Katie and I set off on the What Phra That Doi Suthep Rajvoravihara Tour to the tallest peak in Thailand. Midroute we switched from our van to this songtao (covered pickup with two long bench seats) to continue up the mountain.
We walked through a local village with lots of crafts for sale, which led to a waterfall and museum.
Not being museum people, we opted for the waterfall route, which led to this wimpy little waterfall. We weren't sure we'd found it until we saw the sign. Hard to believe we paid a whopping 10 baht (30 cents) entrance fee to see the grand sight.
We were impressed with the beautifully groomed and well maintained gardens on the way to the waterfall.
Babies and dogs abound all over Chiang Mai, with babies chucked over the shoulder and behind the back in cloths tied like backpacks around the moms and dogs roaming freely. This guy reminded me of Jack instantly.
Katie led the way up the dragon-lined staircase to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.
The entrance to the Doi Suthep, the most regal of all Chiang Mai Buddhist compounds.
We were greeted by a parade of kids, banners, and costumes.
Here's the happy buddha. Buddhas, buddhas everywhere.
This gold pillar was in the center of the Doi Suthep, surrounded by marble walkways which became an incredibly slippery hazard as we toured around barefoot in the pouring rain.
The monk flicked water onto bowed people's heads in blessing. I believe this very flick drenched Katie (to my right).
This is a replica of the Emerald Buddha which used to be stored in Chiang Mai but is now stored in the Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok. It's a good thing we saw the replica since the king's family was visiting the day we went to see the original and it was thus closed to the public.
This is ordination hall, where men become monks and women become nuns.
We enjoyed lunch for a shocking 80 baht (less than $3 - can you tell how taken away we were by how cheap everything was?!), then went onto our next adventure, an ATV excursion through the jungle. We drove our four wheelers approximately 50 km in 3 hours and passed 5-6 elephants on the roadside. We parked our ATVs a couple times to walk to a waterfall, take in a view of Chiang Mai, and appreciate the valleys of crops. But mostly we enjoyed off-roading through the dirt and mud tracks, navigating around turns, along cliffs, through ruts, and over boulders. Our guide showed off his side wheeling tricks and spin-outs. I mimicked some of the less risky stands, jumps, and maneuvers and encouraged the guide to move FASTER, FASTER! Our male friends from Sydney needed a little hoaxing. Wimpy, wimpy.
Katie took the corners like a pro - no head-on collisions with trees this time!
We saw the most stunning views of mountains and crop-lined valleys. We got close enough around various bends to see each hedge carved into the side of the mountain.
The views were spectacular! We cruised through very poor villages like the Hmong Hilltribe Village with kids delighted to wave to us as we passed by and I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by a sense of how good I have it and how very blessed I am.
Just a snapshot of the many motorbikes that flanked the streets of Chiang Mai.
That night we crossed the river in search of good nightlife, upon suggestion from our Sydney ATV coherts in crime who suggested Riverside Restaurant & Bar. We enjoyed a couple "Riverside Special" cocktails which each cost nearly double the price of a main meal (not everything was so cheap) and wondered if we should be consuming drinks on ice when we weren't allowed to drink the water.
The live band played great music, but the place had no dance floor and we set out in search of more good nightlife.
Upon suggestion from a gaggle in the street, we took a tuk-tuk to The Warm Up by Old Chiang Mai University.
We entered a hopping bar with two live bands.
About 20 minutes into our experience, Katie noted that we were the only white people in the place. Again there was no dance floor and no one over college age. It was interesting to see that most tables had ordered entire bottles of liquor and mixers and were mixing their own drinks at their tables opposed to ordering individual drinks. This seemed standard around Chiang Mai.
We moved to the front of the bar in search of an older crowd and stumbled onto this band. Are they 12?! We took a tuk-tuk back to our hotel to check out the beer garden there which was unfortunately closed, revisited the strip of bars near our hotel but were disappointed to find nothing but girly bars, one of whom propositioned us for 100 baht ($3). Sick. We gave up on nightlife and headed back to the hotel. Onto Phuket in the morning!
