Chiang
Mai Scenes Part II
2
Actually just
across the street from the vendor in the final picture, this
is a typical not-too-fancy neighborhood wat (Buddhist
temple). The fancy ones are really fancy.
For a nation
of skinny people, Thais seem like they're always eating. In addition
to the small food stalls that pop up everywhere, there are also
many huge ones, like this. Look at the number of (white) chairs
to get a feeling for how big it is.
Many (most?)
temples are restored, but several pieces of particularly ancient
ones are preserved in their un-maintained state. This one is
in the Khmer style —- characteristic of temples in Cambodia.
The Doctor
is in — but the shoes stay out. Many shops and offices are shoe-free.
You take 'em off before you go in. The AUA Library (associated
with the place I'm studying) is no-shoes. Everybody's barefoot
in the library! Same for my classroom. You get used to it.
Ok, you can
say "ewww!" on this one. Open sewer. This is
the rule, not the exception. What makes this a little usual —
is that the railing is missing two of three horizontal pieces,
in the section farthest away. You do NOT want to fall into one
of these.
This is the
shopping center I frequent, gaat suan kaew ("market
garden glass", I believe) It's about 800m from my condo. It's
new, massive, and in addition to a Yuppie department store, it
has a grocery store with a cafe (i.e. hot food) in it. Less than
a buck for a good dinner.
These silly
looking things are "police boxes" for the Tourist police
(who wear like hats). There's also an animated mannequin of one,
constantly saluting, on one street corner near the Tourism Office.
Chiang Mai is
the oldest continuously occupied city in Thailand: these walls
are over 700 years old. The "inner city" has a moat around
it (this wall's just inside the moat) and there are about 6 "gates".
One way of navigating for the buses is to name the closest gate
— and walk from there. I learned one of the most useful "navigation
words" — sii yekk. It literally means "4 directions",
signifying an intersection. So I ask for "Huay Kaew sii yekk
Rincome" so the driver knows what to charge me. They've been
dredging the moat in preparation for songkran. More about
this another time perhaps.
Typical street
vendor (she's selling steamed corn; Thais are crazy about corn).
She's on a lunch break. She's not eating corn, tho'.