Thailand Day 26: Last day / Bangkok

I started my morning off with a solo-run at Benchakitti Park followed by a self-haircut in my hotel bathroom with my first aid kit sheers. Mom (who is a retired hairdresser), I look forward to you fixing my train-wreck-of-a-hair-cut when you visit this summer :)

After breakfast, the 16 of us (15 students and me) heading back to the U.S.A. tomorrow (June 5) were taken by Noi and the drivers to a hospital about 30 minutes out of Bangkok for our official CDC-required Covid test and documentation. Nothing says “grand finale of a month-long study abroad trip” like a group field trip to a hospital for a pre-departure Covid test :\

Noi and the hospital staff made the process of registration, payment, and testing as smooth as possible with such a large group. Thanks, Noi! Now, we eagerly wait our results--think negative thoughts on our behalf.

When we returned to the hotel, a small group of students and faculty boarded the Bangkok sky train to visit the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (link), which ended up being another top 5 trip highlight for me. The BACC is a contemporary art museum (and free admission!). 

Bangkok Art and Culture Center (BACC)

View from the top floor of the Centre

In addition to other, smaller installations, the main exhibitions currently on display were (Information from BACC website):

• CROSSOVER II: The Nature of Relationships: This exhibition discusses a triangle of relationships between Art – Artist – Environment through the research of Thai modern art in a transitional period - from 1945, at the end of World War II, to 2000, the year of the Tom Yum Kung financial crisis (before Thailand entered the state of the contemporary phenomena)...[the exhibition] is curated and present[s] artworks in the art collection of organizations and private collections that connects with an environmental issue, urban, challenging situations, impression in various angles during different periods of Thai history. With more than 70 works, the exhibition is categorized these visual phenomena into six distinct groups: Scenery, Site of Beliefs, A Part of Mind, Surrealism, The Nature in Abstraction, and Social Criticism.

(I really blew it and forgot to take a picture of the caption to give credit to the artist--I'm sorry!)

(I really blew it and forgot to take a picture of the caption to give credit to the artist--I'm sorry!)

• TAWEE RATCHANEEKORN, 1960 – 2022 : A Retrospective Exhibition: Featuring over 60 paintings, sculptures, and mixed media works, the retrospective exhibition showcases the life’s work of Tawee Ratchaneekorn, Thailand’s 2005 National Artist in Visual Arts (painting). At the age of 88, Tawee continues to capture contemporary social issues and synthesize them into compelling oeuvres, each an autobiography and a record of Thai historical events. As a “social animal:, Tawee Ratchaneekorn does not only observe his surroundings but also soaks up everything that happened in his life, shaping him into the person he is today. Instead of enjoying a peaceful retired life, he continues to wield his paint brush with his signature bold and steady strokes, creating soulful pieces of art. Tawee Ratchaneekorn’s works, always a commentary on Thailand’s major historical events, mirror his unwavering principles and uncompromising courage to express them. His aim was not to produce art that changes the world nor to display his greatness. Rather, his oeuvres emanate a passionate sincerity that is unmistakably Tawee Ratchaneekorn’s.

Forgot to take picture of title of work--sorry!

Forgot to take picture of title of work--sorry!

Forgot to take picture of title of work--sorry!

• The 11th White Elephant Art Award Exhibition “Endless Giving”: The 11th White Elephant Art Award Exhibition themed “Endless Giving” will bring together realistic and figurative art pieces to celebrate Thailand’s tranquillity and natural wealth, as well as the good spirit, kindness, and generosity of Thai people. Throughout the history of Thailand, the country’s independence has been safely guarded for future generations by a long line of Thai ancestors. Guided by positivity, Thai people lead a simple, peaceful, and friendly life, as reflected in the radiant sincere smiles on their faces. The exhibition comprises paintings, sculptures, prints, and mixed media of all techniques and materials to showcases these unique characteristics of Thailand.

Forgot to take picture of title/artist of work--sorry!

Forgot to take picture of title/artist of work--sorry!

Forgot to take picture of title/artist of work--sorry!

I thought the Endless Giving pieces were stunning, but I think I learned the most from the Tawee Ratchaneekorn exhibit. The artist addressed issues of power/hierarchy, land use/deforestation, patriarchy, capitalism, etc., from a Thai perspective through abstract art. 

Given that the museum was 1) free 2) easy to access via public transportation (which is also an important skill to master when traveling abroad!) 3) large enough to accommodate large groups of people 4) can be completed at a leisurely self-pace 5) contains super valuable cultural and historical context for Thailand and its people, the faculty were all in agreement that this site should probably be added to the trip itinerary as a permanent fixture. I regret that I didn't budget more time for this museum, as a person could easily spend most of a day here. The folks in the museum group kind of splintered off to to their own things on their schedule. Some students stayed at the museum longer, Kathryn and Han took another group to the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (I'm hoping that Kathryn will do a guest post on this blog re: Wat Phra Kaew), and I set out to find an off-the-beaten-path restaurant for my last lunch.

And before y'all start thinking that I'm a "do my own thing-er," and don't invite others to join me on my food excursions, I *did* put the offer out to others and didn't have any takers!

This trip has definitely reiterated that my favorite aspect of travel is trying new foods. Some folks like museums, others prefer service, nightlife, recreation, etc., but after today, I am 100% certain I am on Travel Team: Food. I did some really quick research to see what the best places to eat in Bangkok were. My preferred establishments are kind of hole-in-the-wall places with minimal bells and whistles, not a lot of tourists (recognizing the hypocrisy in that statement...), and some good down-home cookin'. I was a little nervous that the place I selected, Pe Aor Tom Yum Kung Noodle, would be touristy and gimmicky since I found it on a food blog, but credit to Will Fly For Food (link) because this place had great food, didn't seem to cater to tourists, and had a very relaxed, no-frills atmosphere. Per the blogger's recommendation, I ordered tom yum goong (check the food blog above for a description), one of Thailand's national dishes. It came with enormous prawns that I wasn't sure how to eat (do I peel them by hand? Do I suck the gunk out of the heads?) so I just sort of went for it and it was delicious. The path to and from the restaurant took me through some really interesting local neighborhoods. It was fun to get out for an hour and explore by myself.

On my way to lunch

Tom yum kung noodles at Pe Aor

Look at the size of those prawns!

Pe Aor--what a fun lunch experience!

Tonight, the group has been invited to Noi's house for a farewell dinner. It's our last night together as a group. Tomorrow (at 4:30AM...), I will travel back with 15 of our students. Wish me luck!

(This might be my last blog post until the next international trip! I have some aspirations do to a "Thailand by the Numbers/Favorites" post, but we'll see how motivated I am after today--we do have an 8 hour layover in LAX, so maybe I'll get it done. If not, cheers until the next time!)

Thailand Days 22 - 25: Koh Samet

[Written on 6/3 1PM]

I didn’t bring my laptop to the beach, but we have another 2 hours of van time before we arrive in Bangkok, so I’m gonna see how far I can get with typing up a summary of the last 3 days on my phone…

Thailand Days 22-24: Koh Samet / Sai Kaew Resort

There isn’t a whole lot to dig into over the past three days as this portion of the trip was intended to be somewhat celebratory/relaxing as we are in the 4th and final week of the trip. After a 3ish drive from Bangkok, we arrived at the Ao Prao Pier (Ban Phe) to take a shuttle speed boat to Koh Samet, a small island that is the closest (I think) vacation destination island to the mainland. 

Traveling by boat to Koh Samet

Koh Samet

Dinner with Noi and her family on Night 2

From Wikipedia:

“Ko Samet is one of the eastern seaboard islands of Thailand. It is in the Gulf of Thailand off the coastline of the Thai province of Rayong, approximately 220 kilometres southeast of Bangkok…Popular with foreign tourists and as a weekend getaway for residents of nearby Bangkok, most of the island (excluding the Na Dan area) is in the Khao Laem Ya–Mu Ko Samet National Park. In 1981, the Royal Forest Department declared the archipelago of Samet, along with nine other small islands, the headland of Khao Laem Ya, and the 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) Mae Ramphueng Beach to be a national park, and thus Ko Samet is under the protection of the National Parks Division of the Thai government.”

This is especially worth noting as we all had to purchase national park passes to 1) actually get on the island and 2) island-hop on our snorkeling day (more on that in a second). After arriving on the island, we took Songthaews to Kai Saew resort, situated on two adjoining beachfronts on the northeast coast of Koh Samet. The resort was lovely, the amenities were nice, and the staff was welcoming. 

The first night on the island, we are as 1 large group at Ploy Talay, a restaurant that is quite popular with tourists because it features a nightly show of fire dancers. My brother, Mick, actually spins fire, so it was cool to have a little context for how folks train to spin fire. These folks were very talented (and very fit). 

Fire spinning show

Fire spinning at Ploy Talay

From this point on, it was kind of a “choose your own adventure” couple of days. Most of the resorts offered watercraft rentals, so I took out a stand-up paddle board one day and a sea kayak the following day, while other students got mani/pedis or Thai massages on the beach, explored the town of Koh Samet, relaxed and read books by the pool, and/or booked a fishing excursion. 

The last full day on the island, 20 of us chartered a boat for a day of snorkeling and island hopping. Thanks to Noi for getting us such a great deal! Snorkeling conditions weren’t great because we are in the rainy season (lowered visibility) but we still saw plenty of beautiful and interesting aquatic life, and one of the boat guides got in the water with us to point out a bunch of things we would have likely missed without the expertise of a local. 

One of the beaches from which we snorkeled

Taking a break from snorkeling

I will have to ask Noi the name of the charter company we used for future bookings—the company’s name escapes for now. I am also blanking on the three islands we stopped at as part of the tour—I would assume that they are all part of the Khao Laem Ya–Mu Ko Samet national park island chain, but none of the island names are ringing any bells.

On the whole, it seemed like students enjoyed themselves on the island and expressed appreciation for having a few beach days to unwind before the end of the trip. 

We are now on the way back to Bangkok. We will probably arrive tonight around 5pm, so folks will have a little time to explore the city. Note to self for future trips: I ordered NamTok with rice noodles at our lunch stop and it was another top 5 meal, so I’m documenting for future reference…

Nam Tok for lunch

Tomorrow is our last full/free day, and the 16 of us returning home on the 5th (12 students and 2 faculty are staying longer for individual travel) have to get Covid tested at an official testing site per U.S. CDC requirements. After we finish testing, I will offer students the option of visiting the Grand Palace complex before we go to Noi’s house for a farewell dinner. 

Update 10PM

We arrived to the hotel around 5pm. A small group of us boarded the metro to head back into Chinatown for dinner. Chinatown was packed! We split the group in two. Han took some students back to T&K Seafood, while Kathryn’s and my group opted for Nai Ek Roll Noodle, a street-side cafe. We were packed in like sardines and sort of panicked ordered a bunch of food (family-style) really quickly, and we had a ton of fun! My only regret is that I didn’t take a picture of the menu to remember what we ordered…

Dinner at Nai Ek Roll Noodle

Getting down to the final day!!

Thailand Day 22: Travel day to Bangkok / Wat Phrabat Nam Phu AIDS Hospice

This will be my last post for a few days as I will be leaving my laptop in Bangkok while we are on the island of Koh Samet. My hope is that stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking will occupy what would normally be blogging time :)

In terms of cumulative hours in a car, I think today was the longest travel day of the trip. We left Kamphaeng Phet around 8:30 this morning, drove about 3 hours to Lopburi, had lunch (we joined Noi at MK Hotpot and trusted her to order on behalf of the entire table--she didn't disappoint!), and drove another 20 minutes to Wat Phrabat Nam Phi AIDS Hospice. 

Noi ordered us quite the hotpot spread

At the beginning of the trip, it wasn't clear whether we'd be able to visit the hospice due to COVID. The folks living (voluntarily) at the hospice (all HIV/AIDS positive) are immunocompromised, so visitors during COVID obviously pose a huge threat. In previous years, students had the opportunity to visit and converse with folks living at the Wat, but that was not an option this year. Instead, we toured the grounds and visited some of the exhibits, including a display of actual bodies of patients afflicted with AIDS that had died at the Wat and volunteered their bodies to be displayed for AIDS education and awareness. Also on display were bags of patients who had been cremated (as is the custom in Buddhism) whose ashes had not been claimed by family members. It was shocking and jarring and had a tremendous impact on the group. I don't want to characterize this experience as negative or voyeuristic. It didn't feel that way. It just felt significant. In the U.S., we have a different definition of patient dignity in terms of what we share and offer to the rest of the world related to the realities of death. All of the things we saw today were offered voluntarily by the patients themselves with the hope that viewers would learn something and contribute support to fighting the AIDS epidemic. It's my belief and hope that our experience at the hospice had that impact on our group today. 

(Note: I took very few pictures at the hospice)

Han providing context for the AIDS hospice

After leaving the hospice, we drove another 2 hours back to Bangkok, where students had free time to eat dinner, shop, etc., A group of students and the faculty hopped aboard Bangkok's amazing subway system to enjoy dinner in the Chinatown district. Han, Kathryn, and I ate at T&K Seafood, this super cool itty-bitty-tiny Chinese seafood restaurant before closing out the night (early) on the rooftop of the Banyang Tree resort. Food update for Nathan: I regret that I got no pictures of our meal at T&K. We had sautéed squid in chili paste, grilled scallops, baked sea-bass, sautéed morning glory, and trust me, it was good.

Views of Bangkok at night

View from the 59th floor

View from the 59th floor

 View from the 59th floor

We're feeling kind of fancy...other than our footwear :(

Waiting on the subway at the end of the evening. I told them to "act natural"

I'm going off grid for a few days--I look forward to updating my readers reader upon our return from Koh Samet!

Thailand Day 21: Travel Day to Kamphaeng Phet / Thai Elephant Conservation Center (Lampang)

It sure does feel good to be writing this post from my bed at 8:47PM. :) :)

Today was another long travel day as we have started our return trek to central Thailand (Bangkok, specifically) from Chiang Mai, located in the northern part of the country. We are breaking the drive up over two days with a few prominent stopping points.

Today, we visited the Thai Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang, about an hour south of Chiang Mai. Boy, elephant tourism generates a lot of discussion and folks have strong opinions on it. 

My personal opinion: I think zoos, aquariums, and similar institutions are complicated. Obviously, mistreatment of animals under any circumstance is bad, and plucking animals out of the wild to live a life in captivity is also bad. That said, zoos, aquariums, etc., may also instill in folks--especially young folks--an ethic of care and conservation where they grow up wanting to protect these animals and their habitats. And they may raise a lot of money for habitat conservation and research. I also think that places where animals are forced to perform with negative reinforcements (e.g. hitting or whipping an animal if they don't comply with the desired trick) are not okay. I guess the point is that from my point of view, there's a spectrum of ethical behaviors and treatment of animals, and all zoos/aquariums/refuges/Sea Worlds, etc. exist somewhere along that spectrum. The goal is to move all of these institutions toward the side of doing what's in the best interest of the animal and shutting down the institutions that don't have the resources or desire to do so.

As I learned today, elephant tourism is another complicated issue. We were encouraged today to approach our experience at the Elephant Conservation Center with an open and curious mind. It's easy for Westerners, such as myself, to finger wag and say that elephants shouldn't be made to serve the interests of tourists, but I would argue that the way we (U.S.A.) treat animals involved in large-scale beef, pork, and poultry production is waaaaay worse--yet I continue to eat beef, pork, and poultry.

In some cases--elephants in Thailand being one of them--deforestation and habitat loss may actually preclude animals from being able to survive in the wild, and sanctuaries, like the one we visited today, might give elephants their best shot at a safe and healthy life. Elephants are expensive to feed and care for. Tourism dollars help fund their care. As mentioned previously, institutions can exist on a spectrum from "really crappy practices" to "consistently demonstrating ethical behaviors," and I think the global goal is helping institutions move further down the spectrum toward the good end.

I am personally grateful for the opportunity to visit the Elephant Conservation Center, and from my perspective, the respect demonstrated by the mahouts (individual trainers assigned to individual elephants) toward the elephants was really profound. From Fodor's Travel article:

On top of the $12,000 [for annual care of a single elephant] is $6,000/year for wages, room, and board for each elephant’s mahout. “Mahout”, a Hindi word meaning “elephant keeper,” is commonly used in Thailand. The proper Thai term is “kwan chang,” meaning, “one who drives or walks with the elephant.” Traditionally, each elephant has a mahout who cares for it and the two are often paired for life. The job was esteemed (though not well-paid) and often passed from father to son in Southeast Asia’s Indigenous communities. A mahout spends most of his waking hours with his elephant, ensuring the animal is safe and content.

I'm not sure how I feel about the performance/demonstration pieces--elephants were and are used for agricultural purposes in Thailand, and it was genuinely fascinating to watch elephants walk across logs and hoist timber with their trunks as they would when working in an agricultural context (think about how we used horses and mules prior to the development of new machinery). It was clear that this particular Conservation Center uses positive reinforcement to encourage desired behaviors (lots of treats and affection shown to the elephants) rather than punishments. Again, a complicated issue.

I think the big takeaways from me were:

• Elephants are awesome.
• I appreciated getting to observe the relationship between mahout and elephant.
• We Western folks should probably check our own receipts re: animal rights and animal cruelty before criticizing other countries and cultures when we don't have the full cultural context and/or try and paint all institutions with the same broad brush.

I would strongly, strongly encourage my readers reader to check out these two articles (shared by Han prior to our visit) for additional context on elephant tourism.

• Cruelty debate over zoo exhibition highlights complexities of elephant tourism in Thailand" (Leukens, 2021, CNN)
• Elephant Tourism Is Way More Complex Than You’d Imagine: The Thailand Example (Read, 2020, Fodor's Travel)

Mahouts and their elephants

Bath time!

Students enjoying elephant time

Dzana and her new elephant friend

Matt and his new elephant friend

This elephant is patiently waiting for elephant treats

Note the ear size--Asian elephants have smaller ears than their African elephant counterparts

Faculty enjoying the scenery at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center

After leaving the Conservation Center, we traveled a few more hours south to Kamphaeng Phet, a province in lower-northern Thailand with a population of about 730,000. One of the best parts about Kamphaeng Phet is that the city is located along the Mae Ping ("mae" is river), and our hotel has a great view of the river.

After we arrived to our hotel, I wanted to take advantage of the afternoon rainstorm and took a walk along the river. We ate dinner as a large group at Mae Ping Riverside Restaurant before calling it an early evening. 

View from my walk along the river this afternoon

I love a good walk in the rain

The group eating dinner at the Riverside restaurant

Tomorrow, we will visit an HIV/AIDS Hospice/wat in the afternoon en route to Bangkok--it's about a 5 hour drive so we'll probably reach our final destination around dinner time.

Thailand Day 20: Free Day in Chiang Mai

We made the decision to cancel our planned trip to Mae Wang National Park because the planned trail (Phachor) was only 1.5 miles and it would have been a 2-hour drive roundtrip. Now that the faculty have a better sense of options and opportunities for outdoor recreation, we'll be able to plan accordingly for future years. That being said, the students seemed *pretty pumped* to have a full free day in Chiang Mai, and it seems like everyone got out and found fun and unique ways to spend their time today.

Some students spent their afternoon at the Grand Canyon Water Park (link), where they played on giant floating trampolines, shot out of a giant slide, etc. Other students walked a few miles to Wat Umong Suan Phutthatham, a 700-year-old Buddhist temple. Some students used today as a "Treat Yo'self" day and got mani/pedis.

After waking up to complete a run on the Chiang Mai University campus (I didn't take any pictures of my running route, but take my word for it, the on-campus reservoir is lovely), I joined up with a group of students and Han to visit the Chiang Mai City Arts and Cultural Center, which ended up being one of the highlights of my trip experience thus far. The Center is a museum that showcases the history and and culture of Chiang Mai. It was a fabulous experience and I learned so much. As our small group of 6 were basically the only people in the Center, one of the English-fluent employees gave us a guided tour of the museum, which dramatically enhanced our appreciation and understanding of the things we were looking at.

Han and the students and I all agreed that the Cultural Center might need to be added as a permanent fixture on this trip, preferably on one of the first days spent in Chiang Mai. The Center (link), housed in a colonial style building, features 14 permanent exhibitions that showcase and educate on a variety of topics ranging from early settlement to modern-day Chiang Mai.

Note: I edited this post on 5/29 because I decided that the verbatim description of the individual exhibitions was incredibly boring to read and didn't do justice to how good the exhibitions were. Instead, I'll give a brief summary:

The Center was laid out in an IKEA-esque format where visitors traveled sequentially from one exhibit to the next. Exhibits were a mixture of multimedia (film / touchscreens), 3D miniature models, actual artifacts (e.g. stone tools), and examples of crafts (textiles, lanterns, jewelry). For me, I especially enjoyed the "Life on the Hill," "Constructing the City," and "Life in the City" exhibitions--getting to learn more about the Karen people and their lifestyles, understanding a traditional historical Thai home, what is being sold in the market, and how Chiang Mai became such an important political and economic center--it was all such useful context for the things we've seen and experienced over the past several weeks. I also think touring the Center was especially helpful in understanding the practice and evolution of Theravada Buddhism and understanding the political savvy and influence of King Rama V.

Watching a video that gave an overview of "Chiang Mai, today."

This model helped us understand where Chiang Mai is situated within the larger topography of Thailand. It also helped illustrate the importance of being located near rivers for agriculture and commerce.

A handmade lantern, one of the signature crafts of Chiang Mai

Dried betel nuts--chewing betel nuts gives the same effect (more or less) as chewing tobacco or using a nicotine pouch. A common occurrence in northern Thailand, you can point out someone who chews betel from the stains on their teeth

A map of the city

Provides an overview of unique regional aspects of Theravada Buddhism and its connection to the 12 month calendar 

Additional context for the importance and craft of textiles and clothing

After touring the Center, we ate lunch at Khao Soi Khun Yai, which is a Khao Soi open-air restaurant that was recommended by many locals, including our driver. We snuck in right before closing time (and before they ran out of food!). Khao Soi is perhaps the most famous of the Northern Thai dishes and is a signature dish of Chiang Mai. From Wikipedia:

The name means 'cut rice', although it is possible that it is simply a corruption of the Burmese word for noodles – "khao swè" – which may account for the variations. Traditionally, the dough for the rice noodles is spread out on a cloth stretched over boiling water. After steaming the large sheet noodle is then rolled and cut with scissors. Lao khao soi is traditionally made with hand sliced rice noodles in clear soup broth and topped with minced pork and tomato sauce. In some markets in Luang Namtha and Muang Sing vendors still hand cut the noodles. These traditionally cut noodles can also be found in several places in northern Thailand.

Khao Soi

Yum.

After lunch, I went back to the hotel with a student so that I could meet Kathryn before our scheduled Thai massages at "The Artist," a local Thai massage parlor near our hotel. This massage was gifted to me by my dear friend, Pete. Thank you Pete! After putting in a tough 8 miles this morning, a deep tissue massage was exactly what I needed, and my masseuse had the strongest thumbs of any person I've ever met in my life. We were laughing along with our masseuses because Kathryn and I were comically stiff, and they kept trying to get us to relax our muscles (to no avail...ha!). The parlor itself was charming and the staff were so kind--they served us tea and cookies afterwards. Treat yo'self.

Let's see...what happened after the massage...we grabbed a cup of fancy coffee at a local roaster (this day sure does sound nice now that I'm writing it all out...) and then went back to the hotel to check in with students before distributing laundry and heading back out for dinner. We ate dinner at a restaurant in the Old City called "Dash." We opted for "family style" and everyone ordered something different, so it was cool to try a bunch of different dishes.

We leave Chiang Mai tomorrow morning. We'll take a few days to make a slow return to Bangkok. On the docket for tomorrow is an elephant sanctuary.

------ from the original post -------

Descriptions from the Cultural Center website:

• Chiang Mai Today: A digital video presentation presenting "Chiang Mai in the Present Day", an overview of the entire exhibition as an introduction to the interesting culture, traditions and the way of life of Chiang Mai.
• Pre-Chaing Mai: The prehistory of Chiang Mai with evidences indicate that people lived in the area of Lanna Kingdom many thousands of years ago. traces of prehistoric civilizations and the settlement of former inhabitants including tools that they used.
• Two Sivers Civilization: King Mangrai founded the city of Chiang Rai or Yonok Nakorn as his new capital in the Kok River basin. Decades later, he determined to go further south to conquer the prosperous Mon kingdom of Hariphunchai.
• Constructing the City: The founding of Chiang Mai started from looking for "Auspicious Signs" and "Seven Signs of Good Omens".The city was built according to traditional astrological and religious belief of Trai Phum or the Three Worlds. Unlike earlier settlements of other cities which ware oval, the fortified city was rectangular in shape. almost a square.
• External Relations: Chiang Mai culture has a positive influence on other cities in the region. Chiang Mai and neighboring regions are culturally similar in Buddhism, food, attire and language.
• A century of Chiang Mai: Chiang Mai has changed rapidly in the past century due to the construction of the railway line from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, logging concessions of teak, trading and the change of the administration.
• The Best of Chiang Mai: The unique culture, traditions, rituals, arts and crafts as well as traces of settlement and architecture that represent the glory of Chiang Mai City in the past.
• The Building History: The history and importance of "Chiang Mai City Arts & Cultural Centre" building.
• Dynasty Rulers: Administration under the ruler of Chiang Mai after the Burmese were driven away and King Kawila began to restore Chiang Mai including other important events are shown here.
• Life Along The Ping River: Rowing a wooden boat for fishing.... and rice farming along the Ping river banks, this was a typical Lanna Lifestyle in the past .... The importance of the Ping River for the people of Chiang Mai and how they made the banks their home.
• Life in the city: Chiang Mai was a melting pot of cultures living together. There were local shops and markets where people enjoy exchanging everyday items.
• Buddhism: Buddhism has been a number of Lanna culture. Vihara (Buddhist monastery) host a number of religious activities and also represents Lanna Buddhist Art.
• Traditions of the 12 months: The Twelve Month Traditions are related to supernatural beliefs, ancestors worship, faith in Buddhism and contemporary traditions.
• Agricultural Life: Chiang Mai province encompasses both fertile plains along the Ping River and high mountain ranges. The people used local wisdom to manager water resources by building weirs for sharing water fairly.
• Life on the hill: Scattered through the mountains and valleys of Northern Thailand, a home to interesting ethnic minorities with different culture and beliefs from Chiang Mai people who live on lowland but they all depend on each other and live peacefully together creating a rich melting pot of cultures