Wat Suan Dok is just outside the old city, very close to the airport. The name of this temple means field of flowers. It was originally built in the 14th century (around 1371) by a Lanna king for a very holy monk from Sukhothai. You enter into a large plaza area filled one large golden chedi and many white reliquaries or funeral memorials shaped like small chedi. Their whiteness really glow in the sunshine. These are the reliquaries of royal family members from Chiang Mai. I don’t know how old these are but some have an aging patina of black mold or perhaps a residue of pollution. Next to this is a very large, open hall with ornate gold leaf decoration. Entering this hall you look up to rafters painted red creating an overall very colorful impression. This space is unusual because of the open sides.
Next, we visited Wat Phra Sing right inside of the old wall. Inside the gates at this temple I had a real sense of nostalgia because I very clearly remembered visiting this temple 18 years before. Although I don’t know very much about Buddhism I always feel somewhat stunned and awed in Thai temples. You have this sense of peace not found in many places. I love it that you must first discard your shoes at the door and enter to find many people kneeling and praying to many large images of the Buddha. There is a smell and sound in temples that I love. The interiors are so lavishly embellished in Chiang Mai that this sense of wonder is enhanced. I remember a professor talking about gothic cathedrals being built with those glowing stained glass windows to create an otherworldly experience for the common man; those shafts of colored light would seem heavenly and those large spaces would dwarf the worshipper adding to the ethereal experience. I doubt that Buddhism intends to separate the worshipper from the sense of godliness is exactly that same way but nonetheless you do enter with a sense of marvel. I love entering temples and sitting quietly on the floor, soaking in the peace, calming my beating heart and letting some of the heat outside dissipate . For someone who is not religious there is a comfort in Thai temples not afforded many other places. After taking this rest I usually just wander the temple compound. Often I don’t know the history or meaning but simply look. In Singapore I ran into a docent at a museum and we talked a lot about being a docent. She was frustrated that some of her colleagues put on airs with their knowledge. I said that when I go to museums I often do not go on docent tours and rather try to connect to the works themselves. There is an inherent beauty that you can find in art that does not require you to know the history and minute details. This is how I like to see temples. It isn’t always important for me to know everything but simply to see the beauty. But when I return home I often wish I could take a course in art of Asia.
At Wat Phra Sing there are murals along the walls that are surprisingly well preserved. I loved these when I visited 18 years ago and this time they were just as inspiring. One reason I found them so interesting is that our hotel had murals in each of the rooms in the Lanna style, a style clearly influenced by these murals.
Another building in this temple complex is small building resting on a very high plinth. This is a sort of library called a ho trai. The reason this form of building is raised is to protect the scriptures from damage. Often this form of building will be built in the middle of a lake or pond. In this case the structure is made from wood but the plinth is stone to keep termites at bay. I wonder if there is another reason these little buildings are placed this way; does it offer a sense of retreat that allows the scholar to study without distractions?
Also in this compound there was a little courtyard with seats for resting, eating or thinking and along this space were posted sayings which I enjoyed. Things like, “ Eat to live but live to eat,” or “Merit making calibrated to impress is not real merit,” “Crying with the wise is better than laughing with the fool,” and “Selfishness is the real enemy of peace.”
From Wat Phra Sing we went to Wat Chedi Luang. At this compound I had a funny experience. I rarely take photos of people and even more rarely do I photograph monks. At one of the buildings at this complex I came across two monks who were photographing themselves in front of a large glass box holding the likeness of a monk named Acharn Mun Bhuridarto. This likeness was so realistic and perfectly scaled that I wouldn’t have been surprised if the figure inside the glass box got up and walked around. This monk must have been an inspiration to the visiting monks because they were taking great efforts to photograph each other in front of the likeness. I gestured with my hands that I would take their photo together and they seemed pleased. But monks never touch women so I was not surprised that they passed the camerato me atop a bag. I took their photos and they were very pleased. Later at another building in the complex I saw them again taking photos and they seemed to be happy to see me and the photo session was repeated. I didn’t get a photo of them myself but I am so happy to have brought them some joy.
The very large chedi at the site has been partially damaged but once reached over 283 feet. An earthquake damaged it in 1545. There is a cable running to the top that people use to pull a water bucket to the top. I think, although I am not certain, that they contribute money to do this in order to bath the relics enclosed in the chedi.
Our next stop was Wat Phan Tao still within the walls of the old city. This is the oldest temple in the city (built in 1297). King Mangrai built it while he was building the original city at Chiang Mai. At this compound there is a tall chedi surrounded by 15 life-size elephants around its base. There are several important and very old images of the Buddha at this site to and I realize, now, that it might have been nice to have had a driver who was also a guide who could have pointed these out. Unfortunately I was distracted by other details; the wonderful roof lines of the gold leafed, wood temple buildings and the signs which are sometimes humorous to the uninitiated.
After visiting all of these temples we went back to the hotel and had dinner with Shay’s friend who teaches at Chiang Mai University. She took us to another restaurant on the Ping River named Tha Nam. We tasted Chiang Mai noodles which are great with a curry broth, grilled fish. We also ate fried bamboo worms that were crunchy and delicious but oh! so hard to wrap your mind around. These little insect delights look just like French fries but with chocolate brown eyes. I got to order a dish I've loved since my first visit to Thailand called Pla-dook-foo. This is is a crispy catfish served with a salad made from matchstick sized pieces of green mango, red onion, cilantro and peanuts with a lime sauce and fish sauce dressing. This is one of my favorite dishes in Thailand. Yum!! What to make this dish? Here[/url ] is a recipe. The dessert was sticky rice with mango and coconut mil, and some wonderful, round pancakes called Kanom Krok. 
It would require a special pan to make otherwise I would be making some right now. [url=http://www.templeofthai.com/recipes/kanom_krok.php]Here is a recipe for those of you who are adventuresome. The sticky rice is always a favorite of my family but the pancakes were heavenly. They were made from rice dough and formed in a pan with many concave indentations very similar in size and shape to half of a ping-pong ball. The special pan causes the dough to get a slight crunchy exterior while retaining their creamy centers of coconut milk. They might have little pieces of green onion or kernels of corn, chestnut chunks or even small chunks of pumpkin baked inside. They were the best hot off the grill and were definitely something I would eat again, and again, and again. If you want to explore more Thai desserts check out this website.
Shay's friend told us a little about getting around town. Apparently the ubiquitous red trucks driving all over town that are covered in the back and have seats on either side of the truck bed facing one another are called Songthaew and cost about 20 baht. These will bring you to within walking distance of your destination but maybe not to the door. You need to negotiate the fare before you climb in to the vehicle. You may share these with other passengers going in the same direction. (The photo I've included is not my own because that is something I forgot to document with my trusty little camera). You can also hire a tuk tuk which is a noise and not terribly comfortable covered seat on the back of a motor bike. But these are fun to try at least once.
