There is actually a map you can get in the hotels or at the different artists house telling you about these spots around Chiang Rai province. It is really a mini adventure when you see a sign and finally get to the place. 

We were really amazed by the great location and the design of Khun Teerayut and his wife Khun Orpins house. We thought we were lost but finally this little pearl appeared. It is recommended to call before you visit, something we didn't do but we were shown great hospitality wherever we went anyway.

We also dropped by to visit Khun Chaiwichit, admiring his more impressionistic work on the sakura blossoms of Chiang Rai.

On the way back to Chiang Mai, we decided to check out the progress of the White Temple and we were lucky enough to meet the master Khun Chalermchai himself that day. Another great roadtrip in the rainy season came to an end…

Text and photos: Per Sundberg

We started off from Chiang Mai as usual, and the journey up to Chiang Rai city was a pleasant one with our usual stop for coffee at Cabbage&Condoms. After arriving Chiang Rai, then we started the adventure. Were we to find Lanjia Lodge from the Google instructions we had? We also got a bit concerned since the road just got bumpier and bumpier. Almost a slight feel of Sri Lankan roads. But we assumed that this was the price we had to pay to get somewhere very special.

And special it was, when talking about less people I didn't quite expect that we would have a huge balcony just for ourselves overlooking a valley, the Mekong river and Laos. Actually we were the only guests at the lodge this weekend. The staff had been expecting us for some time and showed the best hospitality one can imagine. On the balcony we had our own very attentive hosts. Two persons from the Hmong hill tribe making sure everything was ok.  My son was busy trying to catch up with the Hmong village kids playing, climbing trees and hiding in the bush. Not an easy task considering the strength and stamina that these children developed running up and down the hills to get to school.But he certainly tried his best following them here and there up and down the slopes of the fruit yard. 

On arrival we mostly sat and enjoyed the view though, listening to the sounds of the valley. A distant truck, motorbike and nothing much more than that to be heard. In the evening we were served a tasty dinner with different curries and we were  entertained at the balcony. A very short music and dance performance but with a lot of genuine feel to it. (Compared to the exhausted tourist shows in Chiang Mai anyway)

The next day we were guided around both the Lahu village and through the Hmong village. The hmong shaman explained some of the local beliefs or practices, or what we should call them. There is a mix of shamanism(animistic beliefs) Buddhism and Christianity in these villages. My son and wife also tried to make some Hmong batik and we took part in a tree planting project to help reforest this area. We also tasted the local organic tea. There is a actually a lot of activities one can participate in at the lodge. Of course they have trekking as well. Our guide told us that the normally do a one and a half hour trek to a waterfall. Well, we skipped that travelling with a four year old but I am sure it is a nice walk considering the nature in the area.

The best part was probably how evening turned to night. Suddenly the curtain was pulled down and we were left to the sounds of chic chac lizards, and cicadas. In the morning we could see how the sunrise over the Mekong lifted the misty veil covering the valley.

Read more about the Lanjia lodge and the support of local hill tribes on the Asian Oasis website. 

The Gaze of the Buddha
In Chiang Mai there are a great many temples within the 700 year old city walls and an even greater number outside the walls. One of the most sacred and important ones is Wat Jet Yod that is located just ten minutes from the city center. What really is special about this place is the peacefulness quietness of of the place. This is actually quite remarkable, since one of the big highways, with heavy traffic pass along just outside the temple grounds.

Wat Jet Yod dates back to 1453 and there have been a great many Buddha Images and sculptures gathered there through the centuries. I have been very fortunate in my life to have had the chance to travel to many sacred places. I’ve visited a great number of temples with sacred representations and images of the Buddha, like Bodhgaya in India, Boudhanath in Kathmandu, Nepal, Shwedagon in Yangon, Burma but also here in Thailand, especially around Chiang Mai.

Sincerely i have to admit that that i rarely have seen such a great collection of exquisite and inspiring Buddha statues (Rupa’s in Sanskrit). They are really astonishing and many of them of superior quality. A few of these are also highly unusual in terms of details and postures, or Mudras in Sanskrit, which specifically mean the postures of the hands of the Buddha.

Here you will read more about the facts of the temple and its location (Google Maps)

If you get a chance to visit Chiang Mai, or if you live here, and you only need to visit a limited number of temples then then i highly recommend you pay a visit to the sacred grounds of Wat Jed Yod.

© Text and Photos: All Rights Reserved 2011 Jan Friman

It could be because I live here, but I don't think so. I mean that Chiang Mai keeps popping up in lists for where you should be, or go 2011.  If you have followed this blog throughout the years, you can find plenty of reasons as for why we love Chiang Mai. And here are some other people that share our view.

• "Dr Doom" alias Marc Faber lives here, and he claimed in an article last year that Chiang Mai is the place to be when the rest of the world goes to hell. 12 Places to go when the world goes to hell. Well, I wasn't all that sure any more after the earthquake some weeks ago. Time to book a resort in Doi Inthanon maybe?
• Lonely Planet icon Joe Cummins also lives here. The famous back packer Bible ranked the 10 places you should visit 2011. Yes, Chiang Mai is there on the list, Nr 10 with the following motivation:   "If Chiang Mai were a person, it would be Bob Dylan. With a history dating back further than anyone can remember, its influence remains enormous. And despite its great age, there's still a bohemian chic that makes it as relevant and hip as ever." 
• And as my mom found out, a super affordable retirement haven. Listed as number 4 in the article, Top Retirement Havens of The World.

Jan documented the beauty of Chiang Mai in a photographic journey, so if you haven't been here yet. Take a look at The Heart of Chiang Mai.  That might inspire you

Text and picture: Per Sundberg

Thai New Year coming up
Now it is countdown for Songkran again. New Year celebrations and water splashing around the city, and in the moat in particular. Just enjoy all the fun, but be careful in the traffic. Water war, whisky&soda and driving a car or motorbike is not best of combinations.

This year a festival will be held before the festival, check out the schedule for Thai Fest 2011.

Chiang Mai City of Festivals
To get you in the mood for the celebrations. We would like to remind you of what a great festival city Chiang Mai is. Here is a listing of some of our previous postings on the fantastic festivals of The Northern Rose. Our text Fun and Beauty describes the mentality of fun and sanuk that are the characteristics of all Thai Festivals.

• Festivals of Light, Wish you were there, Loi Krathong 2010 and Yi Peng parade 2009.
• Village festivals, Ban Pratan ceramic village
• Thai New Year, Songkran
• Chiang Mai Flower Festival, pictures from the parade 2010 and 2011.

Per Sundberg

 

 

http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649

Old capital
Just like many of these “second most important cities” in Asia though, Mandalay carries a history of a forgotten kingdom, a tradition and a pride. It is like the city has some kind of secret that wont be revealed. Mandalay ceased to be the capital in 1885 when the British moved the capital to what they called Rangoon(todays Yangon). Only two Burmese kings ruled the country from here, king Mingdon and king Thibaw.

Reasons to go there
Behind the modern facade there are reasons to come here. Check out the worlds longest teak bridge U Bein 1,2 kilometer long and 200 years old. It is located in the premises of the old capital of Amarapura.  Don’t miss the sunset at 230 meter high Mandalay Hill, and make sure to see the wooden monastery of Shwenandaw that was once one of the inner chambers of the old royal palace.

Taking a walk along the moat is interesting, as well as visiting the street where the stonemasons carve in marble. Bring your own mask to protect against the dust though, but not many of the workers wore any protection what so ever. Emphysema must be a huge problem in these quarters.

We stayed at Mandalay Hill Resort, where we enjoyed some drinks in Kipling bar and where we were close to many of the attractions around Mandalay Hill. The resort also has a very impressive swimming pool.

See the full text of Kiplings poem at Daypoems.net .

© Text: Per Sundberg
© Photos: Jan Friman and Per Sundberg

Mae Sa elephant camp also holds a Guinness World Record for the largest painting ever created by a group of elephants. Eight elephants contributed!

Elephant day is about respect and fun (sanuk) at the same time. Typical “Thai ways” one might say.

Places to go elephant riding around Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai and the monsoon forest of Northern Thailand is also a great place to go elephant riding . Why not go in the early morning to avoid the crowds. Mae Sa, Mae Taman, Chiang Dao are all well worth the visit. The Patara camp teaches you how to become a mahout and here you get a bit closer to the elephants, and its not all that touristic.

Someone maybe remembers the struggles of the elephant cow Motala, she stepped on a land mine close to the border of Myanmar.  She was treated in the Lampang elephant hospital and was the first elephant in the world to receive a prosthetic leg.  At the Lampang Conservation Center there is more of an educational show, where you can see elephants at work.

Asian vs African
The elephants in Thailand are of the Elephas maximus species. These Asian or Indian elephants are smaller than their African counterparts. Actually, they are closer related to the mammoth than to the African elephants. White elephants, a kind of albinos, have always been considered to bring good luck in S.E Asia. We can also see how elephants plays an important role both in Hinduism where devoters pray to the god Ganesh to overcome obstacles and to be successful in studies, and in Buddhist legend where we have the jataka story of the Bodhisattva, the white elephant Chaddanta, with his six tusks – one of the previous life’s of the Buddha.

Text: Per Sundberg & Photo: Jan Friman