Destination: Chiang Mai

The Wat at the top of Doi Suthep

When we visited Chiang Mai in April, it was Songkran, the water festival.  We had been told that if you really wanted to experience Songkran, you had to do so in Chiang Mai.  I believe they must have been right since thousands of people traveled the streets in trucks with huge barrels of water and adults and children with small buckets, dousing walkers on the streets.  Packs of people armed with super soaker squirt guns roamed the streets, taking aim at anyone in close proximity.  It appeared that everyone, young or not so young, was involved in the craziness.

Fast forward to July of 2011:  This time around, decisions on where/what we wanted to visit was not impacted by water of any kind (well, sometimes the rain). We stayed in Mae Rim, about 15 minutes from downtown.  It was a lovely place in the country.  Chiang Mai is absolutely gorgeous.  The tall, lush mountains are breathtaking.  Having our own car afforded us the opportunity to drive paths not taken by many other than locals.  One day’s excursion took us through hill tribes and to the Royal Gardens of Queen Sirikit.  I couldn’t get enough photos of the stunning flowers and plants that we saw.  On our ride home, we weren’t exactly sure of where we were so we decided to use the GPS on the iPhone.  We ended up taking these little-travelled dirt roads in the middle of what appeared to be rice fields, not knowing if our car might sink at any moment.  It was quite an adventure as we raced against time to find our way back to our lodging before the battery died.

Our home away from home for the week

Of course, food is always a main attraction of any trip we take.  We enjoyed returning to one of our favorite Khao Soy (thick, savory soup with noodles) “restaurants” that we had discovered on our last trip.  It is always amazing to us the quality and quantity of great food we can get for 60 – 90 baht ($2-3 dollars).  Our friend Jenny is a vegetarian so we are always looking for good veggie eateries.  We found a fabulous vegetarian restaurant that David insisted we return to at least once or twice more before we left. It was amazing what they could do with tofu (da-hu). 

We also took our obligatory trip up to Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, the Buddhist temple atop Doi Suthep Mountain.  It is probably the most visited spot in Chiang Mai by foreigners.  It was a wet and rainy day, so navigating the 309 steps to the very top was a feat in itself.  When we reached the top, we enjoyed the view of a number of golden buddhas, huge chimes and a golden chedi.  It was worth the climb.

The Chiang Mai Countryside

After five days, we said goodbye to one of our favorite destinations in Thailand.  But if all goes as planned, David and our friend Duff plan to film a documentary of a trip from Bangkok to Chiang Mai in one of David’s golf carts.  The working title of the film:  David and Duff Do Doi Suthep.  Watch for it in your local theater soon.  JK

The State of Affairs: Flooding in Bangkok

Flooding in Nonthaburi

In and around Bangkok, it is a sad and uncertain time.  Flooding up north in Ayuttiah, Kanchanaburri and Sukothai is making its way to the ocean via the Chao Praya River which runs right through Bangkok.  Nonthaburi and Pakkret, communities along the Chao Praya closest to us, have been flooded and parts evacuated.  Where we often catch the water taxi to Bangkok, the water is 2-3 meters higher than normal.  Thousands of people have lost their homes and belongings.  People have parked their cars on the expressways to get as far above ground as possible.  This has caused up to three lanes deep of cars in certain areas.  This has also resulted in tremendous traffic because of only one or two lanes available for transport.

All schools in Nonthaburi (where ISB is located) have been closed since last week.  We have just received notice that the Ministry of Education has mandated that all schools remain closed until November 7^th.  ISB will continue e-school for students during the interim.  How this impacts the rest of the school year will not be known right away.  Many of the ex-pats from our community, after securing their homes and preparing for flooding, left town last week for the October holiday and are extending their holiday to stay away from Bangkok until the threat of the high tide this weekend passes.  Although many members of the Thai staff at school have lost their homes and are now living with family and friends, they still showed up for work on our last day to make sure the school was prepared for the threat of flooding.  It is amazing how resilient the Thai people are through such difficult times and how everyone has stepped up to help one another.