28th January: Chiang Mai, Thailand
I’m still feeling extremely fatigued, so, unfortunately, we won’t be making any trips out of Chiang Mai. We hope that is a place we’re able to come back to one day. Today, however, began with a filling breakfast (I think the first cooked western breakfast of the trip) and coffee to try to give us enough energy for a little bit if wandering in the city.
The only major temple we’d not yet visited was Wat Sri Suphan, or the Silver Temple. Again, no women were allowed inside. I wasn’t going to go in either but am glad that I eventually did as the interior was perhaps the strangest I’ve seen. As with the exterior, silver coloured plating covered every surface, and the theme seemed to be one of travel. The strangest feature, though, were the hundreds of flying saucers and portrayals of aliens all over what was otherwise a giant map of Earth. Outside, friezes of famous places and the names of countries from around the world were all over the walls. I’ve no idea what to make of it! Perhaps, the suggestion is that men (or otherwise) from anywhere are welcome? My highlight though was Ganesh and the Michelin Man vibing together.
What’s Martian for “women not allowed”?
Outside, a timely street seller passed by, and we had the most delicious coconut ice cream. Today was much warmer once again and I was already flagging.
Walking back into town, we came across the Museum of Makers. This gorgeously designed building, with a lovely sheltered courtyard, currently houses an exhibition on the textiles and designs of the people of Nagaland.
Needing to sit down and rest, we found a perfect little spot in a cafe to have mango and avocado smoothies. They even had padded seats, which feels like a luxury here where almost everything is hard wood!
Heading back towards the area of the hotel, our attention was grabbed by the sound of a band. 30 or so teenagers were practicing for a brass band performance on a sports field and sounded great. After nearly 6 months without going to a gig, I’ll take what I can get!
From here, it was an easy stroll to dinner in a place we’d spotted yesterday. I had a couple of spicy dishes, which were bursting with flavour. Their basil stir fry with tofu and vegan meat had heat but was also deeply herby. This was complemented by a small bowl of sour and hot tom yum mushroom soup. Kaja tried khao soi, with its soft and crispy noodles. To cool our palates, another new flavour of longan juice was perfect.
Back in the room, we could hear the fireworks for Chinese New Year. I’ve not got the energy for this today, but we hope to see plenty of celebrations in 2 or 3 days’ time in Nakhon Sawan.