We are about to leave Chiang Mai but I think have told you very little about this rather remarkable place. Its a 700 year old city within a moat and what remains of its walls - of course it has now spread beyond its original 1km plus square moat aligned with the compass but the moat is still intact and contains the central part of the city - a place of roads runing NS and EW joined by numerous Soi s or Lanes.
When we were visiting the temples at Angkor Wat the most difficult thing was to imagine that they formed the centres of large cities - built of wood and surrounded by walls and moats, since they had long since been abandoned to the forest with everything but the temples disappeared. But at Chiang Mai the city has survived (no water supply problems as at Angkor), there are the centrally placed old Buddhist temples, still in use, to which have been added about 100 more - you find them just about on any corner and down any lane. For the rest the present day city is just a collection of mainly low rise buildings, loads of cheap hotels, guest houses, shops, stalls, second hand bookshops, restaurants of every kind and internet cafes everywhere. Its not particularly pretty but with most of the traffic on the roads either side of the moat the other roads and lanes are pretty quiet. Its a nice place to visit, we have enjoyed it a lot.
Brian
On to markets and the massage.
We went to the Sunday walking market, setting off from the hotel in baking heat at about 6pm, the sun was going down and there was the promise of a slight cooling to come.
We walked about 15 minutes alongside the moat to the begining of the market street, during the week it is an ordianry street, open to trafic, but on Sunday afternoon and evening it becomes a pedestrian only place and is lined with market stalls of all types. We wended our way through, negotiating round the thousands of other people, tourists and locals who were looking at things, disscussing price with vendors and generally gawping and chatting. The centre of the wide street was taken up with groups of disabled musicians, dancing children in various sorts of traditional dress, a beautiful girl doing traditional Thai dance and at one junction a green glass (Emerald?)
Buddha with attendants, being venerated by passers by.
There were so many people and stalls (and the stalls went off to the left and right along side streets too) that it must have taken us about two hours to see about half of what was on offer. We didn't buy much, too much choice, but I did get a new diary and a gift for the friend with whom we are to stay in Tokyo, we also had an iced mango drink and finished up with a very inexpensive supper at May Kaidee's where we were greeted like old friends and were able to show Duan her photo on the blog.
The massage was yesterday and given to me by a soon to be released prisoner at Chiang Mai's Correctional Institute (Prison) for Women. I dont know if any of you have had a Thai massage, I hadn't and it is not a bit like a gentle aroma therapy massage. You are dressed in very modest baggy trousters and a loose top, lie down on a matress and your masseuse goes at you with her forearms, feet hands and at times whole body whan she kneels on bits of your body in order to pummell other bits. There is also quite a bit of having your arms and legs pushed into yoga like positions and at the end she is behind you, holding your arms and sort of pulls you backwards onto her legs and stomach, oh and there is quite a lot of being slapped as well. I'm not sure if I would have another Thai massage, but at least if I do it won't be quite so suprising, the masseuse didnt have much English, but she had mastered "relax madam" and will have earned some money for her release with her skills.
Tessa
ps photos to be added when we can as we are about to fly to Bangkok and then onto Tokyo - we have just reached Day 1 Week 16 of our trip and still going strong!
When we were visiting the temples at Angkor Wat the most difficult thing was to imagine that they formed the centres of large cities - built of wood and surrounded by walls and moats, since they had long since been abandoned to the forest with everything but the temples disappeared. But at Chiang Mai the city has survived (no water supply problems as at Angkor), there are the centrally placed old Buddhist temples, still in use, to which have been added about 100 more - you find them just about on any corner and down any lane. For the rest the present day city is just a collection of mainly low rise buildings, loads of cheap hotels, guest houses, shops, stalls, second hand bookshops, restaurants of every kind and internet cafes everywhere. Its not particularly pretty but with most of the traffic on the roads either side of the moat the other roads and lanes are pretty quiet. Its a nice place to visit, we have enjoyed it a lot.
Brian
On to markets and the massage.
We went to the Sunday walking market, setting off from the hotel in baking heat at about 6pm, the sun was going down and there was the promise of a slight cooling to come.
We walked about 15 minutes alongside the moat to the begining of the market street, during the week it is an ordianry street, open to trafic, but on Sunday afternoon and evening it becomes a pedestrian only place and is lined with market stalls of all types. We wended our way through, negotiating round the thousands of other people, tourists and locals who were looking at things, disscussing price with vendors and generally gawping and chatting. The centre of the wide street was taken up with groups of disabled musicians, dancing children in various sorts of traditional dress, a beautiful girl doing traditional Thai dance and at one junction a green glass (Emerald?)
Buddha with attendants, being venerated by passers by.
There were so many people and stalls (and the stalls went off to the left and right along side streets too) that it must have taken us about two hours to see about half of what was on offer. We didn't buy much, too much choice, but I did get a new diary and a gift for the friend with whom we are to stay in Tokyo, we also had an iced mango drink and finished up with a very inexpensive supper at May Kaidee's where we were greeted like old friends and were able to show Duan her photo on the blog.
The massage was yesterday and given to me by a soon to be released prisoner at Chiang Mai's Correctional Institute (Prison) for Women. I dont know if any of you have had a Thai massage, I hadn't and it is not a bit like a gentle aroma therapy massage. You are dressed in very modest baggy trousters and a loose top, lie down on a matress and your masseuse goes at you with her forearms, feet hands and at times whole body whan she kneels on bits of your body in order to pummell other bits. There is also quite a bit of having your arms and legs pushed into yoga like positions and at the end she is behind you, holding your arms and sort of pulls you backwards onto her legs and stomach, oh and there is quite a lot of being slapped as well. I'm not sure if I would have another Thai massage, but at least if I do it won't be quite so suprising, the masseuse didnt have much English, but she had mastered "relax madam" and will have earned some money for her release with her skills.
Tessa
ps photos to be added when we can as we are about to fly to Bangkok and then onto Tokyo - we have just reached Day 1 Week 16 of our trip and still going strong!
2 comments:
Tessa,
You definitely get the prize for the most eloquent 'damned with faint praise' comment on this -- or possibly any other! -- blog!
"I'm not sure if I would have another Thai massage, but at least if I do it won't be quite so surprising."Outstanding! Absolutely outstanding!
just to show we haven't forgotten you. Glad to hearyou are still going strong. Sheila
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