From the quiet outback of remote Koh Lanta, we moved to the bustling northern city of Chiang Mai. Remnants of the wall which surrounded this city can still be seen as they define the border between the old and newer parts of the city.
My first impression: grey, dusty and polluted small streets, but then interspersed, the golden nuggets of the many, many Buddhist temples and hidden gardens of hotels and restaurants.
We stayed in the old part in a place built in the style of Chiang Mai's golden age: 2 acres of gardens and courtyards walled in away from the noise and smell of the two-stroke engined scooters and tuk-tuks running all over the town.
After checking in (we could barely drag ourselves away from this beautiful hotel), we went out to explore the Sunday Night Walking Street...crafts, local products, food and other things for sale. We had our first taste of "street food", a dish of tiny fried eggs cooked in what looked like an ebelskiver pan, a noodle dish, and mango sticky rice. Here's the thing though: Each of these dishes cost about $1 or less.
The next day we headed up and out of town to the mountain top temple, Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, the city's most famous, and dating from the late 1300's.
From the temple base we climbed the 309 steps to the sacred grounds of the temple. The rest of this story is best told in photos.
My first impression: grey, dusty and polluted small streets, but then interspersed, the golden nuggets of the many, many Buddhist temples and hidden gardens of hotels and restaurants.
We stayed in the old part in a place built in the style of Chiang Mai's golden age: 2 acres of gardens and courtyards walled in away from the noise and smell of the two-stroke engined scooters and tuk-tuks running all over the town.
After checking in (we could barely drag ourselves away from this beautiful hotel), we went out to explore the Sunday Night Walking Street...crafts, local products, food and other things for sale. We had our first taste of "street food", a dish of tiny fried eggs cooked in what looked like an ebelskiver pan, a noodle dish, and mango sticky rice. Here's the thing though: Each of these dishes cost about $1 or less. 
The next day we headed up and out of town to the mountain top temple, Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, the city's most famous, and dating from the late 1300's.
From the temple base we climbed the 309 steps to the sacred grounds of the temple. The rest of this story is best told in photos.
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