July 28th: Chiang Mai

I watched the maintenance man at Sheila's guest house pick up the flowers that had dropped from the bush in the courtyard. . He moved slowly and contemplatively, as if what he was doing was in a temple, gently arranging the flowers into a little bouquet. I watched him walk out of the hotel, smell the bouquet, and gently dispose of it.

As this trip winds down to its last few days, I naturally reflect on my past six weeks. What was the most important lesson I learned? I think that it was nothing grand or insightful. I think this trip was all about moments of interaction, moments of connection. There may have been no "highlight" to this trip, for every place I went I had been before. Some places, like Luang Prabang of Muang Ngoi in Laos, I was there only three years before. On the other hand, it had been 29 years since I had visited Chiang Rai. I have been to Chiang Mai three times before - 29 years ago, and twice with my students in 2000 and 2002, though I have little recollection of the city or even of the events which took place. I do remember loving Chiang Mai when I was here in 1984. It was such a nice change of pace from the frenetic energy and pace of Bangkok. Chiang Mai seemed like a small town. And I remember being disappointed by Chiang Mai when I was here with my students. It had grown up, resembling a small version of Bangkok. The only explanation for my attraction to Chiang Mai now is the change in me and my expectations. This is one of the reasons I like to return to places I have been before - they become a mirror, an opportunity for me to gain insight into who I am. And for this I am grateful.

For sure, that is one of the reasons I hold the Global tudies program at Evergreen School so dear to my heart. It is the internal journey that the students experience that is so valuable - the opportunity to reflect on who they are, to challenge what they believe in, and to grow in ways that are difficult to accomplish when surrounded by the same culture, people, and environment that they are used to. And I get to be a witness to this transformation. And for this, I am thankful.

Bike ride South

I decided to ride south on the roads along or nearby the river. 

I like the justaposition of the traditional building dwarfed by modern structures

 I read about a village called Wiang Kum Kam, just 5 k. south of the city, which was inhabited since the 8th century and has has ruins of ancient wats from 13th century.

When I entered the village, I came upon this present-day beautiful wat

And then, amidst the ruins, another active wat.

 Some of the ruins:
11 of the 22 wats have been unearthed. One has to wonder the streets to find them all. I only found a few.

And then I continued south on roads along the river.

fish farms on the river

A most unusual chedi

 As I returned to the city of Chiang Mai, I happened upon Wat Chai Mongol, a beautiful wat with some of the most unusual sculptures and carvings I had seen.

Wat Chai Mongol's chedi

On Saturday and Sunday nights Chiang Mai has these amazing night markets, where streets are closed down to traffic and they are packed with Thais selling all variety of crafts and food. The streets are also packed with tourists, along with a handful of musicians (including a couple of bands made up of blind Thais) and beggars.

a band (not blind) playing traditional music