We had been trying for a few days to set up some time with our friend Riam to go out and spend the day seeing a few sights including a stop at her ‘garden’ (about an acre of fruit trees so not really what we would call a garden). We had a few temples that are off the normal tourist track that we wanted to see, and she also wanted to take us by her home so we were very honored to be invited to meet her family. We finally were able to set something up for Sunday, so after our night out for Muu Kata we were ready for another day of good sights and good company. We met Riam on our very fist trip to Chiang Mai when we came with all the kids and have made a point to met up with here every time we have returned, sometimes just for a visit, but often to hire her for her guide/car services as we explore Chiang Mai and the surrounding area.
Oddly enough on one of the only mornings we actually have a schedule, we actually slept in until just after 8am this morning. I guess the change of hotel is working out and the somewhat softer beds and the absence of a roster across the road crowing at 5am does wonders for my sleep!! We get ourselves sorted out and have a quick breakfast before heading out to the street to meet Riam at 9am.
Our first stop takes us out of the city and up towards Mae Rim to see the garden. The Longan fruit is in season and there are several trees loaded with fresh fruit – it is hard to beat something fresh from the source like this and Riam gives us a bunch of clusters to take with us. The garden has changed a little bit since we were last here a couple of years ago, they are raising fighting chickens now and have a small building where they keep the birds. The adult birds are kept in bamboo cages as they need to be separated or of course they will fight with each other. They have a few prize birds that have done well in previous matches, so now they can breed those birds and sell the offspring. The sale of a couple of chickens can add up to about a month’s wages so having good birds and lots of male offspring can be quite profitable.
After wandering around the area a bit and learning about how some of the land is being bought and sold for development of nice houses or resorts, we load back into the van for the short trip to Riam’s home. As we arrive cold drinks quickly materialize, and Riam’s children come out to greet us. They live with her husband’s parents and in I think fairly typical Thai fashion this is the same house where he grew up as a child. The parents do not speak any english, but greet us warmly and Riam is able to translate things back and forth for us, so we quickly feel very welcome in their home.
It feels like a special treat for us to be able to invade a bit on someone’s personal space, and to meet the members of the family. Riam gets her daughter to play some music for us on a traditional northern Thai instrument that she has been learning and while I suspect she was a little shy about performing in front of some farang strangers, she takes it in stride and plays 3 or 4 melodies – she was very good – dee maak maak!!
I have brought along my iPad with some of our photos from last year, a few pics of the kids and a handful of photos from back home. In hindsight I wish I had put some more photos from home on as I’m sure looking at a bunch of photos of Thailand is not quite as interesting to people from Thailand. We have a good laugh as Riam struggles a bit with the iPad, but her kids quickly jump in and show her how to use it 🙂 They are mostly interested in pictures of the beach – it is something we take for granted having been there several times, but for locals to travel from the north to south is a long and expensive trip and many wil never see it. They are also impressed with a couple of pictures of our yard from when we had snow – they of course never get snow here, so it is something they have only heard about and they have a good laugh at our fountain covered in snow and ice.
After a nice visit we say our goodbyes and load into the van for the journey back towards the city and the first of the temple stops we planned. We have been up the mountain (Doi Suthep) to see the large temple at the top (Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep) a few times, but have only really ever gone straight there and back. It turns out that there is another temple on the road up that most people are not aware of (turns out that is not a bad thing), called Wat Pa Lad. It is not well marked aside from a few signs in Thai and it is not as ‘grand’ as Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep so people either do not know it is there, or just bypass it on their way farther up the mountain. This is all good for us as the temple is mostly empty except for the monks that are meditating on the grounds so the entire place is quite and very peaceful. The grounds are beautiful and it is easy to see how buddhists that come to a place like this can find such serenity. In all her years of being a guide Riam has never been here so it is a new experience for all of us – like us she has gone by it many times but never really had a reason to stop.
Our next stop is Wat Umong, often referred to as the forest temple. The temple is just on the edge of the city not far from the university grounds. As we are making our way there through the streets we drive by more of the shops and apartments where the students would mostly live and it the whole area is bustling with young people. It is quite a change from the old city where we stay and feels a little more modern and busy – I guess good if you are a student, but a little more hectic than we are looking for as travelers 🙂
Most of the temples in the city are built on a regular type city lot – they are often surrounded by a wall and might have a few trees, but are generally quite sparse on the landscaping. Wat Umong is completely built in the forest and we can see why this would be quite a change from the rest of the city temples. The day that we are there they are having a ceremony to induct new monks. In the Thai buddhist culture there is a point where all young men go to spend some time living and studying with the monks. The amount of time can vary but is usually at least 3 days and can be as long as a year (or a lifetime if you choose to become a full fledged monk). The ceremony is attended by all the members of your family, and typically your mother shaves your head and then the older monks help you assemble your robes and then you leave your friends and family and move off into the temple with the rest of the monks. The ceremony is interesting, but there is more to see and we move off to other parts of the grounds. Much of Wat Umong is actually built underground, and it is the first temple that I can recall seeing that is built this way. Historically the tunnels were covered with paintings and are now in the slow process of being restored but they are still quite interesting even in their current state so we are glad we made the journey out to see it.
Our last stop for the day is at Wat Doi Kham, sometimes galled the Temple of the Golden Mountain. This temple is also outside of the city and not on the regular tourist track. In fact Riam has also never been to this temple, so two new temples in one day seems like a win for all of us!! One of the striking features of Wat Doi Kham is the large white buddha statue on the grounds. From some parts of the city you can see the buddha sitting up on the hill but you have to be looking for it, and it certainly does not get the attention that the more well know Wat Doi Suthep gets. Once again this is good for us, as we are a few of the less than 2 dozen people here, so it seems like we almost have the place to ourselves. The temple is built part way up the mountain and there is a big terrace that looks out over the city. The veiw seems a little more intimate with the city than the view from Wat Doi Suthep and we are glad we made the trek up here to see it. It will join the others on our list of recommended places to see, but we may keep that list in low circulation as these spots will be best enjoyed if they are not overrun by tourists – ironic isn’t it. Another big thanks to Ian who told us about most of these spots – we would not likely have discovered them otherwise.
We end the afternoon by saying our goodbyes to Riam as we will not likely see her again before we go (she has customers for the next few days, so during the low season that is good for her). She refuses to let us pay her anything for her time or gas money or anything so that is now an extra special treat for us. We all have a laugh and say she can overcharge us next time 🙂
Back to Ginny Cafe as usual for dinner and then it is off to the Sunday market to do some more wandering / shopping. I last for about the first hour and then leave Mrs. Columbus on her own to get her fill of the market.
Thus ends another great day in paradise…..