I flew about an hour to the far north of Thailand on Bangkok Airways and landed at Chiang Mai during a mid day thunderstorm. My guide met me and we drove into the lovely hotel, the Imperial Mai Ping, in the city center only a few blocks from the famous Night Market and the town center. I relaxed by the pool that lst afternoon and had a nice dinner at the well known Riverside Restaurant on the banks of the nearby river in the city.
Day 2, I was picked up by my guide and driven out of the city and up the mountainside to 1st visit the Thai Royal Winter Palace and then the famous Temple overlooking the city. The Bhubing Palace was lovely and the best part was the glorious grounds. The gardens were a combination of park and botanical garden, which I loved and took many photos of. The Royal Palace was undergoing a renovation, so we could not go inside, but we got to see and enjoy everything else. The Temple dated back to about 1500 when a fabled elephant stopped on the site and it was proclaimed to be the sacred location of the temple and afterwards the city of Chiang Mai developed below. The towering staircase up to the Temple was amazing with its famous dragon railing. The views and structures were wonderful and a "must see" for anyone visiting Chiang Mai.
Afterwards, I walked the city and photographed several of the many smaller temples inside the old walled city. I even stopped for a "foot massage" by the fish in one of the many such shops. I will say that was a unique experience and I have photos to prove it ! Finally, I walked over to the world famous Chiang Mai night market where I bought a few souvenirs and two lovely short sleeved Thai silk shirts for under $10. The night market is amazing in that a busy, normal main commercial street during the day is magically transformed about 6 pm into a huge street market that is open until 10 pm every night of the week. A final word about Chiang Mai is that the traffic is crushing, with the mix of vehicles and countless motor bikes.
 |
| Having the 1st night dinner at the well known Riverside Restaurant |
 |
| The beautiful entrance to the Bhuping Thai Royal Winter Palace |
 |
| Fountains, a lake and the beauty of the wonderful grounds |
 |
| Enjoying one of the countless beautiful stops while visiting the grounds |
 |
| The famous stairs to the temple and its incredible Dragon stairs railings |
 |
| The central golden temple |
 |
| A view inside the temple |
 |
| Wonderful statues depicting the days of the week. |
 |
| Inside view of another of the temple structures in the complex |
 |
| Scene honoring the fabled elephant that founded this temple site around 1500 |
 |
| Another view of the beauty of the temple heart |
 |
| One of the main structures on the site. |
 |
| I am admiring the famous temple bells |
 |
| Another scene of the founding elephant |
 |
| Beautiful view out over Chiang Mi towards the city center and my hotel near upper left center |
 |
| Plaque of one of the more well known temples within the old walled city center |
 |
| Yet another of the many lovely smaller temples within the city center |
 |
| View within one of the smaller temples within the city center |
 |
| View of the lovely grounds and my Imperial Mai Ping Hotel |
 |
| Another view of the hotel grounds and the elephant features |
 |
| and another elephant and lovely feature of the hotel grounds |
 |
| Yours truly experiencing a Thai fish massage ! |
 |
| A view of the central portion of the famous Night Market |
 |
| Another view of part of the famous Night Market where one can buy nearly anything |
No comments:
Post a Comment