A Day in Chiang Mai

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This morning, after a breakfast of fresh yogurt, museli and fruit, plus the necessary java, I dropped into the used book store just around the corner from my guesthouse. 1000s of books to choose from, but I finally ended up with "Touch The Dragon: A Thai Journal " by Karen Connelly. She wrote this book as a result of her year spent in northern Thailand as a Rotary Exchange Student when she was a high school student in Calgary. I think it will be a great read and within the first few pages, I could identify with her first impressions of Thailand.
Today was a walking day and I stopped in at several wats (temples). I was usually greeted by a tuk-tuk driver who asked me where I was going - he could take me for an hour drive for 40 baht. I always refuse the tuk-tuk drivers after our experience in Bangkok when D. and I agreed at a price, hopped in and within 5 minutes, the driver had pulled down a side street and began his 'pitch' to take us to a shop ... just for him ... a favour for him ... to buy buy buy. The driver just prior to this one had taken us to a travel agent behind the train station to buy a ticket (with commission for him of course) rather than AT the train station where we could buy our OWN ticket WITHOUT commission.
But back to the wats ......there are more than 300 temples in Chiang Mai and 121 of them are within the municipal limits (so says the Lonely Planet, and it only takes a short walk to confrim.) L. and J., you will get my drift when I say ... 'one more Madonna and Child'
The most visited wat in Chiang Mai is the Wat Phra Singh which houses the Lion Buddha. The many buildings ... all different in design ...beside a school where boys played at break, and young monks rested on benches.
Walking down the street, I noticed a sign in a beauty shop window: for only 40 baht you could have your eyelashes straightened or get this: 'suck pimple' for 40 baht ... and my mother told me to never pinch one because it will only make it worse. Ugh!
After a couple of hours walking in the every growing heat, I stopped at the city park. I was expecting a much larger park, but this one was very structured with lots of water fountains, students on lunch break buying food from street vendors and than scooting into the park to sit on mats which they rented for 10 baht. Feeding the hordes of pidgeons seemed to be a highlight of the students noonhour ... hundreds of pidgeons ...all I could think of was pidgeon shit everywhere ... I sat on a park bench and looked at the temperature in the sun: 34C and the students wore jackets and heavy pants! Me ... I just drank more water.
Further along my trek this afternoon, my growling stomach told me is was time to stop for refreshments. Although I have eaten lots of food from street vendors, after three and half weeks, my stomach hurls at the smell of the oil, etc. so I have resorted to sit down restaurants. Still, they are easy on my pocket book and for lunch this afternoon, I had a roasted spicey chicken on a freshly baked baguette. I know .. baguette is not exactly Thai but I did say my stomach has been revolting. The hot ginger tea was a special chaser with lemon bits and honey.
The baguette was supposed to have come with a salad and when I questioned the waitress, the owner who later told me he was from Shanghai, started to take a strip off of her. She became very angry and starting pointing at me ... the farang (Westerner) ... but the owner yelled louder. I told him it was OK ... to just charge me less, but he wouldn't give up. I felt sorry for the waitress ...somewhat ... although she seemed to want to 'blame' me with all of her pointing and yelling. I gulped my tea and got out of there!
Traffic, traffic, traffic. Well, Chiang Mai is a city of more than 150K but it seems most of the traffic drives around the old inner city part ... a square area surrounded by a moat and in the past, a high brick wall. (In a few places, you can see the remains of the ancient wall.)
traffic ... trucks .. big, little, medium size, half ton, 1/4 ton which in reality are used as buses, scooters, bikes run by human legs, motorcyles, motorcyles with side cars, back cars, front cars, anything attached cars, SUVs - big ones!, bicycles, rickshaw like contraptions hooked up to bicycles, jeeps, and on it goes. When you step off of the curve, you look for a 'gap' in the traffic and jump out. I have the hang of it now. Even at the rare crosswalk where there is a light to switch, the traffic only stops as long as you are in the way. Off it goes, as soon as you are out of the way even though the light is still red.
By 4pm, I was tired and my back hurt so I decided to head back to my guest house and read the newly purchased book. Before I knew it, I heard the 'bong', calling the monks to prayer just after 6 pm. As the bongs started, the dogs in the area started up a cacaphony of barking with the occas. yip from a pup. When the bongs stopped, the dogs quietened down, only to be replaced by the wonderful melody of the monks chanting. For 30 minutes, they chanted on, using only three tones. I laid on the bed in my guest house and closed my eyes. Promptly within 30 minutes, the chanting stopped and I heard the doors of the wat being closed.
Even in my small corner of Chiang Mai, at the SIXTY GUEST HOUSE (odd name, don't you think?) in my tiny but immaculate room, I have yet another experience for my memory bank.

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