Thailand - Chiang Mai - Random Thoughts and Random Shots

Our two months in Chiang Mai have ended. It is certainly a comfortable place to live with its good infrastructure and low cost of living. The people are nice, the food is delicious, there are some nice history and culture museums, it's very safe, the health care is excellent and inexpensive (we both used it), and Deborah loved every one of the eight dozen (or so) cheap massages she had. I suppose all those attributes are why so many expats and digital nomads park themselves here. (You also see a lot of old white guys with much younger Thai girlfriends – consensual relationships, we assume, so we try not to be too judgmental but, really?)


Chiang Mai is not a beautiful city, though. It’s mostly a sprawl of low-rise retail and other businesses with unattractive signage and overhead wires everywhere. The residential areas we’ve seen aren’t much better, although some of the apartment buildings are at least modern, if uninspired. City parks are almost nonexistent. It’s all very utilitarian. We’ve walked all over the city and never seem to say, “Oh, that’s charming.” The temples are beautiful and there are a handful of attractive botanical gardens on the city's outskirts, but these are oases of beauty in an otherwise bland urban landscape. Outside the city the terrain is greener and more mountainous but nothing spectacular. 

We came here thinking Chiang Mai was at least a possibility for our next eventual home, but the lack of aesthetic charm is a problem, and the climate, although cooler than the rest of Thailand, especially this time of year, is probably still too hot and humid for us. But we really enjoyed making it our home for a couple of months and are eager to see the rest of Thailand on another trip. For now, we are headed to New Zealand after a couple of quick stopovers in Singapore and Australia.

Here are a few last random photos from Chiang Mai.

The old city portion of Chiang Mai is surrounded by an old stone wall and a moat.


There's very little graffiti in Chiang Mai. Here's an example of street art honoring the late beloved king.

Even Ronald MacDonald does the Thai greeting known as "wai"
(photo by Deborah)


Bamboo scaffolding. Very typical here.


Fortunately, dogs are much more likely to be pets than dinner in Chiang Mai.
(photo by Deborah)


Traditional dress at a cultural museum.
(photo by Deborah)


One of the more attractive residential blocks in Chiang Mai.


Near the Silver Temple. One of the few instances where artistry is extended beyond the temples to everyday life.


Street-side laundromat.
(photo by Deborah)


These red trucks are a sort of shared taxi and a common sight around town. We used them some but mostly Grab/Uber, which is always more comfortable and usually cheaper.


Tuk tuks - Another form of transportation.


There are many different street markets and night markets in Chiang Mai. They can be fun to visit before the crowds get too thick, but we never buy anything other than food.
(photo by Deborah)


Offering shrines aren't nearly as common here as, for instance, Bali. And the ones that exist are often neglected. But there are exceptions, such as this one outside a hotel.
(photo by Deborah)


Deborah makes a large friend.


It’s pretty clean in Chiang Mai, maybe thanks to this guy. You don’t see much litter, which is remarkable considering you can never find a trash can when you need one. We’ve walked for blocks and blocks with trash in our hand waiting for an opportunity to throw it away. The one exception is vacant lots, which are inevitably full of rubbish. No sense of ownership there I guess.
(photo by Deborah)


No comment.
(photo by Deborah)


Toy motorscooters. Might as well start them while they're young.
(photo by Deborah)


You always see collections of shoes outside of temples, where they are not to be worn inside.
(photo by Deborah)


Speaking of shoes... Deborah at the Dutch garden at the Royal Park Rajapruek.


From the Food Park in the mall near our condo. Phad Thai with egg, green papaya salad, iced tea, fresh coconut water: 160 baht (about US$5). And delicious! 
(photo by Deborah)


Video by Deborah of our meal at a Japanese restaurant where the food rolls by on a conveyor belt and you just grab what looks good, then cook it yourself in a little hot pot of broth set into the counter in front of you. It's all you can eat, but only for an hour. So eat fast to get your money's worth.


Goodbye Chiang Mai





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