David had some work to do, so I decided to head into Chiang Mai’s Old City and have a look around. The house offers a free shuttle in, then you make your own way back whenever you are ready.
The Old City area is defined by the remnants of walls that once stood as a fortress to protect those within. Today, the walls are ruins and within is filled with shops, cafes, travel agents and accommodation….oh, and the odd temple! I knew I only had about 2 hours to wander around, so today was not going to be the day for looking at every detail or stopping to reflect mindfully on my life before Buddha…I just wanted to get an idea of what was where and what I want to check out better when we come back in a few days.
Having a general idea of where the main attractions were in the city, I walked from the Tha Phae Gate, straight along Road heading towards the centre where the Wat Prah Sing is located. Along the way, I stepped into the grounds of each temple that I came across…I was not dressed appropriately to go inside the actual temples today…good thing really as I counted twelve Temples along just 2 streets…
My time was almost up and I was getting a bit hungry so I stopped in at a little restaurant where the locals were eating and had some crispy pork and rice, with a huge Sprite….for 60 bhat ($2.40)…plus a 5 bhat tip for my very cute server!
It was then time to get back, so I waved down a tuk-tuk and for an agreed price of 150 bhat I was transported back to the house in open air, easy viewing comfort!
