February 19
We tried to get out
early on Friday. We made it by 10:30, maybe, or quarter to 11.
We cut through the
yard of Wat Pan On, the neighborhood church. The yard was full of cars and it
was already so hot that the roosters weren’t out. We couldn’t guess why there
were so many cars. I don’t think the monks drive, nor do I think that many
civilians work there. Maybe they
let people park there who work in the neighborhood.
Like asses in the
desert, we took it slow and easy because we’re not camels. We also took our
shoes off to visit Wat Umongmahatherachang, or as I prefer to call it, the
temple across from the Safe House. Near the altar hangs a framed photo of the
current king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, when he served as a monk.
The walls are covered
in colorful murals that probably depict episodes from the life of Siddhartha
Gautama before and after he became the Buddha. But I really don’t know.
If I remember right,
this is also the place where all the Buddhas are smiling.
We took a different
direction when we came out and found ourselves negotiating narrow alleys with
high walls. I’m guessing that the privacy walls enclose private homes.
When we came out, we
were on Prapokklao, so we headed in the direction of the Three Kings Monument.
We hadn’t walked far, but were feeling the heat. At the corner just before we
came to the monument plaza, we found an oasis, an air-conditioned shop selling
lots of stuff made with fruit.
Joanna had a sweet
soup made with mango, pomelo, and tapioca. The pomelo takes some getting used
to. Or maybe the Buddhists never get used to it, but eat it for merit.
In the soup it looked
like shredded grapefruit, only the flavor was more bitter and sour, with a
spoiled edge. I think it’s supposed to taste that way. The mango and tapioca,
on the other hand, made an excellent combination.
I had a Thai iced
tea. I didn’t see this anywhere when I was in Thailand the last time. It is,
however, a staple of Thai restaurants in the States.
The idea may be like
chop suey, an Asian style concoction invented in North America. If so, the Thai
have brought it home to serve to tourists.
According to some
Internet postings, it is indeed a Thai drink. And if it’s on the Internet, I
think it has to be true.
The drink I know has
a strange-tasting tea that I had guessed was lapsang souchang. Do you recall a
taste in your mouth after you smell tar on the road? Lapsang souchang tastes
like that.
According to a stub
in Wikipedia, “Lapsang is distinct from all other
types of tea because lapsang leaves are traditionally smoke-dried over pinewood
fires, taking on a distinctive smoky flavour.”
For the iced tea,
they add milk and maybe mango.
Years ago, I told my
sister Jamy that I had gone to a Thai restaurant. Her immediate response: Did
you try the iced tea?
It’s that good.
The shop in Chiang
Mai doesn’t use the tarry tea, and so the taste doesn’t have the same kick.
We’re pacing
ourselves now, because we have more than two weeks coming up in Cambodia, where
it may be hotter than here. Or maybe even hotter than hell.
Joanna knows her way
around the neighborhood now and led me back through alleys and temple yards to
the hotel.
As usual, I went out
to 7-Eleven, but the usual place is moving to a new site two doors up the
street and wasn’t completely set up.
I had to find
another, which is not a difficult job around here.
I walked down Moon
Muang by the moat, past the stretch tuk-tuk parked in front of Hotel M and past
the Tha Phae Gate. Less than half a mile, I guess, and there was a 7-Eleven.
On the way, I found
something else. The chalkboard for a tour office. I don’t know if the message
means they have no guides who speak Mandarin, or if it indicates a strong preference
about clientele.
Joanna loves
vegetable dishes, so we went back to Cooking Love, where they have more than a
dozen selections. Joanna had morning glories and a plate of mixed vegetables,
including some of the most savory broccoli that I’ve ever tasted. I had banana
curry with pork. It isn’t very different from khao soi, which also uses curried
coconut milk. The sweet banana pieces in it were fun.
We wound up at the
U.N., where we talked to the colorful character who runs quiz night. I think he
is one of the managers. He has one leg and a steely pony tail. He wears Bermuda
shorts that let his prosthetic leg show.
Monday will be a dry
day in Thailand, the Buddhist festival of Makha Bucha. Since the Buddhists
aren’t supposed to drink, no one else is allowed to either. The U.N. will be
closed.
The man said there
are other dry days, when the place stays open to serve food and soft drinks.
But the owners close on Makha Bucha to give everyone a day off after the hectic
high season.
We stopped at the new
7-Eleven to pick up a snack and went back to the hotel.
We didn’t get out
until after noon on Saturday. We walked to the King Mengrai Monument, on Rachadamnone
Road. We had passed it before, but hadn’t taken a close look. In fact, didn’t
know what it was till today. The signs are in Thai, Chinese, and English.
Mengrai is the first
king of the Lanna Kingdom, who founded Chiang Mai, both city and province.
Bas-reliefs on the walls depict him, his family, and scenes from his life. They
include the agreement with two neighboring kings at the founding of the city.
That alliance is also the subject of the nearby Three Kings Monument.
A panel represented
the armed expansion of the kingdom. Mengrai isn’t the only pious Buddhist who
attacked his neighbors and burned their cities. Asoka did the same thing in
India, for instance.
Yet another panel
represented his reign and his death. About 20 years after he founded Chiang
Mai, he was struck and killed by lightning in the middle of the city. The bas relief
shows a jagged bolt striking him in the chest and flames all around his body.
It also shows several sad retainers.
A lady on the
sidewalk called to us and offered to sell us cheap plastic flowers to put on
the king’s altar. She wanted 500 baht for plastic flowers. No way. She asked
for 20, and when I paid her held out her hand for more.
I took the 20 back
and left her by the hedge.
Joanna wanted chicken
rice for lunch. The first place we stopped didn’t look very clean. So we went
down to block to the shop where I had khao soi the other day.
I had the khao soi
again and Joanna had steamed chicken with rice and sauce. That was around 2:00.
We took it easy after
that, hiding out in the hotel till 6:30. We went Girasole for pizza and then
took a stroll in the cool of the evening. Some of the wats were lit up, giving
them, appropriately enough, an otherworldly look. The traffic had thinned out
quite a bit, and I was just struck with the feeling of walking through this
fascinating town.
Joanna and I are
already talking about coming back, maybe as a side trip the next time we go to
Hong Kong. We’ll see.
We are headed for
Phnom Penh in a few days. I have no idea of what to expect there. But of
course, I’ll keep everybody posted as well as I can.
That’s it for now.
Best wishes to all.
Harry
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