Entering Thailand from Laos at Chiang Khong is the same as dropping into Oz from a tornado like when Dorothy opened the door and stepped from monochrome to a Technicolor world. It is a shame that our last memory of Laos was Housay. Thailand is just so much cleaner, more organized, friendlier – just so much more Thai! The only glitch came not from a witch seeking the ruby slippers but from a new immigration rule limiting overland travelers to only a 14 day permit. This is made more perplexing when you consider tourism is down 50% due to the recent political unrest and airport shutdown. Even the all powerful wizard can’t offer a solution except to repeat the entry process at one of the border crossings.
We are staying at the Britannia Hotel in the old city. Normally it would be out of our price range but they just reduced their rates 30% due to the drop-off in tourism. Da, the proprietress, is a good looking Thai woman, a former model. And, yes, that is a picture of her in tile in our bathroom taken in her glory days, obviously before she could afford clothing.
Chiang Mai has more than 100 wats within the city limits and we chose the best two to visit. Wat Chiang Man is just around the corner. It is said to be the city’s oldest since it mentions the founding of Chiang Mai in 1296. Wat Phra Singh is the most visited and houses the Lion Buddha, the most revered image in Chiang Mai. I took a ton of photos but frankly all the temples are beginning to look alike. We spent the rest of Friday at the city Arts and Cultural Center, a fantastic museum housed in the former provincial hall. Not only is the building architecturally pleasing the museum gives a good overview of the history, culture and the importance of Buddhism in Chiang Mai. The area’s history is so rich that it is hard to remember there is much more to Thai history.
