Brooke plays in the water
After we returned from Koh Samui and Bangkok, we had about 10 days to while away in Chiang Mai before going to Australia. In addition to various “personal projects” as Brooke likes to call them, we decided we’d see some tourist attractions that we hadn’t been to before.
Our first excursion was a drive to the Mae Sa Waterfall, about an hour’s drive from APIS. The road is full of curves and extremely steep in parts, so when we arrived we both felt a little woozy. After a short walk to the falls, our spirits lifted. The sound and sight of rushing water and the feel of cool breezes seemed to heighten our senses and relieve nausea. Rather than one set of majestic falls, this waterfall area had 10 different levels that could be reached via a footpath to the side, about 1km in length. We explored most of them, stopping for a cool swim and some silly photographs in a few, and simply gazing out at the others. This area is popular with Thais as well, as many people can be seen carrying picnic lunches and setting up mats on the rocks, ready to spend an hour or more in one place. Take note: showing a Thai work permit or other proof of residence in Thailand will get you into the National Park for 20 baht rather than 100.
That evening, we invited our friends Adam, Eva and Jessica to join us for a swim in the school pool followed by dinner at our local favorite, Banpong View Doi, which means “Banpong (the name of our village) Mountain View.” It’s a small outdoor restaurant across the road from the Suan Bua Resort with an interesting menu filled with special treats like fried somtam and an amazing view of the mountains and valleys all around. It was a relaxing way to top off a nice day in the outskirts of Chiang Mai.
View from the temple
Our other tourist destination was the Chiang Mai Night Safari, just off the Canal Road south of the city proper. Our students go here often, but we had never been. We set out in the early afternoon so we could first explore Wat Prathat Doi Kham, a temple located on a mountain top whose notifying feature is a luminous white Buddha gazing serenely from behind the clouds. This Budddha can be seen for miles around, so we felt we needed to see it up close, and the temple itself is just a short drive from the Night Safari road.
Brooke in front of White Buddha
For some strange reason, large statues like the white Buddha seem larger from a distance, so up close it was not as impressive as I’d anticipated. Inside the temple itself there is a golden stupa housing a Buddha relic (a piece of the Buddha’s bones) and there are a series of large gongs of varying sizes which make different sounds when struck. There’s also a tremendous view of Chiang Mai.
We left the Wat and drove to Night Safari. Showing my work permit, we were able to pay the Thai price for admission, 250 baht per person. Regular price is 500 for foreigners. The Night Safari has a walking path around a lake called the Jaguar Trail, where visitors can see various primates playing on small islands, turtles, lemurs, and the famous white tigers, pacing around the compound looking restless and anxious. There are also two “Safari” tours where visitors ride trams through an area which is otherwise off-limits, to catch personal glimpses of large birds, boars, hyenas, giraffes, and other animals from all over the world. The Night Safari offers tours in Thai and English, but the English tours leave later in the evening than the Thai ones. We chose the Thai versions, figuring it would be fun practice, and also because we figured there wasn’t too much new information about these animals that we would be sad about not understanding. The highlight of the trip was scores of baby boars following the tram closely and blocking the way because passengers kept throwing food to them. We had a good laugh. On site there are a couple of nice gift shops and a reasonably priced restaurant. We recommend going after 5pm because the tours don’t begin until around 7. At 8pm there is a cheesy but fun laser-light water show set to music that takes place in the center of the lake. The CM Night Safari is worth a look at least once, especially for families and animal-lovers.
Enjoying the 4th with Paul and Adam
One other highlight of this part of the summer was the 4th of July celebration hosted by the Chiang Mai VFW and catered by local western restaurant, The Duke’s. Several thousand Americans, Thais and others showed up to the Chiang Mai Municipal Stadium for a scorcher of a day filled with good company, great food, activities for the kids, live music and, wait for it…good American beer! Samuel Adams and Red Hook, courtesy of the US consulate, were available for sale and went down easily on this hot day. The party was topped off with a short fireworks display, reminding me of those Independence Days of my youth spent on the banks of the Chemung River in Corning, New York. The organizers did a nice job providing a venue where Americans could take pride in their country, thousands of miles from home, and feel connected to Thailand as well.
Websites:
Photos From Our Summer in Chiang Mai
Doi Suthep – Pui National Park (Waterfalls)
Good times hanging out with you two! now I’m even more home sick for CM, thanks!