Part 10: More Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chiang Mai Flower Festival 2025.

Coming back to Chiang Mai from Mae Tha Village, it turned out that our hotel (near the famous Tha Phae Gate) was directly along the route of the parade that started the annual Flower Festival. Thai people love parades! The floats and costumes were so elaborate and unbelievable. Of course, as former band geeks, we both adored the marching bands. Watching a hundred kids dressed like bumble bees and crushing "The Final Countdown" was definitely an unexpected highlight! We did our best to capture the craziness of it all, but with everyone jumping in front of everyone else, getting good pictures was a challenge. Afterwards we went to the park, where all the floats were on display. The whole thing was a riot of flowers and fountains, with floral sculptures of animals and cool artwork everywhere. There was some traditional Thai dancing and music, and of course more food on a stick. And mango sticky rice!

We were under strict orders from our friend Toby not to miss "Willie Saloman and the Legendary Taco Bells" at the Troubadour tavern that evening, so we rounded out the night with more awesome music. They turned out to be probably the area's best blues band, check them out on The Internets! We had made arrangements with Manat (our new-found driver friend, and my new pen-pal) to take us on a day trip out of the city in the morning, so we had to get to bed. It was so hard to choose where to go; we could have spent a month here checking everything out. A literal dice roll decided we explore Doi Suthep peak and its environs: the famous Wat Prathat Doi Suthep, the Hmong Village, and Wat Umong.

The increasingly steep and narrow road up the mountain is apparently a skill test for every biker, jogger, and walker to climb. It was cool above the haze in the morning, winding ever higher through the thick jungle foliage. Eventually the road was so narrow and precipitous that each curve was a blind turn, requiring Manat to honk the horn first and squeeze perilously past every oncoming obstacle (and there were many). He was an excellent driver, and handled it with apparent ease (although he may have regretted taking us on as passengers for the day).

On our way back down the mountain, we stopped at the traditional Hmong hill tribe village of Doi Pui. This place was really cool, with a huge flower garden and crops of coffee beans. There was a small but very interesting museum, and tons of little shops (of course) on winding paths carved into the hillside. A very friendly villager had us try shooting at gourds hung from a string, with a traditional wooden crossbow. 3 shots for 10 Baht - you can't really refuse (no matter how terrible you are). David of course got 2 gourds on his 1st and 2nd try. The man then insisted I try the third shot, and gave me another one for free. I think he would have let me keep going until I got one (which would have been all day). To his credit as a teacher, I got pretty close both times I shot, which is far better than I could have hoped for. Then we had to try the coffee, which is grown and roasted there. God, I can't wait to brew actual coffee!!!

Heading further down the mountain, we stopped at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. I wished we could have gotten there earlier, but it's also a popular spot for sunrise, so I'm not sure you can really time the crowds. It's easy to see why it's so popular. The hillside temple is accessed by the longest Naga staircase in Thailand (a 5-headed snake/dragon creature that shielded the Buddha from the sun while he was meditating). It was started in 1383, with no real road leading to the temple until 1935. It is stunningly beautiful, with great views of Chiang Mai. Even with the city almost lost in the haze of smoke, it was still amazing. After being blessed with holy water by a wise-cracking, mischievous monk, it was time to make our way back down to the car.

After that, we were off to Wat Umong. We could have easily spent a full day in any of these places, but this one felt like stepping into a mystery. Built in 1297, it's a sprawling forest sanctuary right on the edge the city, between the mountains and Chiang Mai University. The area underneath the huge Chedi is accessed by a series of tunnels, leading to various Buddhas in dimly lit alcoves. We also discovered a bundle of sleeping bats! The "Spiritual Theater" on the grounds is filled with enough paintings to consume a day - or a lifetime. The surrounding pathways through the trees are lined with pieces of broken sculpture of all sizes, and there is a large koi pond complete with bridges to a center island. It was a peaceful way to end an adventurous day.

Back at our neighborhood, we indulged in the guilty pleasure of good pizza and craft beer for our final meal in Thailand - definitely craving a bit of home. It was not easy to find, and expensive for here, but worth it!

The next day will be a long one: 10 hours by train to Bangkok...