July 26th and 27th: Chiang Mai

July 26th:

We took the 10 am bus on a three hour journey from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai. Where Chiang Rai lacked charm, everything about the old city of Chiang Mai is charming - cute little streets with cute guest houses, cute coffee shops, and cute cafes. In Chiang Rai we had to search and search for good street food, but Chiang Mai has this incredible culture of night markets and delicious street food - maybe the best I've seen in Thailand .

huge squid (or maybe cuttlefish) on a stick for 80 baht (under $3). I bought the 10 baht (33 cents) squid pieces on a stick since I am not sure about the freshness of seafood (we are quite a distance from the sea).

Here is where we ate. This woman was like a machine: taking orders, popping out dishes, cleaning the wok, taking money

More street food

 A little History (from The Rough Guide To Thailand -2009 copyright)
The first civilization to leave its mark on the North was Haripunjaya, a Mon state, founded at Lamphun in the late 8th century. It maintained economic ties with the Mon kingdoms to the south, remaining the cultural and religious center of the North for four centuries. The Thais came onto the scene after the Mon, migrating south from China between the 7th and 11th centuries, establishing small communities in the north. King Mengrai unified the North in the 13th century, creating the Lanna Kingdom. He began building Chiang Mai in 1296. It remained the capitol of the Lanna Kingdom. The dynasty he started lasted for 200 years. It was considered an unmatched period of prosperity and cultural activity. The Burmese captured Chiang Mai in 1558 and controlled Lanna for the next 200 years through puppet emperors. In 1774 the Thais recaptured Chiang Mai, driving the Burmese northward. After Great Britain took control of Burma, King Rama V took much more interest in the north, fearing British expansion. Thais were forcibly moved northward to counter British claims on the north as part of the Burmese Mon kingdom. A treaty was negotiated between Siam and Great Britain in 1855 to prevent British annexation. In 1921 the railroad line from Bangkok to Chiang Mai was completed, creating stronger links to the south. The north continued to develop and depend on agriculture, and it became relatively prosperous. The recent economic booms occurred in the towns and cities (especially due to tourism). With about 80% of Lanna's population living in rural areas, mostly as subsistence farmers, the gap between the rich and poor has increased. 

July 27th:
There are little boxes on the Starbucks mugs that allow ease for special orders, for people like me. I sometimes order a "double tall iced decaf mocha with extra ice and half the chocolate." And the Starbucks attendant shouted out, " A 7-boxer." Well, today was a "7-wat"  day (I counted 27 wats on the map in the old city alone).

Wat Chang Taem

 Wat Chedi Luang

This chedi used to be 90 meters tall (about 300 feet), but it was damaged in an earthquake in the year 1545.

The Wats in Chiang Mai are more like a complex of buildings. I caught this man reading in one of the smaller wats near the back of the complex. 

 Wat Pan Tao:
"the most beautiful Teak Wat in Thailand," according to the inscription at the front of the wat.

wat laundry near the back of Wat Pan Tao

 Wat Pria Singh:
 Supposedly the most impressive wat in Chiang Mai (according to The Rough Guide on Thailand)

Wat U-Mong
I came to Chiang Mai 29 years ago, and remember little of it. What I remember most is a statue of a starving Buddha. I love Buddhist imagery, but this statue might be one of the most powerful for me. It depicts Siddhartha during his "six years of self-mortification," before he discovered "the middle path to enlightenment."

 Wat Ha Khuang

Wat Chiang Man

This is supposedly the oldest Wat in Chiang Mai, so it obviously has been recently renovated. It was erected on the site where King Mengrai first pitched his tent, before building the town of Chiang Mai.

Further explanation on Parker Palmer's objectivism and subjectivism paradigms
Objectivism is the process of objectifying reality. It is the traditional form of education that most of us experienced. It begins by assuming a sharp distinction between the "knower" and the object to be known. These objects exist "out there," apart from and independent of the knower. The teacher is the "holder of knowledge." His or her job is to impart this knowledge to the students. The student's job is to learn it. The teacher is the mediator between the knower and the known. Students are passive recipients of information - "blank slates," so to speak, to remove all threats of subjectivity.

Subjectivism is a response/reaction to this. All knowledge is influenced by the "knower." Thus, all truth is subjective. It is each person's responsibility to find and understand their own personal "truths."

Palmer's claim is that both objectivism and subjectivism are dangerous. Objectivism  suses knowledge for consumption and exploitation, which leaves no personal responsibility, and thus, created scenarios like the development of nuclear weapons. But subjectivism allows individuals to create their own personal and unchallenged truths, isolating each person from each other. "A truth that consists of little more than our private perceptions and needs" (p. 54), justifying one's own idiosyncrasies, with no need to challenge or questions those truths, allowing rise to distorted realities like the Khmer Rouge's "reign of terror" on Cambodia, or Nazi Germany.

What Palmer advocates is a middle ground, where knower and known are in relationship, where truths are constantly questioned and challenged through dialogue and community.