Chiang Mai: Temples, Funky Dogs and Mojitos

The border crossing into Thailand was a bit of an endurance test – we were recovering from some nasty food poisoning while on an overnight bus to the border, and then once we reached it we had to do all the paperwork before a daybreak border crossing by boat (which would usually have been lovely, but mostly felt sickening). After a quick break to refuel (which for us meant tentatively sipping water and nibbling at some safe-looking Oreo cookies) we jumped aboard another bus, this time bound for Chiang Mai. It was very unfortunate timing for one of our longest journeys by road, but at least it wasn't a wasted day in that sense, as we wouldn't have been up to much else! 

One of the main attractions of the area around Chiang Mai is the elephant trekking and the Thai Elephant Conservation Center in nearby Lampang. Unfortunately, entering Thailand overland only gave us 15 days in the country compared to the month you get if you fly in (we'd booked our flight out of Thailand to maximise this time) and our next stop was New Zealand, so our time was limited. Plus, as we were feeling distinctly under the weather, elephant trekking wasn't on the agenda, much as we would have loved to looked into it more. So we'll just have to come back to Thailand one day!

We arrived in Chiang Mai early afternoon, and made a beeline straight for the hostel we'd booked up, planning to rest/recover until the evening. We checked in at Mojito House, a very cool, chilled and friendly hostel (and though we couldn't face the thought of a Mojito yet, we would end up having one before we left!). ;) One lovely surprise was that we bumped into Martijn and Pien (who we met crossing from Cambodia to Laos weeks before, and hung out with during the power outage on Don Khong), but disappointingly we were just too unwell to meet up with them before they left Chiang Mai, and we didn't manage to see them again. Grrr, vegetarian food buffet...

Mojito House, Soi 6

After a decent snooze and a gentle wander through the local streets as the sun set, we decided to try and find something to eat (having only shared a pack of Oreos in the last 24 hours). We were thinking that a McDonald's or similar might be the safest bet, but we instead found ourselves perusing the menu at Miguel's Mexican, and decided to give that a go instead. Inevitably we over-ordered, as our apparent hunger did not match our actual hunger, but the food was great (if a little greasier than we'd anticipated) and we went to bed that night having nudged through the recovery pain barrier.

We woke up feeling a little feeble, but more tired than anything else, and endeavoured to make the most of the first of our two full days in Chiang Mai. First stop was the Funky Dog Café, which was a quirky little eatery that of course had the owner's funky dog wandering around... The food was amazing, and we enjoyed a decent cup of tea and some great home-made muesli. The owner was incredibly friendly, chatting away to us about his dog and his life in Chiang Mai, and he was clearly popular with lots of travellers as he seemed to know everyone that walked in! Lots of repeat business was a good sign for us, so we knew we'd be back! 

Chiang Mai is full of temples, small and large, with beautiful ornate decoration that dazzled in the hot sunlight. We toured the central loop of temples, starting with Wat Chiang Man, which was conveniently close to where we were staying. Apparently this is the oldest temple within the city walls, erected in 1296.

Wat Chiang Man

We then walked out to Wat Phra Singh, an elaborate compound with a reclining Buddha (reminiscent of the far larger reclining Buddha in Bangkok), and a number of embalmed monks.

Wat Phra Singh

Reclining Buddha at Wat Phra Singh

It was an utterly gorgeous day, if a little overwhelming in the heat, so we took a bit of a break from the temples and strolled along the moat, trying to get a sense of the city behind the temple-laden centre. Perhaps it's not a huge surprise, but it was a city like any other as you hit the outer layer, as the moat gave way to busy main roads surrounded by large electronics stores selling TVs and stereos. I had to encourage Bradley away when he started trying to figure out how the price of a TV in Thailand compared to a TV in the UK...

The last two temples we were planning to explore were Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phan Tao, located close together back within the city. Wat Chedi Luang was a large complex of contrasting beauty, with ornate temple buildings resting alongside the partially-collapsed chedi. The golden temples glowed in the dying daylight, which illuminated the most impressive spectacle – the elephant-lined bases of the chedi. Elephants, symbolically on guard to protect the monks and provide a sanctuary during war time, seemed to erupt from the walls, creating an arresting sight for tired eyes!

Wat Chedi Luang

Wat Phan Tao was less grand and awe-inspiring, but no less attractive. The temple building is made of teak, making for quite a different sight compared to the stone and gold we'd found throughout the day. There was still a bit of gold though, in the form of yellow Buddhist flags lining the temple sides – and we discovered this cute pup in the photo below, keeping out of the sun!

Wat Phan Tao

Wat Phan Tao

Having had a much more active and productive day, we were starting to feel hungry so we did a bit of shopping for some essential toiletries and headed back to the hostel, with the intention of going back to the Funky Dog! However, the funky dog must have needed an early night, as they seemed to be closed early, so we compromised at the La Mer café instead, trying a ham and cheese toastie that neither rocked our world in a good or a bad way. We still weren't feeling that adventurous with food, and the idea of street food still made us want to vomit.

I'm not sure that two nights of cheesy food were ideal, as we woke up late the next morning, still sleeping off the sickness I guess. Feeling that adventure was a bit beyond our reach after pushing on through the heat the previous day, we set out to walk towards the river (Mae Nam Ping) away from the moated centre of town to check out the local markets, where we bought some clothes. We wandered back toward the hostel and, as the more relaxed day (and plenty of shade!) was helping us to feel a little better, went to a café for a few drinks (tea and coffee for me, though Bradley tried the wine!). This brush with normality, plus the knowledge that we were back on a bus the next day, led us back to our hostel on Soi 6, and as the Funky Dog was still open and we knew we'd get dinner in before they closed, I treated myself to a pedicure to make up for the pampering I missed out on in Luang Prabang. Yes! The Funky Dog entirely made up for the previous day's early closure by offering up a yummy tomato and cashew nut curry... and we even experimented with a mind-blowing Mojito before an early night!

Caught unawares post-curry at the Funky Dog... Funky Dog out of view.

Next stop, Sukhothai – and a much more pleasant bus journey!

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