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Day 8
1st August 2013
We get up this morning and have breakfast before heading to Chiang Mai. On our way we will stop to see the white temple in Chiang Rai.
Wat Rong Khun, more well-known among foreigners as the White Temple, is a contemporary unconventional Buddhist temple in Chiang Rai, Thailand. It was designed by Chalermchai Kositpipat in 1997.
This temple is breath taking and to be honest the most spectacular temple I have seen so far. The reason the temple is so amazing is it is so different to any of the other temples we have seen so far. The whole thing seems to depict the what distracts us in modern life. We wander around looking at the paintings and sculptures from two trees showing how cigarettes and alcohol are deemed to be evil and inside a mural with paintings of things in modern life in the mouth of hell. To the left of the main temple is a large golden building which turns out is the toilets.
We jump back on our busses for the drive to Chiang Mai. When we arrive we stop at a restaurant for some lunch before heading to the Doi Suthep temple located in the mountains.
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is a Theravada Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. The temple is often referred to as "Doi Suthep" although this is actually the name of the mountain it is located on. The temple is located 15 km from the city of Chiang Mai and is a sacred site to many Thai people. From the temple, impressive views of Chiang Mai can be seen and it remains a popular destination for tourists. Once at the car park we have 309 steps to climb to the temple!!!! Really I thought this year I would have a break from bloody steps after the last 3 years (great wall, Halong bay, St Catherine's mountain, Petra and Machu Picchu ) but I guess not.
We climb the steps slowly and then look around the temple before going inside one of the buildings. Here we kneel down and are blessed by a monk, however Tracey came in after it had all started and had no idea what was going on. She kneels and then gets hit in the face by the water the monk is sprinkling over us for the blessing and we hear he shout "WHAT" before realising what's happening. For one moment I had visions of her starting a water fight with the monk!!!
With the blessing over we are split into men and women and the men have a bracelet put on their right wrist by the monk for good luck and the women on the left wrist by someone else as the monks are not allowed to touch women.
Once everyone has been blessed we gather outside and Bond explains to us more about the temple before taking us to get out fortunes told. We all gather round Bond and he is holding a jar full of bamboo sticks, and one by one Bond asks us to pick one. Each stick has a number on it and then we are directed to a rack on the wall each one with a number on. We take the piece of paper from the rack relevant to our number and on it is printed our fortune. I have number 2 and the ancient Chinese prophecy on mine says " The 2nd number tells that you will have success in what your thinking, luck and love will be yours soon, but you should be patient". I'm guessing the luck thing doesn't include getting the right drink or meal at dinner times any time during the trip!!!!
We leave the temple and go to the view point to take a few photos of the view over Chiang Mai before stopping for a quick coffee at a little shop. Whilst sitting drinking a nice latte, which is heaven after some of the coffees we have had in the the hotel for breakfast, I watch people wandering around. I watch as a Chinese tourist walks around taking photos on her iPad and think REALLY!!!!! the thing hanging round your neck is a camera so why are you using a bloody iPad ?
We finish our coffee and head back down the steps to our buses. Going down is so much easier and perfect timing as we start to get on the bus the heavens open.
Before long we arrive at our hotel " The Chiang Mai Wall " nice looking hotel and as with most of the hotels on this trip it's clean and comfortable. I gab my iPad and head down to reception as this is the only place we can get wifi and I need to publish my blogs. I find a seat and try and log in! and try and try and try with no joy. Because this is the only place you can get wifi in the hotel everyone is sat there with their phones and laptops trying to connect. I decide to give it another 5 minutes before giving up and at that point Bond appears and asks if a want a beer. I agree and we head out of the hotel to a little bar called " Doo Dee " a couple of doors down and order a couple of beers and they have free wifi which works, result. We sat and chat and order another beer before suddenly seeing the time and realise that we are supposed to be meeting the group in a couple of minutes for dinner. We go back to the hotel and I head up to my room to dump my stuff while Bond and the group head back to the bar which is where we are eating tonight. I join the others and we have dinner a couple of drinks before heading out to the famous night market or bazaar. To get there we are going to take a Tuk Tuc and here they are like pickup trucks covered with seats going down either side. The is room inside for about 10 or 11 people and we have a group of 15. Bond assures us that we will all fit as he will sit in the front and some of us can stand on the step on the back and just hold on. I'm one of the 4 to stand on the back and as I step onto the rail that runs round from the back to the side it snaps off much to the delight of my fellow passengers. I find enough space on the main step and off we go holding on for dear life as the truck speeds through the streets. We arrive in one piece and split into some groups to explore the markets.
Chiang Mai Night Bazaar or just Night Market is located in the heart of the city, on the Chan Klan road, between Tha Pae and Sri Donchai roads. It is famous for its handicrafts and portrait paintings. There are also jewelry, toys, clothing and high tech items such as, CDs and DVDs. The market is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Chiang Mai. At first, the market was owned by Chinese merchants, but since it grew in size as more commercial buildings were built, it was no longer owned by a single group of people. Instead, there are many owners, and most of them are Thai.
After a couple of hours of wandering round the market and bartering for various items we want we meet up with some of the others and catch a truck back to the hotel. We decide to go for one last drink at the Doo Dee bar before turning in and before long we are joined by Steven, Anna, Fabian and Patricia. We all sit talking for a while before turning in as we have free time tomorrow and we all have busy schedules planned.
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