Category: Asia

The first weekend in February every year Chiang Mai hosts its Flower Festival.

Friday evening is the kick-off to the weekend-long celebration with an opening ceremony, a street market, a flower arranging contest and many more floral activities!

The costumes, music and dancing at the Opening Ceremony held in a large city park were quite spectacular.

Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. the Flower Festival Parade begins on the Nawarat Bridge.

A large yellow gorilla made of yellow chrysanthemums was quite impressive.

As was this float.

The costumes that represent various regions and cultures of Thailand are beautiful.

And, it wouldn’t be a parade without (many) marching bands!

There will be many more events around the city this weekend. We’ll be on the lookout for those and other activities as the Chinese New Year Celebrations are beginning. The city is buzzing!

Yoga classes begin at 10:00 so we’re out and about right after breakfast. The studio, Freedom Yoga is a 20 minute walk from where we stay.

For groceries, we can walk to the Rimping Grocery Store very much like a grocery store in the U.S. If we buy at least $30.00 worth they will deliver groceries to our apartment.

We found a newly-opened laundromat. For 40 Thai baht ( $1.28 ) we can wash a load and dry clothes for the same amount. Laundry detergent is available in small packets for 10 baht ( 32 cents ). It’s cheap and convenient!

In spite of conveniences like shiny laundromats and modern grocery stores we still see scenes around town like this one where a load of flattened cardboard is balanced on a bicycle.

I can hardly resist checking in at the bakery next door to see the perfectly curated pastries.

And at the end of the day, the sun looks like a brilliant orange ball as it sets just after 6:00 p.m.

We’re far from home but thinking about family and friends near and far! ❤️

We are happy in Chiang Mai but as we walk around the city we realize that it might not appeal to everyone.

Here are some of the challenges…

1. The traffic is busy – cars, motorcycles, buses, pickup trucks -some days the air quality makes our throats feel scratchy. Not every street has a sidewalk and it feels somewhat dangerous to walk along side the traffic. Drivers drive on the opposite side of the road compared to the U.S. so we have to be constantly aware of traffic patterns.

2. We can’t drink the water so we have to either boil or buy water for drinking, washing dishes and brushing our teeth. We are careful about ice in drinks – even in restaurants. Clean tap water is something we take for granted at home!

Much of the city is gritty, smelly and dilapidated…but we like the funkiness of it all.

Now, here is a list of reasons we keep returning to Chiang Mai:

1. Kind, friendly people!

2. It’s funky, laidback charm.

3. Creative, inspired food.

4. Reasonable costs for everything – food, accommodations, activities and all!

5. Walkability plus more transportation options including car-hire (Grab-like Uber) and a new city bus.

6. Lots to do…some describe it as M.E.A.T.: markets, elephants, artisans, and temples.

7. Warm temperatures – while it’s chilly, even in Atlanta, the temps range from 60’s at night to upper 80’s during the day.

8. Low crime (at least in the Old Town area where we stay…we feel safe here.

9. Availability of Western comforts like groceries and toiletries.

So, when we try to come up with other winter warm destinations, Chiang Mai is still at the top of our list!

Namaste!

The shops around the city are lots of fun to explore. We found placemats and coasters at this Basket Shop. They went a long way towards making our apartment space more homey.

There is a small Art Gallery just around the corner from us and we had a great conversation with this Thai artist.

This evening we made our way to the Saturday Walking Market. It’s a great place to try a variety of street food.

A couple of young boys reported that these Scorpions-on-a-Stick were quite tasty but not sure if it was a trick just to get us to buy one!

We opted for spicy Khao Soi Noodle Soup.

Below Larry is waiting to buy a portion of Mango with Sticky Rice–one of our favorites! The market is jammed with locals plus tourists and it wasn’t long before we were ready to head back to our neighborhood.

One of the things we love about the location of our apartment is being near the Kate Wat Temple. We walk through the Temple grounds several times each day. This is how it looked at dusk.

The weather is warm and we’re happy…all is good!

Each day we walk through the Temple grounds to make our way to the footbridge that crosses the river. There are several pots planted with water lilies. The buds are closed tightly in the morning but by noon they are fully open like this one!

We discovered another very good restaurant tucked away on a side street a few minutes away. It’s Japanese and called Kitchen Hush.

It’s a pretty space,

…and the food is plentiful and delicious. This is a meal of flavorful miso soup, salmon over Japanese rice and interesting condiments.

Our days have been very relaxed. Sometimes yoga in the morning, exploring the city in the afternoon and reading. I’ve just finished The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason (thank you Chris L. For the recommendation) and Larry is reading Faulkner short stories. Larry’s techno-savvy abilities allow us to watch all of our favorite TV shows in the evening if we want. We’ve settled into a nice routine.

The city is preparing for the Chinese New Year coming up on February 5. Each day we see more and more red lanterns!

Cheers!

We continue to discover new things around Chiang Mai. An old favorite curry house nearby has been converted to an upscale bakery called Forest Bake. The pastries are pretty and artfully displayed!

So far, we’ve resisted trying a cherry-topped roll or a slice of pecan tart. The daughter of the owner has created a slick online social media presence and the small shop is constantly busy.

While tempted, instead we opted for a lunch of Katsu Curry at a nearby outdoor eatery called Ton Wah.

The delicious curry was topped with panko-coated chicken and nicely spiced with cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, cloves and more.

Today we both attended yoga and the class was filled to capacity. It’s a mix of youngsters and oldsters at all levels of experience. We find the classes to be challenging in a good way.

Last night for a little adventure, we test-rode the newest transportation option in Chiang Mai–a city bus! It cost us 75 cents each for a ride to the Central Festival Mall. The bus is sleek but depending on traffic, perhaps not the quickest way to go. Still, it’s a nice, new option.

So…that’s the news from around town! Hoping all is well with you!

Saturday we took a Grab (Thai version of Uber) car to the Umbrella Village of Bo Sang where the city was hosting its annual Umbrella Festival.

These beautiful, handcrafted umbrellas are made of paper processed from mulberry bark or silk. We learned about the process and watched as local artisans made and decorated the umbrellas.

Umbrellas set out in the sun to dry. The glue is made from fermented persimmons!

These, for sale, have been beautifully decorated.

The temperatures are pleasant with early-morning temps in the mid-60 degree range then increasing to the high 80’s by midday.

The Sunday Walking Market is always a highlight but it has become very crowded. Larry had a brilliant strategy for beating the crowds. We took a car to the end-point of the market, arrived early, and worked our way to the beginning before the crowds arrived! We enjoyed fresh, hot Street Food like these delicious fried pot stickers and later, mango with sticky rice.

I’m enjoying the challenge of the yoga classes here. This photo is of the Freedom Yoga studio, located in the upstairs of a teak building. Classes are 1.5 hours in length and taught in English.

I’m happy to have some of the same instructors who were here one year ago!

Last night I was startled to see a gecko scurrying along the wall. Now we have an apartment and a pet! We have learned that these common house geckos eat bugs and are harmless.🦎

So, we’re beginning a new week here…hoping all is well with family and friends! ❤️

This is a night-time view of the Ping River and the city in the background.

And this is a view of the distant mountain at dusk as seen from our apartment. The tower of lights on the far right is the nearby temple.

And this is a simple but elegant table decoration.

In spite of my best efforts to stay healthy, I woke up yesterday with a head cold that kept me inside for the day. So far, Larry is un-infected. I’m hoping to get out Saturday for the Umbrella Festival in a nearby village.

Fingers crossed!

We planned for this extended stay one year ago and are amazed that it’s all actually worked out! We arrived from Seoul after midnight and spent our first full day here gathering supplies for our apartment which is spare but spacious and comfortable.

The Warorot Market just across the Ping River from where we stay is a great place to shop for kitchen supplies and produce. We are still trying to make the tiny and under furnished kitchen workable.

The kitchen has two burners and a microwave so we’re having to be creative with our cooking.

The floral arrangement at Cafe des Artists where we had dinner last night was beautiful. The food was spicy, tasty and reasonably-priced.

So for now, all is well and it’s time for yoga!

We arrived safely in Seoul and spent one comfy night at a Hyatt Hotel near the airport.

Our hotel breakfast coffee cost us a whopping $8.00 per cup but…the complimentary black sesame seed cookie on the side was yummy!

We learned that there is no tipping culture in South Korea. We are impressed by the services provided in the airport and at the hotel.

Our six-hour-long flight to Chiang Mai leaves this evening so we will take the free shuttle back to Incheon Airport soon.

Onward and upward…all is well!