Since the closure of Pownce I've searched the Net far and wide for a replacement microblog site. Tumblr is easy to use, intuitive, and extremely mobile friendly. Though the death of Pownce was sad I think Tumblr far surpasses it in many ways.

The ThreeCircles.net Tumblr: http://threecircles.tumblr.com

Friday, September 19, 2008

With our last full day in Chiang Mai before us, not to mention our second to last full day in all of Thailand, we were eager to get out and take full advantage of the day.

Freshly showered we headed down to the Bodhi Serene's interior courtyard for breakfast. The white-linen lined tables were set up adjacent to a gurgling fountain and beneath an overhang of the hotel building with white drapes billowing in the breeze. The breakfast was the usual combination of traditional Thai and the occasional American breakfast entity.

Doi Suthep is a gently sloping mountain that nuzzles the city of Chiang Mai at its base and bestows some of the most spectacular views of the city and surrounding countryside in the entire area. Buses regularly run from the city's university to the temple at the mountains summit and taxis are easily flagged down from any part of town. Stepping outside of the hotel walls usually resulted in one or two taxis, Tuk Tuks, or other modes of transport pulling over to ask were we were headed and this was no different.

A woman driving a songthaew motioned us over to the drivers-side window and we negotiated a price up to Doi Suthep. Although we paid double the amount (100 THB vs. 50) recommended in the guides we were of the view that the $1.50 extra meant more to her than it would to us and we didn't mind spreading some of the wealth from the U.S. to Thailand. Plus, it resulted in us having the Songthaew to ourselves rather than more pick-ups along the way.

The wat at Doi Suthep, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, was probably one of my favorite temples throughout the trip to Thailand. Situated at the top of the mountain (1000 m) it was surprisingly busy but also serene at the same time. As is the case with most temples, this one was comprised of many different buildings and nearly-uncountable images of the Buddha. It also housed a chedi near the center of the temple.

One of the more magnificent aspects of the temple here is the 300 steps leading from the lower terrace to the upper terrace. Here, a dragon-like creature on ether side of the steps is made of painted tiles and stretches the entire length of the path.

We spent the vast majority of the day within the temple and enjoyed watching the local worshipers coming and tending to their business. We also had iced coffee in the morning at a small cafe set adjacent to the temple and where we were nearly attacked by giant Thai bees.

Much of the time we spent at the Wat was comprised of people watching with a special focus on viewing the happenings of the locals coming to worship at the various shrines within the temple complex. While Farang were numerous and quite visible, especially as several tour groups came and went, the vast majority of individuals at the temple were community members there to engage in their Buddhist reflections.

We visited each of the many shrines where we were lucky to witness Buddhist monks giving blessings to individuals, were able to view numerous artistic interpretations of the Buddha, and watched, in general, the comings and goings of the busy temple.

Before heading off from the temple I purchased a set of incense, candles, and lotus blossoms to leave at the base of the chedi. I watched a bit as the many local community members approached the chedi or one of the local Buddha shrines, proceeded to lite their candles and incense, and then place the lotus blossoms on small pedestals located in front of each of the shrines. With a lull in the crowd I opted to place my remembrances in front of the chedi with which action I figured I would draw odd looks for doing something incorrectly. However, I don't honestly think anyone gave much notice.

A late lunch was enjoyed on the lower terrace along with several beers and then a trip through the market that spreads out at the base of the lower terrace. Here we finally found the big Buddha we wanted to buy. Carved of bronze and standing a good 1.5 ft we ended up paying just shy of 3000 Bhat (about $130). The thing weighs a TON and without the aid of the beer I probably would have had second thoughts about the purchase. (Although, now that it's home, I can't even think of NOT having made the purchase.) Given that it's hand carved from bronze and etched with a Thai inscription and the artists name it was certainly well worth the price. I'm sure a similar item here in the US would run much more.

I also purchased a small bronze bell, about one and a half inches in diameter, the likes of which are quite common throughout the temples of Thailand. Generally the bells are hung around the exterior eves of the temples and also around the eves facing inner courtyards. Here at Doi Septh I noticed that many of these bells had plastic, spade-shaped cutouts hanging from the chime of the bell. The plastic itself was a metallic gold color and across the plastic, of course in Thai, was writing. I'd have to guess that the meaning was some sort of memory or blessing. (My bell is now hanging by the kitchen window from gold and orange ribbons, the colors of the Buddhist Monks robes.)

As we left the lower terrace to find a songthaew we were accosted by numerous merchants selling their wares. I ended up purchasing a small pouch-type bag that I figured would be excellent for my passport (I used it the entire time I was in Peru in December last year) and two small paintings.

We flagged down a songthaew and jumped in back agreeing on 200 Bhat for the trip back into town. Soon another Farang joined us but was then asked to leave after another driver approached our female driver and some, small commotion ensured. From what we could gather, the other traveler only wanted to pay 50 THB and thought we were "crazy" for paying 100 THB ($3) each for the trip back into town. After she departed we were treated to a private ride back into town.