Before 1939 Northern Thailand was in essence autonomous. Even after all of Thailand was unified under Bangkok, the north still held its own way of doing things. The region is a fusion of diverse tribes who have a long history of take overs, warring kings, and at points self-governance. The ancestors of modern day Thai migrated south from China. The first kingdom built by these people was Chiang Saen in 773. Around 500 years later the Lanna (“a thousand rice fields”) Kingdom was established and in the process united the people of this region under one king.
King Mengrai (1259-1317) is worth mentioning because he is the one who founded both Chiang Rai and later Chiang Mai as his capitals. The king of Phayao and the king of Sukhothai were his friends and assisted him in moving his capital from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai. This friendship definitely gave stability to the region since the three kingdoms peacefully coexisted. Unfortunately, peace would not remain forever. There were many invasions by both the Lao and Burmese. For roughly 200 years (1556-1700) the Lanna Kingdom was a vassal state to Burma. The Burmese influence is obvious in the architecture of the temples and the food in the north. I personally find the Burmese flare quite unique and beautiful.
In more modern times the north has become famous for the opium trade. The Golden Triangle is the infamous region between the borders of Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand where a good portion of the world’s opium was once grown. There is even a museum called the Hall of Opium that explains the boom of the industry in the region and how the drugs spread throughout the world.
As for our experience in Chiang Mai, it was pleasant. The last full day Kellie and I spent together was jam packed with hilarity, coincidence, and relaxation. We started off the day with an hour and half yoga class at the Yoga Tree. At one point the instructor asked for assistance grabbing some blocks from another room. I went with him. We interrupted a class and in the process, I caught a glimpse of a woman’s profile that looked very familiar. Throughout the yoga class I racked my brain for who she could be. After class I told Kellie, we needed to wait for the other class to finish. I was fairly certain I graduated a year after that woman from Gonzaga. When she exited, I approached and said, “Sorry. Not to be creepy, but did you go to Gonzaga?” She enthusiastically said yes. I then realized that we had a mutual friend and were actually in the same major. We even have the same name! She is currently studying Ayurveda for a month in Chiang Mai. Ayurveda is a system of both Hindu medicine and philosophy. It emphasizes freeing the mind and the balancing of one’s self. If the program didn’t cost 1,200 USD, I may have stayed and joined the class myself.
Blown away by the coincidence Kellie and I ate lunch at our vegetarian hostel and then were picked up for a 2.5 hour spa treatment. It was more money than I would normally spend, but it was a great way to spend my last day with my friend. Now it was great not because the treatment itself was wonderful, but because Kellie and I were able to share in an absurd experience. We arrived at the Oasis Spa and Resort and were pleasantly impressed by the tranquility of the facilities. We even tried to buy the tea cups off the establishment- they said no with a worried look on their faces. It all began with a body mud rub down. With my eyes covered, I couldn’t help but notice whatever was being lathered all over my body smelled an awful lot like peanut butter. This lathering went on for a horribly long hour. We were then ushered into a one room shower and proceeded to remove peanut butter from our belly buttons. This was then followed by some lackluster slapping for an hour and a half. The word massage wouldn’t fit this experience. At least I got to laugh about it afterwards with Kellie.
The night didn’t stop there! While walking down the street enjoying a papaya mango shake, Kellie decided to slip and fling her arm in my direction. Everything went into slow motion and the oh so orange shake when flying and splashing all over my chest, hair, and shoulder. I bring this up just so I won’t forget the Epic Spill of 2015 J. That evening we also ran into two hippies we had met in Erawan National Park (and whom I ran into in Pai). Again, what are the odds?
After Kellie left we visited several temples. The most significant temple was Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. It is up on a hill outside of town and takes a bit to get to. We also visited Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phra Singh. The highlight was at Wat Chedi Luang, where we were able to participate in the Monk Chat program. For several hours a day monks will sit on benches outside of the temple. People can go there to ask them questions and to chat. The monk we spoke with is from Mumbai, India and is only 24 years old. Many of his answers didn’t necessarily answer my questions, but it was nice to spend 45 minutes with him. He like the other monks we have spoken with, became a novice for the chance at an affordable and good education. His grandmother was a very strong Buddhist and had garnered the respect of the local monks. One day a monk proposed he join as a novice. He said yes and was a novice for 9 years, before coming a full-fledged monk. He explained that there are 10 rules for novices to live by and that at any time they can leave the monastery. Once becoming an ordained monk, the individual can’t unmonkify himself and has to follow 227 rules or precepts.
The last thing worth sharing is that Kellie kindly bought three VIP tickets for us to go to a Muay Thai fight the night after she left. Unfortunately, when we arrived the boss of the stadium informed us that there is no way to pay online and wouldn’t let us in. After some digging, we discovered it was a scam. Luckily, she paid with PayPal. I hope she can get her money back. Other than that, Chiang Mai was just a touristy city. It was nice, but not nearly as enjoyable as our next stop!
King Mengrai (1259-1317) is worth mentioning because he is the one who founded both Chiang Rai and later Chiang Mai as his capitals. The king of Phayao and the king of Sukhothai were his friends and assisted him in moving his capital from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai. This friendship definitely gave stability to the region since the three kingdoms peacefully coexisted. Unfortunately, peace would not remain forever. There were many invasions by both the Lao and Burmese. For roughly 200 years (1556-1700) the Lanna Kingdom was a vassal state to Burma. The Burmese influence is obvious in the architecture of the temples and the food in the north. I personally find the Burmese flare quite unique and beautiful.
In more modern times the north has become famous for the opium trade. The Golden Triangle is the infamous region between the borders of Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand where a good portion of the world’s opium was once grown. There is even a museum called the Hall of Opium that explains the boom of the industry in the region and how the drugs spread throughout the world.
As for our experience in Chiang Mai, it was pleasant. The last full day Kellie and I spent together was jam packed with hilarity, coincidence, and relaxation. We started off the day with an hour and half yoga class at the Yoga Tree. At one point the instructor asked for assistance grabbing some blocks from another room. I went with him. We interrupted a class and in the process, I caught a glimpse of a woman’s profile that looked very familiar. Throughout the yoga class I racked my brain for who she could be. After class I told Kellie, we needed to wait for the other class to finish. I was fairly certain I graduated a year after that woman from Gonzaga. When she exited, I approached and said, “Sorry. Not to be creepy, but did you go to Gonzaga?” She enthusiastically said yes. I then realized that we had a mutual friend and were actually in the same major. We even have the same name! She is currently studying Ayurveda for a month in Chiang Mai. Ayurveda is a system of both Hindu medicine and philosophy. It emphasizes freeing the mind and the balancing of one’s self. If the program didn’t cost 1,200 USD, I may have stayed and joined the class myself.
Blown away by the coincidence Kellie and I ate lunch at our vegetarian hostel and then were picked up for a 2.5 hour spa treatment. It was more money than I would normally spend, but it was a great way to spend my last day with my friend. Now it was great not because the treatment itself was wonderful, but because Kellie and I were able to share in an absurd experience. We arrived at the Oasis Spa and Resort and were pleasantly impressed by the tranquility of the facilities. We even tried to buy the tea cups off the establishment- they said no with a worried look on their faces. It all began with a body mud rub down. With my eyes covered, I couldn’t help but notice whatever was being lathered all over my body smelled an awful lot like peanut butter. This lathering went on for a horribly long hour. We were then ushered into a one room shower and proceeded to remove peanut butter from our belly buttons. This was then followed by some lackluster slapping for an hour and a half. The word massage wouldn’t fit this experience. At least I got to laugh about it afterwards with Kellie.
The night didn’t stop there! While walking down the street enjoying a papaya mango shake, Kellie decided to slip and fling her arm in my direction. Everything went into slow motion and the oh so orange shake when flying and splashing all over my chest, hair, and shoulder. I bring this up just so I won’t forget the Epic Spill of 2015 J. That evening we also ran into two hippies we had met in Erawan National Park (and whom I ran into in Pai). Again, what are the odds?
After Kellie left we visited several temples. The most significant temple was Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. It is up on a hill outside of town and takes a bit to get to. We also visited Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phra Singh. The highlight was at Wat Chedi Luang, where we were able to participate in the Monk Chat program. For several hours a day monks will sit on benches outside of the temple. People can go there to ask them questions and to chat. The monk we spoke with is from Mumbai, India and is only 24 years old. Many of his answers didn’t necessarily answer my questions, but it was nice to spend 45 minutes with him. He like the other monks we have spoken with, became a novice for the chance at an affordable and good education. His grandmother was a very strong Buddhist and had garnered the respect of the local monks. One day a monk proposed he join as a novice. He said yes and was a novice for 9 years, before coming a full-fledged monk. He explained that there are 10 rules for novices to live by and that at any time they can leave the monastery. Once becoming an ordained monk, the individual can’t unmonkify himself and has to follow 227 rules or precepts.
The last thing worth sharing is that Kellie kindly bought three VIP tickets for us to go to a Muay Thai fight the night after she left. Unfortunately, when we arrived the boss of the stadium informed us that there is no way to pay online and wouldn’t let us in. After some digging, we discovered it was a scam. Luckily, she paid with PayPal. I hope she can get her money back. Other than that, Chiang Mai was just a touristy city. It was nice, but not nearly as enjoyable as our next stop!
