I have been in Chiang Mai since Monday, December 27th and have really enjoyed the change of pace from Bangkok. It isn't as exciting or as wild as Bangkok but it certainly has a charm of its own. Chiang Mai is in Northern Thailand, about 700 kilometers from Bangkok and is the second largest city in the country. The population of Bangkok is apx. 6.0 Million while Chiang Mai has roughly 200,000 residents.

Northern Thailand is distinctly different from the southern parts of the country. This is due to the history, culture and population of the region and the fact that going far back in history the various political borders of all the neighboring countries shifted often as a tribe or government won various battles and wars and imposed its rule on the conquered subjects. This has occurred many, many times in the recorded history of this region. Currently Northern Thailand borders Burma (Myanmar) and Laos with China and Vietnam very close.

To quote a bit of history I am going to para-phrase Lonely Planets "Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand". Gotta give credit where credit is due plus I would be plagarising if I didn't... Hope I don't get in trouble by the LP folks!

Nothern Thailand straddles the most important historical cross roads of northern Southest Asia, a vast region of mountains, valleys and rivers where people from China, Laos, Burma, Vietnam and Thailand have long traded goods and ideas in a fusion of cultures. The blend has been further enlivened by the presence of tribal societies whose ethnic heritage knows no fixed political boundaries.

Long an important trading area due to its position along caravan routes from China's Yunnan province to the port of Mawlamyaing in Burma. Northern Thailand rose to prominence when local Thai princes consolidated power and asserted cultural dominance over the region in the 13th century. Two Northern Thai kingdoms in particular, Lanna and Sukhothai , came to the fore and are widely recognized as the original sources of Thai nationhood. Lanna's main capital, Chiang Mai, became known as the most important religious and cultural relay point for this area, especially after the convening of the eighth world synod of Theravada Buddhism in 1477.

Enough history.

As I mentioned above I have been in Chiang Mai since Decemeber 27th. I decided to fly up here rather than take the train. I kinda feel like a sell-out for flying rather than taking a train or bus but I decided to do this for a couple of reasons. The flight only cost 1,400 baht (about $33) and took less than an hour. The day train (the one I would have liked to take in order to see some scenery) took about 16 hours for the same trip and cost apx. 850 baht for a 2nd class, A/C ride. The night train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai takes about 12 hours as it's an express train but I saw no real scenic value traveling by night. So I opted for ease and expediency and took the plane.

I am staying at the Lanna Palace Hotel, the only place at which I could get a reservation when I made my travel plans in Bangkok. Many Thai's and many foreigners travel to the country over the New Years holiday and it can be difficult to get a place to stay through the busy weekend. The hotel was okay but not as cool as some of the guesthouses I've seen and I probably paid to much, oh well! I maybe could have just dropped into town and looked for a place to stay at a guesthouse but I chose not to take the chance with the busy holiday. With the disasters down south many vacationers changed plans and came north instead leading to even fewer vacancies so I think I made the best decision.

I was thinking of a way to describe Chiang Mai to this blog. I was thinking about using another drug analogy such as Chiang Mai is like Bangkok on valium but decided not to do so as this is a family-friendly blog with only mild tales of sex, toilets, cockroaches and drugs. I think the best way to describe this place is if Bangkok is New York City then Chiang Mai is Cincinnati. Hectic and strange in its own right but no where near as hectic, polluted or crazy as Bangkok.

The city is spread out in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains. Unfortunately it is so hazy during the day from what I suppose is air pollution that the mountains are almost invisible from the city eventhough some are within 10 miles of the city center. Most of the backpackers, travelers and tourists stay near the Old City. This area is surrounded by a moat and is a perfectly square community with hundreds of wats, bars, guesthouses and shops. A relaxed area without high pressure vendors and lots of laid-back people.

The roads around the Old City and along the perimeter inside the Old City are all one-way roads and are like NASCAR races with no let up in the traffic and no stop light or stop signs. Everyone just drives around really fast and changes lanes at the slightest opening to veer off onto side roads or stop curbside. Crazy and very difficult at times to cross a street.

Chiang Mai is also the home of many western ex-patriots. There is a sizable community of apx. 20,000 foreigners, primarily Brits and Aussies with a few Americans thrown in. Many bars in the Old City and elsewhere cater to this crowd. There are also many Air America veterans living in the area. As some of you may recall Air America was a CIA sponsored air group performing covert (and often illegal) missions in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War period. Chiang Mai was a popular place for these guys during the war and many either stayed here or migrated back over the years.

This picture is one of the entrances to the Old City

Here are some other pictures of Chiang Mai and some pictures of various Wats.
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There are probably more Wats per area in Chiang Mai than anywhere else in the country. They are on almost every street in the Old City and its outskirts. It's hard for me to understand the relative historical and religious significance of each of these Wats and most of the signage is in Thai but many of these Wats have beautiful Buddha's and beautiful sanctuaries. Also, Wats historically provide food and shelter to stray dogs and cats and some ask for donations to help take care of these animals. This is a cause I was pleased to help.

I mentioned in a previous blog entry how Thai's seem to take good care of dogs and cats as well as all living things. One of the main reasons for this is that one of the core beliefs of Buddhism is reincarnation. When someone dies they come back to life as another life form. Depending on how you led you life determines what you come back as. Your mean old mother-in-law or mean boss might come back as a cockroach or a rat :-). I think Thai's take care of animals because they may be a dead relative or friend reincarnated. Oops, I shouldn't have just swatted that fly...

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I went to the Chiang Mai zoo while in town. The zoo is about 7 miles west of the Old City and is a pretty cool zoo. It is also very confusing to walk around. The animals are spread out over a very large area and their are many hills and valleys and most of the animal areas aren't well marked. Also, the "You Are Here" signs were misleading causing me to end up in places of the zoo I did not intend. All the exhibits had alot of Thai writing but the only English signage says what the animal is. It was an exhausting walk, the zoo is probably best seen by golf cart or tour bus (both of which were everywhere) but I decided to walk and take it at my pace. It was good exercise! The zoo is clean and well maintained and even has 2 Pandas on loan fron China. The Pandas are a big deal. Also, as one would expect, the animals looked well cared for in thoughtful living quarters.

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That's about it for this blog entry. I have a bit more to write about Chiang Mai, especially my visit to an Elephant Camp and a Snake Farm (there are over 30 species of snakes in Thailand, many of them poisonous - including the King Cobra!).

Oh, here's another sign I found:

For those who don't read Thai or English there is an image to the right that should properly explain what the sign means :-)

Also, I had a request for pictures with me in them so here are two. I have a few others I'll post later.

This is me with a 10 foot Python. A cool snake. Pythons are native to Thailand jungle regions.

This is a picture of me on my Elephant. Her name was Megan and she was a nice elephant. I got to ride her through the jungle for an hour. Riding an elephant is hard work!

I will be away from this blog for a few days. I'm leaving Chiang Mai to head to Luang Prabang in Laos on Monday. The journey will take the better part of three days including a two day boat trip down the Mekong River in Laos.

Happy New Year and love to everyone!

Thank you for reading this. I hope to make this blog both interesting and entertaining. Please post a comment and let me know your thoughts, observations or counsel. Hearing from readers and knowing I have an audience is a great motivator and will be a great morale booster during down times on the road. Don’t forget to bookmark this site and tell a friend! Please feel free to e-mail me at “JeffMichie at Yahoo Dot Com”