Chiang Mai. It was an unplanned trip but surprises usually come unexpected. i always thought that i didn't quite like Thailand very much because of my past unpleasant experiences. but like in all things, generalisation could be deadly and most of the time inaccurate. yes, there were still some hiccups like language barrier and the constant repetition just to get my message across but other than that, Chiang Mai was a beautiful city to explore.
Chiang Mai is in the north of Thailand and unlike the south, does not have beaches or coastlines. it has a lot of hills and mountains, and i always have a soft spot for Mother Nature. i enjoy simply waking up in the morning and seeing the highlands welcoming me to the new day. Weather is also less warm and humid because the city is on higher ground from the sea level. I'm thankful for anything that gets me away from 30 degrees!
The Thais in general are quite religious. they are predominantly Buddhist and have many temples around the country. in Chiang Mai itself, there are about 1,000 temples. I managed to visit two temples during my stay. the first was Wat Chiang Man, which was built by the founder of Chiang Mai. it is located right in the centre of the city. gold dragons guard the entrance.there were potraits of Buddha on the walls of the temple, which told some kind of story. it's ironic to see that such temple is so lavishly condoned with gold when in some parts of Thailand, people do not have enough to eat. but i guess this also showed how committed they are to their religion.
The second temple visit was to Wat Prathat Doi Suthep Rajvoravihara. it is the highest temple located in the whole of Chiang Mai, or maybe even in Thailand. it is set on Doi Suthep - doi in Thai means mountain and Suthep was the name of the monk that discovered it. Doi Suthep is also where the King has his winter palace built. we didn't visit the palace though.
The main sanctuary place is called a jedi (it has the highest point in the temple) and it's covered in gold. the guide told us that the jedi leads to heaven. worshippers would come with their offerings ie. tulips, roses and candles and they would walk around the jedi three times praying. after that, they would kneel in front of the jedi and light the candle and asked the gods to accept their offerings.
Tourists are told to kneel down when taking pictures because it is a sign of respect to the gods that we do not stand above them. there was also a signboard in the temple that said, "please do not show affection for another person while in the temple." shoes are taken off when entering the main sanctuary as it signified entering into the holy ground.
Chiang Mai has a number of tribes living on the mountains. the most famous ones are the long necks, whom i didn't get to visit. i did, however, met the Meo or Hmoungs, who are the second largest tribe in Thailand. they lived on Doi Suthep and originates from Yunnan or south of China. the guide told us that the Hmoungs have been living over the decades growing opium. besides selling them, they were also addicted to the drug. hence, the government has been trying to shift their source of income to crafts from opium. it is not easy of course because the lifestyle has been embedded into their lives for such a long time. also, sale of crafts is not as lucrative as selling opium.
I saw opium and marijuana plants for the first time. it's strange that plants as normal looking as them could bring so much harm to the society ... food for thought indeed ...
The living conditions of the Hmoungs have much to be desired. they still live in wooden homes with several families in one house. space is a luxury. the government does not have enough funds to fully support their development. presently the village is supported by funds from the United Nations.
People married at a young age.
every new year, boys that have come of age would carry a colourful ball to the next village to seek for a partner. the girl that the boy passes the ball to will become his wife. usually, girls would be dressed in colourful well woven dresses and coats while waiting for the boys to come. we met one young lady (she's 19) who was with her toddler. she married when she was 18 but she told us that she met her husband when she was 16.
During my stay, i also watched for the first time the weighlifting championship. The World Weightlifting Championship is the biggest event for the sport and this year was held in Chiang Mai 16-26 Sept. it was an eye-opener to watch it live. well, anything in real eyes is an opener i guess. nonetheless, i must say i have much more respect for weightlifters now than before. it is not an easy sport. imagine a lady weighing 46 kg carrying weights 3 times her size and a man 62 kg lifting more than 150 kg of weights. it was amazing! apparently, weightlifting is one of the oldest sports around. it was in the first Olympics!
My friend told me that doping cases were quite rampant in the sport because the strength required was not easy to build. this year, the championship being one of the qualifiers for the Olympics 2008 makes it even more competitive. therefore, there were teams that suddenly sprung up from nowhere and sending more athletes than usual.
I don't comprehend very much how people can be so involved in the sport. the passion and dedication they made in order to compete are very admirable. there were also intense moments during the championship. there was this young Vietnamese boy trying to lift the weights despite having back pain. he fell flat to the ground in his attempt and couldn't get up, and had to be carried out from the platform. imagine if he had broken his spine, he could be paralysed for life! i was quite shocked by the scene.
Another funny moment in Chiang Mai was when i was mistaken as one of the locals while at the club and received a number of hard stares. reason being, i was with four European men and the local girls wondered if i was a threat to their quest. one girl kept coming to our table offering drinks and trying to have chats with the boys. she didn't show much interest in me at all. i was both amused and flattered :O)
Well, every journey has an end and this trip ended 3 days ago. it's been a lot of fun and enjoyable; quality time spent with good friends :)
Chiang Mai is in the north of Thailand and unlike the south, does not have beaches or coastlines. it has a lot of hills and mountains, and i always have a soft spot for Mother Nature. i enjoy simply waking up in the morning and seeing the highlands welcoming me to the new day. Weather is also less warm and humid because the city is on higher ground from the sea level. I'm thankful for anything that gets me away from 30 degrees!
The Thais in general are quite religious. they are predominantly Buddhist and have many temples around the country. in Chiang Mai itself, there are about 1,000 temples. I managed to visit two temples during my stay. the first was Wat Chiang Man, which was built by the founder of Chiang Mai. it is located right in the centre of the city. gold dragons guard the entrance.there were potraits of Buddha on the walls of the temple, which told some kind of story. it's ironic to see that such temple is so lavishly condoned with gold when in some parts of Thailand, people do not have enough to eat. but i guess this also showed how committed they are to their religion.
The second temple visit was to Wat Prathat Doi Suthep Rajvoravihara. it is the highest temple located in the whole of Chiang Mai, or maybe even in Thailand. it is set on Doi Suthep - doi in Thai means mountain and Suthep was the name of the monk that discovered it. Doi Suthep is also where the King has his winter palace built. we didn't visit the palace though.
The main sanctuary place is called a jedi (it has the highest point in the temple) and it's covered in gold. the guide told us that the jedi leads to heaven. worshippers would come with their offerings ie. tulips, roses and candles and they would walk around the jedi three times praying. after that, they would kneel in front of the jedi and light the candle and asked the gods to accept their offerings.
Tourists are told to kneel down when taking pictures because it is a sign of respect to the gods that we do not stand above them. there was also a signboard in the temple that said, "please do not show affection for another person while in the temple." shoes are taken off when entering the main sanctuary as it signified entering into the holy ground.
Chiang Mai has a number of tribes living on the mountains. the most famous ones are the long necks, whom i didn't get to visit. i did, however, met the Meo or Hmoungs, who are the second largest tribe in Thailand. they lived on Doi Suthep and originates from Yunnan or south of China. the guide told us that the Hmoungs have been living over the decades growing opium. besides selling them, they were also addicted to the drug. hence, the government has been trying to shift their source of income to crafts from opium. it is not easy of course because the lifestyle has been embedded into their lives for such a long time. also, sale of crafts is not as lucrative as selling opium.
I saw opium and marijuana plants for the first time. it's strange that plants as normal looking as them could bring so much harm to the society ... food for thought indeed ...
The living conditions of the Hmoungs have much to be desired. they still live in wooden homes with several families in one house. space is a luxury. the government does not have enough funds to fully support their development. presently the village is supported by funds from the United Nations.
People married at a young age.
every new year, boys that have come of age would carry a colourful ball to the next village to seek for a partner. the girl that the boy passes the ball to will become his wife. usually, girls would be dressed in colourful well woven dresses and coats while waiting for the boys to come. we met one young lady (she's 19) who was with her toddler. she married when she was 18 but she told us that she met her husband when she was 16. During my stay, i also watched for the first time the weighlifting championship. The World Weightlifting Championship is the biggest event for the sport and this year was held in Chiang Mai 16-26 Sept. it was an eye-opener to watch it live. well, anything in real eyes is an opener i guess. nonetheless, i must say i have much more respect for weightlifters now than before. it is not an easy sport. imagine a lady weighing 46 kg carrying weights 3 times her size and a man 62 kg lifting more than 150 kg of weights. it was amazing! apparently, weightlifting is one of the oldest sports around. it was in the first Olympics!
My friend told me that doping cases were quite rampant in the sport because the strength required was not easy to build. this year, the championship being one of the qualifiers for the Olympics 2008 makes it even more competitive. therefore, there were teams that suddenly sprung up from nowhere and sending more athletes than usual.
I don't comprehend very much how people can be so involved in the sport. the passion and dedication they made in order to compete are very admirable. there were also intense moments during the championship. there was this young Vietnamese boy trying to lift the weights despite having back pain. he fell flat to the ground in his attempt and couldn't get up, and had to be carried out from the platform. imagine if he had broken his spine, he could be paralysed for life! i was quite shocked by the scene.Another funny moment in Chiang Mai was when i was mistaken as one of the locals while at the club and received a number of hard stares. reason being, i was with four European men and the local girls wondered if i was a threat to their quest. one girl kept coming to our table offering drinks and trying to have chats with the boys. she didn't show much interest in me at all. i was both amused and flattered :O)
Well, every journey has an end and this trip ended 3 days ago. it's been a lot of fun and enjoyable; quality time spent with good friends :)
