Chiang Mai Holiday

At the end of a business trip to Thailand, John had 2 days off for Chinese New Year.  We looked at the map and chose Chiang Mai, north and near the mountains.  With only 3 days total there, we chose only a few of the many tourist hot spots around there.  We found our hotel on the internet and we happy we had chosen the Singha(Lion) Montra, a nice cross between local Thai and upscale 4-5 star accommodation; exquisite Thai decor with local roosters waking us in the wee hours of dawn!

Everywhere in Thailand, this is how you are greeted:

The bedroom part of our suite and the outdoor whirlpool.  The pool was lovely but the air temp didn't really tempt us to put on the heat:

Our first adventure was to the old part of the city, a perfect square surrounded by an ancient wall.  The best means of transportation from the hotel was by tuk tuk:

We walked and walked, had dinner and visited the daily Night Market:

 Most of the stalls sold regular tourist selections of "thai" silk, copy purses, watches, shirts. but also beautiful jewelry and one-of-a kind fashions, locally made.  These ladies sell jewelry made my their mountain tribes (maybe made my them, maybe in a factory....but their presentation made you want to buy)

On Sunday there is an different market, called the Walking Street, where they actually shut down a big street and more local artists and craftspeople sell their wares.  I didn't bring my camera that night, but I bought beautiful handmade cards and jewelry.

Chiang Mai is filled with Buddhist temples, an amazing array of golden spires and stupas.  We had a tour guide take us to 3 of the important ones.  I still don't understand it all, but I learned a lot.

I loved these life-sized elephant statues that surround many of the stupas, which hold relics, bones, and ashes of the most revered monks. This one is the oldest in the city and was broken by an earthquake centuries ago. 

Sometimes the offerings are big, and sometimes they are small:

We happened upon a ceremony as 3 young men were becoming monks.  They, dressed in white, go around the temple complex 3 times, followed by their families who carry their robes, and articles they will need as a monk:

 Finally, inside, the many varied statues of Buddha:

And famous monks from this temple:

Money offerings hung from the ceiling and a beautiful offering made from banana leaves:

Most temples have monks available for blessings, advice, prayers or just a chat: 

  

Tomorrow:  a trip to the mountains

Chinese New Year Sights

         

 Welcome, Year of the Snake!      

 I took an early morning stroll through Chinatown, a few days before the start of the new year. (I didn't want to fight the nighttime crowds for my photo ops.)  Here is what I found:

                                             The God of Fortune and the Good Luck Cat look down on the streets

The shophouses and stalls are decked out with lanterns, awaiting customers:

I came upon a queue of people...it was too early for tourists...they were patiently waiting for...what?

I asked a man (drinking his Starbucks) what it was all about..."We are waiting to buy our BBQ pork for our Chinese New Year celebrations."  I asked if this was the only place to get it; "No, but it is the best!"  I later found out that this line of customers would be there every day for at least a week before New Year's, and the stuff costs $50 per kg...and they buy several kgs each...here is the shop:

And the product: 

The main streets are hung with lanterns, this time in the shape of a snake:

Another street has a yellow snake:

 Here I found a BBQ shop, just before opening time, but alas, only a few customers waiting...

As I have shared before, Singapore is multi-cultural.  One of the largest Hindu temples is located in Chinatown, and even they get into the act:

A little Muslim girl on an early morning errand and a box collector out on his rounds:

When I came back around to my starting point, the BBQ que was 3 times as long:

They brought their chairs and newspapers and looked ready to settle in for the day!  (I hope it was worth it)

Other treats are quite similar.  Here is a temporary shop and its special food items:

(yes, those are real fish and dried ducks)

As everywhere, beer advertising gets into the holiday mood.  Here is an ad for Chinese Tsingtao beer:

I will leave you with some iconic decorations from my apartment building and local shops: