Feb 19, 2023

Where the Wats are

Updated: Mar 4, 2023

Chiang Mai, Thailand

I flew from Hanoi to Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is home to 100 wats (temples), and as many marijuana dispensaries. Easily there are twice as many massage parlors. And I was worried about bringing my CBD gummies because I didn't want to end up in a Thai prison. Lol.

I stayed for four nights in Chiang Mai and spent $90 in cash - I bought a couple of dinners, some snacks, a SIM card, got two massages, a manicure and eyebrow wax. I think I was generous with tips for guides and drivers, because I have no idea where the rest of the money went. I know what you're thinking and I didn't.

The BEST food I ate in Chiang Mai was the food I shopped for and cooked with Thai Ahka Cooking School. I ate some things at the market that if I had known what they were… and yet they were all really good.

I know what I'm about to say is heresy, but I had better massages in both Cambodia and Vietnam than I did in Chiang Mai.

ACCOMMODATIONS

I stayed in the Old City at Thai Akara Boutique Hotel, a gorgeous boutique hotel, just a few blocks from Tha Phae Gate.

ACTIViTIES and EXCURSIONS

I was pretty busy in Chiang Mai, I:

Did a Temple Tour in the city.
Made a visit to Doi Suthep, a golden temple at the top of a mountain where the ashes of the Buddha are buried under the temple.
Received a blessing from the Abbott of the temple by bringing an offering that my guide Ying curated. Of course she told me that I couldn't touch the monk because as a woman, I was considered unclean. Ying told me to think of my ancestors as the monk blessed me. As soon as that water hit my head, the tears started to flow. I had lost my aunt, who was like my mom, just a week before I left the States. It was pretty emotional for me.
Visited Elephant Nature Park, a conservancy started by a Thai woman. It is considered unethical to ride elephants and since Covid, this conservancy doesn't allow any touching of the elephants. There are 116 elephants at the Nature Park.
Took a cooking class. The chef, from the Ahka tribe, was amazing! We made 10 dishes from scratch, including our own curry paste with a mortar and pestle. In the class there were people from Australia, China, Egypt, Hong Kong, Korea, Russia and the U.S. Just fabulous.