On my previous posts , I have written about my 5 – month journey in Myanmar. I completed a trip around this country with a lot of memories and experiences. Due to my little desire about having more adventures before coming back Ho Chi Minh city, I pressed the button to have another trip on the way back home, and finally Thai Land was my choice, and Chiang Mai would be the priority place that I had to visit first.
After 15 minutes of making line and waiting for their procedure completely, we crossed the Mae sot- Myawaddy by crossing the bridge and went ahead to the bus station (My friend joined with me in this trip). At the time we got off the bus in Thailand, the riots in Bangkok has reached flashpoint. There were some check-points on the way to go to Chiang Mai, the army started checking us to search for the suspected terrorists. Well, this was my first time has been through this kind of thing. Instead of worrying, I felt so much excited about it.
We finally arrived Chiang Mai in the early afternoon. By waving a tuk tuk, we got to Thabarwa's branch in Chiang Mai fast and took a rest immediately.
Chiang Mai is a famous destination with the cool weather, friendly people and a lot of significant pagodas that visitors should visit at least one time in life.
Chiang Mai sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai Province and the second largest city in Thailand. It is 700 km (435 mi) north of Bangkok in a mountainous region. [Source]
So my schedule for the next day that time was certainly about visiting Tha Phae Gate and some ancient pagodas.
Tha Phae Gate is one of the most famous landmarks in Chiang Mai. Located on the eastern side of the wall, it is one of the gates to enter the Old City. The other gates are Chang Phuak Gate, Chiang Mai Gate, Suan Dok Gate, and Saen Pung Gate. [Source]
The scence of the pigeons perching on the ground, waiting for the food from the tourists reminds me the image of a square in Europe. This moment was so peaceful and lovely. There were not only mature people, but also kids were probably like to feed and touch pigeons as well.
There has been a coincidence between my clothes and the color of the wall. To save this unforgettable memory, I asked my friend taking a picture of me with his bike by standing beside the wall.
We stayed in the Phae Gate for 20 minutes untill we decided to choose another place to visit. Nothing better than opening the map and looking for the reference points. We saw a large area of pagodas which are very famous on the Internet. Therefore, we drived to the old town, went ahead to the area of famous pagodas.
P/s: Saddly, I just could remember 2 names out of those pagodas. That is why I will only write and show the pictures of 2 ancient pagodas in below.
Chedi Luang Pagoda
This is one of famous ancient pagodas in Thailand, located in the Old City. This pagoda was destroy in an earthquake, so now there is a remain of a 600 year- old pagoda. [Source]
This 14th century Temple, where the City Pillar Shrine is located, is famous for its enormous chedi, which is measured at 282 feet high and 144 feet wide (at the base). [Source]
Wat Pan Tao Pagoda
This is an amazing wooden pagoda, as you can see, all the materials to build the pagoda came from wood. Although the pagoda is not as superb as other, it gave me a gentle vibe with the cold colors.
At night, instead of going to the Chiang Mai night Bazaar market (Cause I am not a fan of crowd with a lot of sounds), we walked along the main path, paced up and down to look for a small restaurant to have dinner. Between a lot of choices, we randomly picked up a convenience store where they buy both food and drink. We took away and sit at the stair of a building next to the store.
With an atmosphere of excitement, we were eating while we were talking about tomorrow’s plan. Chiang Mai city is lively at night with the bustling street, crowded people, and a various of food, It deserves to be called a heaven of relaxing.
Finishing our dinner, we also got an inclusion for tomorrow trip. We will go to the highest mountain in Thailand, and it located in Chiang Mai Cit. Chom Thong district, This place is called : Doi Inthanon mountain
And of course, Doi Inthanon mountain will be told in the next article. Thank you for your time to watch and read all my trip. See you soon!