CHIANG MAI 2010
FRIDAY 5th NOVEMBER and again it was 11am before we set off to visit the only Hindu Temple in Chiang Mai as today is the Hindu’s celebration of their Festival of Light. We were disappointed to see nothing was happening – not even a fluttering of bunting. Not to worry we had plan B to visit the area around Kamthieng Market where we would see lots of flowers, plants and to keep Keith happy a Koi farm.
We walked along by the river passing the American Embassy and then the wholesale fruit market where piles of pineapple, melon, oranges and deep cerise dragon fruit were on display. A lot of the fruit had already been put into bags or baskets and many vehicles, especially tuk tuks were already fully laden with fruit and vegetables leaving little room for the passenger. Again it was a perfect day with blues skies, sunshine and thankfully no humidity. Again once we left the riverside we had to walk along streets with no footpaths until we reached our destination. Lots of antique shops of wood carvings and furniture, and plant stalls, and then stone objects for the garden for us to look at, but Keith drew the line when I asked to go into ‘Tesco Lotus’ as surely such a large building couldn’t sell just garden items! In one area stalls were being set up for a weekend of food and drink but the thought of so many people in such a small area has put us off returning. Further along we came to a wide street full of bars and eating places but it seems only in the evenings. We were lucky to find a bar that opens 24 hours a day 7 days a week and that also did food. An American themed place but playing nice music and with tables neatly and cleanly set out well away from the road we stopped to have a drink as it was far too early to eat after another enormous breakfast.
As we were in the area we set off to find the ‘Baha’i Centre’ whatever that might be. Having found it we are still none the wiser as the gate was closed and there seemed to be no-one around. Retracing our steps we were back on the ‘Superhighway’ behaving like locals and walking along with no footpath and heaving traffic coming towards us! “We’ll be okay when we get to the bridge” was my guide’s statement only there was no footbridge over the river and no way were we going to try going over with the traffic. So, we stayed where we were and followed the road down by the river admiring one or two places but paying more attention to the traffic on the narrow road again without any footpaths.
By now it was mid afternoon so crossing a main bridge again adorned with flags blowing in the gentle breeze we headed down to the waterside to have lunch in one of the riverside eating places. We actually chose a guest house but didn’t realise this on entering but had a light lunch in pleasant surroundings but we wouldn’t want to stay although I liked the idea of free use of bicycles for residents but not the aviary of budgies and the two squawking parrots!
We discussed taking the ‘Scorpion Tailed’ boat down the river to a landing stage close to Baan Orapin, but the two boats tied up by a delicate looking bamboo platforms were not in use and the smart landing stage a little further upriver turned out to be for the use of the city’s ‘Rowing and Kayak Training Centre.’ Keith ventured up the stairs guarded by two gold statues in search of someone who could help us locate the tourist boat but found no-one. Meanwhile a young Buddhist monk came out of the side of the building passing a homemade piece of weightlifting gear – a metal pipe with a bucket shaped piece of concrete at each end that was resting on a lifting frame again homemade! It wouldn’t feel as though we were on holiday if we didn’t have to retrace our steps but due to the high level of the river recently some of our retracking was done through mud that had covered many sections of what would normally be a very nice riverside walk on a well constructed footpath! Still fate intervened again and we found the landing stage for the tourist boat and arranged to take a trip tomorrow.
It was 4.30pm when we got home – weary and as far as my feet are concerned blistered! We sat on our patio watching more new arrivals take up residence.
We returned to the ‘Brasserie’ to eat and stayed until well after midnight listening to some fabulous jazz and blues music by the soloist Gap until 11pm and then a band in the bar area which began as a trio and ended as a 5 piece by the time we left. The music goes on until 2am and covered Dylan, Hendrix, Floyd and others. An odd looking bunch but great musicians and I wondered why the young bass guitarist was wearing a black riding hat – did he think bottles would get thrown especially if he had seen the ‘Blues Brothers’!
Guess what we saw the white rabbit again.
We walked along by the river passing the American Embassy and then the wholesale fruit market where piles of pineapple, melon, oranges and deep cerise dragon fruit were on display. A lot of the fruit had already been put into bags or baskets and many vehicles, especially tuk tuks were already fully laden with fruit and vegetables leaving little room for the passenger. Again it was a perfect day with blues skies, sunshine and thankfully no humidity. Again once we left the riverside we had to walk along streets with no footpaths until we reached our destination. Lots of antique shops of wood carvings and furniture, and plant stalls, and then stone objects for the garden for us to look at, but Keith drew the line when I asked to go into ‘Tesco Lotus’ as surely such a large building couldn’t sell just garden items! In one area stalls were being set up for a weekend of food and drink but the thought of so many people in such a small area has put us off returning. Further along we came to a wide street full of bars and eating places but it seems only in the evenings. We were lucky to find a bar that opens 24 hours a day 7 days a week and that also did food. An American themed place but playing nice music and with tables neatly and cleanly set out well away from the road we stopped to have a drink as it was far too early to eat after another enormous breakfast.
As we were in the area we set off to find the ‘Baha’i Centre’ whatever that might be. Having found it we are still none the wiser as the gate was closed and there seemed to be no-one around. Retracing our steps we were back on the ‘Superhighway’ behaving like locals and walking along with no footpath and heaving traffic coming towards us! “We’ll be okay when we get to the bridge” was my guide’s statement only there was no footbridge over the river and no way were we going to try going over with the traffic. So, we stayed where we were and followed the road down by the river admiring one or two places but paying more attention to the traffic on the narrow road again without any footpaths.
By now it was mid afternoon so crossing a main bridge again adorned with flags blowing in the gentle breeze we headed down to the waterside to have lunch in one of the riverside eating places. We actually chose a guest house but didn’t realise this on entering but had a light lunch in pleasant surroundings but we wouldn’t want to stay although I liked the idea of free use of bicycles for residents but not the aviary of budgies and the two squawking parrots!
We discussed taking the ‘Scorpion Tailed’ boat down the river to a landing stage close to Baan Orapin, but the two boats tied up by a delicate looking bamboo platforms were not in use and the smart landing stage a little further upriver turned out to be for the use of the city’s ‘Rowing and Kayak Training Centre.’ Keith ventured up the stairs guarded by two gold statues in search of someone who could help us locate the tourist boat but found no-one. Meanwhile a young Buddhist monk came out of the side of the building passing a homemade piece of weightlifting gear – a metal pipe with a bucket shaped piece of concrete at each end that was resting on a lifting frame again homemade! It wouldn’t feel as though we were on holiday if we didn’t have to retrace our steps but due to the high level of the river recently some of our retracking was done through mud that had covered many sections of what would normally be a very nice riverside walk on a well constructed footpath! Still fate intervened again and we found the landing stage for the tourist boat and arranged to take a trip tomorrow.
It was 4.30pm when we got home – weary and as far as my feet are concerned blistered! We sat on our patio watching more new arrivals take up residence.
We returned to the ‘Brasserie’ to eat and stayed until well after midnight listening to some fabulous jazz and blues music by the soloist Gap until 11pm and then a band in the bar area which began as a trio and ended as a 5 piece by the time we left. The music goes on until 2am and covered Dylan, Hendrix, Floyd and others. An odd looking bunch but great musicians and I wondered why the young bass guitarist was wearing a black riding hat – did he think bottles would get thrown especially if he had seen the ‘Blues Brothers’!
Guess what we saw the white rabbit again.
posted by Pam at
03:36
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home