floral motifs only and the supporting columns are topped with lotus flower capitals. To either side of the door are stucco panels which look like they have been added to block, what were once, large windows.

Chiang Mai

An ex pat day - burgers and an ex pat bar for English music at CU Corner Bar and Cafe.

Chiang Mai

More Wat visiting today!

Wat Chiang Man

The oldest Temple in Chiang Mai town, Wat Chiang Man was built in 1296 by King Mengrai of Lanna kingdom. The temple is famous for its Lanna-style chedi supported by rows of elephant-shaped buttresses. The beautiful Lanna-style ordination hall enshrines an ancient Buddha image named Phra Kaew Khao, revered by Chiang Mai locals. 

Wat Dab Pai

Wat Dubphai, also known as Wat Dab Pai, a small temple near the North West corner of the old walled town of Chiang Mai comprises of a viharn, an ubosot, a chedi and a bell tower.

Guarding the entrance gate is a pair of white and gold Chinthe, mythological lion like creatures often found in Burmese temples.

Legend of the Buddha image that can end suffering

According to local belief paying homage at the temple can end people’s suffering. Local legend tells centuries ago there was a man who fell seriously ill. He prayed to a Buddha image named Phra Chao Dab Pai asking for his recovery. When he recovered he built the Wat Dubphai and named it after the image.


Wat Inthakhin Sadue Muang  

The temple is also known as the Wat Sadue Muang, which translates to “temple of the city navel”, a reference to the spot in the center of town where the temple was built over 700 years ago.

The temple is named after the Pali name for the Chiang Mai city pillar, the Sao Inthakin, which literally translates to “pillar of Indra”. According to local legend Indra, the Lord of Heaven in Hindu belief gave the pillar to the people who inhabited the area to protect them against evil.


The temple’s founding date is not known with certainty. King Mengrai of the Lanna Kingdom placed the pillar on the temple grounds at the center of his newly established city Chiang Mai in 1296. Because of the presence of the city pillar, the Wat Inthakin was a temple of great spiritual significance.


Phra Sing

The full name is Wat Phra Singh Woramahawihan(วัดพระสิงห์วรมหาวิหาร). The temple is on of the highlights in the core zone of the Chiang Mai UNESCO World Heritage project. 

In 1367 the temple became the home of a Buddha image called the Phra Sihingh (พระพุทธสิหิงค์) and was renamed, Wat Phra Singh. It is one of the most popular and highly visited temples in the Old City of Chiang Mai.The temple is beautifully illuminated after dark. 

The most eye-catching structure of Wat Phra Singh is its giant gilded stupa with protruding elephants on all sides. Its name is the Chedi Than Chang Lom Wat Phra Singh(เจดีย์ฐานช้างล้อมวัดพระสิงห์). On the south, north and west there are three smaller gilded chedis, of which two have niches with Buddha images.

Chiang Mai

Wua Lai Walking Street

Wualai, known as the Saturday walking street, is a fun and lively night market that is held in Chiang Mai just a short walk from the old city walls. Wualai is an actually normal street but when the commercial starts, the street will be closed.

It starts in the late afternoon and continues until 22:30. The atmosphere here is so perfect to be regarded as the most famous Sunday night walking street because of the fact that even though it is smaller, there are not the same crowds of people, so it creates a much more leisurely stroll. Not only are there plenty of local-made products and handicraft items, it is also a good place to pick up some tasty snacks to provide sustenance when you wander around. Wualai Road connects to Thipanet Road, which is near the south side of the old city walls and around a ten to fifteen - minute walk from Tha Pae Gate.

On the way back home to our hotel just south of the old city, Baan Ratchiangsaen we always walk by this bar called Tip Top Bar and wave to the owners, and for some reason it is usually vacant, so tonight we decided to pay a visit. Owners are very nice and she has a very cute dog!

Chiang Mai

Did a long, hot walk around the outside of the Old City today.  We found a beautiful park -Nong Buak Haad Public Park where you can participate in free yoga every morning!

Nong Buakhad Park : ‘A suggested place for leisure exercises and mind-relaxing activities’

Nong Buakhad Park was extablished by the city municipal. The main idea was about giving people a good place to relax their minds with their favourite activities. That works, however, as there are many tourists, both Thai and foreign, visit the park most everyday.

And, in case you don’t realise, Nong Buakhad Park has also been being used as the location of Flower Festival for 29 years. Moreover, it’s also used to host some other big festival, for an instance, Songkran Festival.

The atmosphere of the park is fabulous. There are many trees, flowers, water resources, etc. around. You can even sit in a pavillion in the middle of a pond, just to read your favourite book or listen to music.

Chiang Mai

It is our last day in Chiang Mai today.

We have been going to yoga at Bodhi Tree Cafe.  The yoga teacher has us doing head stands!  Haven't tried that in a while. After yoga, we ate at Chada Vegetarian Restaurant and had the best fruit salad.

And had one last Thai massage at our favourite place Wat Pan Whaen Thai Massage. Today we tried a Tok-Sen Massage.

The name, Tok Sen, makes reference to the instruments as well as application of the massage. “Tok” comes from the sound that the mallet makes when hitting the wooden wedge, and “Sen” relates to the Sen energy lines in traditional Thai medicine. Hence, the Tok Sen massage makes use of a small mallet and wedge, often made of wood from the tamarind tree, to stimulate the energy points and lines of the body. What really makes the Tok Sen massage stand out from other massage modalities, is that it combines the deep vibration produced by the wooden instruments with manual pressure and passive stretches, in order to transform the body, mind and energy and reinstate well-being.

It integrates the Tok Sen instruments with massage strokes and stretches from traditional Thai massage. The wooden mallet and wedge are used in different ways according to the effects that we seek as well as the area which is being stimulated. To give you an example, the wedge can be tapped on a single point, in segments, tracing a line, etc. The manual pressure and stretches are often applied at the beginning or/and end of a massage sequence. While the stretches seek to loosen up the body, the intense vibrations of the Tok Sen instruments work on our energy as well as physical level, reaching deep inside, healing us from within.

It was fabulous.

Pai

We took a mini bus up through the windy mountains from Chiang Mai to Pai.

We kept hearing from other travellers that we just had to visit Pai.  So we decided to go for a few days.  We really didn't know what to expect.  But it ended up being pretty fun, even though I think we were the oldest people there.

We ended up staying at the Re Connect Pai (Keys Resort) which sounded nice but it was secluded river side, just outside of Pai city. Road to the hotel was not paved and for the most part only as wide as 1 car and no lights at night.  It would have been fine if we had a vehicle but we were walking so it was a bit much every day walking in and out.  

On the road in were two establishments next to each other. One called Sunset Bar and the other called Paradise Bar.  The first night it was pouring rain so we only made it as far as these bars.  As cannabis is legal in Thailand, they were selling it freely so as we had nothing else to do, we bought a few.  And spend the night just lounging in the funky vibes. 

We saw one young person running down the road with no shoes, no shirt when we arrived at the Sunset Bar we saw a pair of shoes and a t-shirt lying in a pile then I looked at the bar and saw that they were selling a mushroom milkshake.  So that answers that question!

Mae Hong Son

Edit

Chris really hates our accomodation.  It is very basic accomodation but it comes with a free breakfast but it is a North American healthy breakfast not a Thai breakfast, in fact, they don't even offer a Thai breakfast. By the end of the week, I couldn't look at another avocado.  We took a bunch of photos of the resort which in our way of thinking was not a resort at all.

Today we rented a scooter, which was quite difficult because they were already all rented out.  We ended up renting it from a place that had 1 star on Google as everyone says they screw you when you return it but we took it anyways.  I've actually never seen a place with so many young people walking around with casts and bandages on their bodies!


Wat Phra That Mae Yen was our first stop.

Wat Phra That Mae Yen Wat Phra That Mae Yen is located on the hill, in the east, behind Mae Yen village. There was alot of stairs to climb to the top. At the back of Phra Ubosot is a chedi. There was no obvious evidence on the time it was built. From this point, you can get a whole striking view of Amphoe Pai; from houses to rice fields.

Wat Phra That Mae Yen has a peaceful, serene atmosphere, suitable for admiring a vast panoramic view of Amphoe Pai. 

There has been no evidences on when Phra That was built. Within the temple area, there are only Phra Ubosot, and a 3-meter-high white bell-shaped chedi, with a round pedestal, and the outstanding umbrella-shaped top in Burmese style. See the view, and worship the Reclining Buddha image. 

There seems to be a night market every night in the street of Pai so that is fun to walk up and down before heading back out of town to our lodging.  A dog started walking with us and he literally walked us all the way to the front step of our cabin,

Mae Hong Son

Edit

Pai Canyon

Our first stop was Pai Canyon. The first bit was to walk over a tiny ridge with 2 steep drops on either side, I just couldn't do. So we turned around and continued on to the 

Kho Ku So Bamboo Bridge

Located in Pam Bok Village in Thung Yao Subdistrict, is about 10 kilometres from Pai City. It is a bamboo bridge that winds through the rice fields with a beautiful mountain range as a backdrop. "Kho Ku Sui" is the name given to the bridge by local Tai Yai people, "Kho" meaning a bridge, and "Koo Sui" meaning merit. The bridge was established by Phra Ajarn Sakhon Jaruthammo, who looked after the Khai Khiri Buddhist Monk Group, aiming to connect with nearby Pam Bok Village, creating a route for monks to make alms in the village and for villagers to make merit at the temple. Built in 2016, the structures of this 815-metres bridge is made of concrete and steel, but clad almost entirely in bamboo. The bridge, snaking through the rice fields to link the clergy and the community, is one of Mae Hong Son's longest and most beautiful bamboo bridges.


Wat Pa Tam Wua Forest Monastery 

A monastery in the forest where anyone who would like to do silent meditation can go.  We walked around and it was very serene.

Stopped at the Jaey Cafe - they have really fun chairs and thai cushion on a second floor overlooking an amazing view.


Yun Lai Viewpoint

The viewpoint itself offers incredible panoramic views of the surrounding mountainous region and the township of Pai in North Thailand.


Santichon Village

Santichon Village or Chinese Yunan Cultural Village

Santichon Village provides the way of life and Chinese clay houses.

The Chinese Yunnan Village is not the typical Chinatown you see around the world. You can see the conservative cultures and traditions of the Yunan People such as the language, dressing, and specially the Yunnan foods.

Santichon Village or Chinese Yunnan Culture Center was settled by Chinese people who fled the Chinese revolution of Mao Tse Tung. After all these years, the descendants still living here and adhering to traditional ways, have managed to profit from Pai’s economic upturn. Santichon Village has a population of 2000 souls of mix Yunanese, Thai hill-tribes people and former Chinese soldiers. When opium was still the mainstay of the village and old Chinese soldiers wandered the streets in their old Republican uniforms, automatic rifles in hand.  Today, It’s quite popular with Thai tourists, with a large tasting area for tea, which has replaced opium as an important crop, and a souvenir market at the village entrance.

Like usual, we walked through town at the night market, found my new favourite dessert - mango rice - then our stop at Paradise Bar.

Pai

Two Huts was a great spot to stop off the highway with  food, drinks and a spectacular views.


Ta Pai Memorial Bridge-

Tha Pai Memorial Bridge or Tha Pai World War II Memorial Bridge, this antiquated-looking steel bridge is indeed a compulsory stop for tourists for a selfie or three, and is also an historical venue after all, though it is no longer the original one with a wooden structure that preceded the one you see now.


During World War II, the Japanese army wanted to have a route from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son to attack Burma which was a colony of the United Kingdom at that time. To establish the route, the bridge was built over the Pai River (Tha-Pai river near Tha Pai village) in 1941 using elephants to drag trees from the jungle and forcing villagers to work. After the war, Japanese soldiers left and burnt down the bridge. However, the villagers was in trouble because the bridge was very important for their daily life, and rebuilt the wooden bridge over the Pai river.


Ta Pai Hot Springs

Tha Pai hot spring is found close to Pai district town, 8 kilometers south of Pai.  At the hot springs, the water has an average temperature of 80 degrees Celsius, and offers an excellent view especially in the morning, when the mellow sun creates a rich tapestry of shadows as it shines through the steams issuing from the hot spring. There are several pools of different heat levels, being each one less hot than the previous one.


This place has pools that are a foot and a half deep, and you can easily immerse yourself and relax in the pools after a cold journey through the mountain roads. The serene jungles, with their birds in colorful plumage, offer you an ideal backdrop for a day’s relaxation under the sun. The stones inside the hot springs are quite slippery, so it is really good to wear shoes in the water.


Nice dip in the hot springs, would recommend to go higher up, water is warmer and also there are fewer people which feels a bit cleaner as not as many people dipping their feet in the water.


Love Strawberry Pai

Everything is strawberry themed! They do strawberry wine, rice, shakes, teas, cakes - so much! And the decor is funny - just strawberry mad.

It’s pretty cool to see the strawberries growing in the gardens too - there’s heaps!

We stopped at Paradise Bar - its become our go to! lol  there was a fire dancing show every week.

Pai

Still have our scooter. 

Visited the Wat Na Chalong Temple.

Next was the Wat Mae Na Toeng Nai Temple then for something different. Thought we would try our hand at catching some fish at the Pai Piranha Fishing Park.

Pai

Our last day with the scooter.

Stopped at The Conatiner Pai, I literally could have hung out here all afternoon.  The swinging chairs with the view was very relaxing.  We found the local market today. 

On our way through the back farm roads we kind of got stuck in the mud and we both fell over very slowly.  We cleaned the bike up as best we could as the reviews on the rental business were so bad, they try to charge everyone when they return the bikes.    

When we went to return the bike, we just went in super cheery and gave them the key and helmets back and they didn't say anything. Thank goodness!

Ho Chi Minh City

Edit

Back to Ho Chi Minh! Again!!

I thought we were going to die today. The driver of the bus we took back to Chiang Mai was driving like a maniac. The mountain roads are very windy, and steep.  However, we made it.

Freedom, open air, and adventure are found on the sea.