Woolly says – Having had a full day of rest, (well except for the four hours spent sorting trains and buses out for our next part of the trip) I felt ready to find out more about Chiang Mai. Having studied the map the women had decided that it would be pleasant to have a stroll along the river and see what we could find, somehow, I didn’t think it was going to be quite what they envisaged! From my point of view, it meant that I could shout out PING as many times as I liked! The Ping River was once used for goods and wears to arrive in the city and was a thriving river, now it was used for the odd tourist boat to meander along.
A few minutes’ walk from our lodgings and we found ourselves looking into the murky waters, although a few trees lined the shore it didn’t look as though it would provide the tranquillity we had been hoping for, we followed the mammoth over the bridge with our fingers crossed that we might find a pathway.
Woolly says – The only path was the main road which led us past cafes, bars and shops, including another elephant shop which the females dashed straight into and started cooing again! They have a mammoth and never coo over me, why on earth do they need an elephant! Having prised them away from a particularly large colourful beast and reassured them that they can purchase them online, I led the way around the parked vehicles and into a Wat, your never far away from a Wat here.
Wat Ket Karam was built in 1428 during the Phra Jao Sam Fang Kaen era and was the centre of the Chinese community that traded on the river. It was a little gem, the buildings were beautifully and intricately decorated and looked brand new and instead of the usual golden stupa it had a mainly white one with a tiled topping, it also had an awful lot of dogs both in statues and real terms. The sloped roofs were delightful and we stood for quite a while admiring the whole area before realising that there was a museum. It took longer for the women to take off their boots than to go around, it looked like a neglected home with dusty cabinets and chairs with an incredibly strong smell of creosote, we didn’t stay long.
We continued along the main road catching glimpse of the Ping through gaps in the buildings.
Woolly says – PING! I shouted every time I saw it ignoring Jo’s glares, as we crossed back towards the main city I managed a further twenty PINGS before she told me to stop or be thrown in! Having passed a small park which seemed to have another herd of elephants in residence we found ourselves at ….. another Wat. Although being repainted and gilded it was still lovely and as Jo took a number of pictures I sat watching a whole display of ceramic bells moving gently in the slight breeze waiting for them to ping together. Having searched for a name and found that it wasn’t on show, we named it ourlseves, so its now been rechristened ‘the Wat No Name’.
Having paused for a drink and issued a ‘no ping’ warning to the annoying one in the group, we consulted the map and realised that we weren’t far from one of the markets that Zoe had wanted to look at.
Woolly says – Warorot Market, (try saying that quickly!) Is a known tourist attraction in the city and as we entered I was pleased to see it held more than material and clothing, in fact the ground floor was fascinating to wander around with a huge array of different foods on sale and store holders making the smallest pancakes I have ever seen. The smell of roasting sausage and chicken filled the air whilst colourful garlands for sale drew my eye. The first floor turned into the clothes section and while the ladies went to look round I found a perch and sat happily watching what people were buying. Having exhausted every stall, we set off to find the old city gates for our last two ports of call. It was hot, and my paws were aching but on I went, behind me I could hear the women wimping about there feet and the sweaty conditions, I mammothed on. It took ten minutes and given the fuss they were making you would think I had asked them to walk on hot coals for several hours, tired of there droning voices I stopped and allowed them a quick rest break.
If he’d walked himself he might be moaning as well!
Woolly says – We arrived at the centre of the old town and as we crossed the busy main road I eagerly looked out for the memorial that we had come to see. Marking the centre point of the old administrative quarter of Chiang Mai, the bronze Three Kings Monument commemorates the alliance forged between the kings of Phayao, Chiang Mai and Sukhothai in the founding of the city. Somehow I had expected it be larger and glitzier when in fact it was quietly understated and probably not worthy of the walk to it. It was also in the blazing sun, as I looked at the two drooping women I decided that it was time for my treat of the day and encouraged them along the main road towards a bar, not just any bar but one called ‘Zoe in Yellow’, now we might not have any yellow with us but we do have a Zoe and I had thought it would delight her…. It did until we realised it was closed!
His face was one of sadness that his surprize hadn’t quite been fulfilled, even though Zoe was very excited to see a place named after her, but lunch there wasn’t going to happen. Having given him a pat and allowed him to shout ping a few times we found a table nearby and flopped down letting him sit closet to the fan in an attempt to cheer him up.