In Search of the Good Life...

Sunday, June 8, 2025

Thailand Days 18 - 19: Chiang Mai Strikes Back

(first part of this post written on 6/7)

I'm writing this blog post on my phone (blech!) on the way to Sukhothai from Lampang from Chiang Mai. Since my last post...

June 5 - Chiang Dao --> Chiang Mai

We left Chiang Dao early on the day of the 5th. A thing can be two things, and students seemed appreciative of the beauty and solitude of Chiang Dao, AND they were *ready* for the amenities of the Eastin Tan hotel and comfort of Chiang Mai. We had a student get stung by a scorpion around 12:30 on the last night in Chiang Dao--not serious (equivalent to a bee sting), but it also felt ironic to make it so close to the Chiang Dao finish line without any major critter crises...and then scorpion. The student was a trooper--glad you're okay.

We had some time before we could check into the hotel, so we stopped at the Chiang Mai handicraft village along Sankampang Road to visit the Umbrella Making Centre, the Thai Silk Village, and a new location for me: the lacquerware shop. I’ve written posts about the umbrella and silk shops, but I’m gonna drop some knowledge about lacquerware.

Learning about the umbrella making process. These umbrellas are made from santol wood

Drying handmade paper that will eventually become the panels for the umbrellas

Variety of handmade umbrellas from all over the world

Different parts of the silk making process. There are live silkworms in the bowl with the green plants

Learning about the difference between real and imitation silk. If you burn real silk, it smells like burned hair. If you burn fake silk, it smells like burned plastic.

Extracting silk from the worm

We went to Lai Thong Lacquerware. From the overlords:

Chiang Mai, the heart of the former Lanna Kingdom, boasts a rich heritage in lacquerware craftsmanship. This traditional art form has evolved over centuries, blending indigenous techniques with influences from neighboring regions.

Lacquerware in Chiang Mai dates back to the establishment of the Lanna Kingdom in 1296. Artisans utilized local materials such as bamboo and wood, coating them with resin from trees like Melanorrhoea usitata to create durable and decorative items. These items ranged from everyday utensils to ceremonial objects, reflecting both functionality and artistry.

A distinctive technique known as lai rot nam (ลายรดน้ำ), or gilded black lacquer, became prominent. This method involves applying black lacquer to an object, painting designs with a water-soluble gum, overlaying it with gold leaf, and then washing it to reveal intricate gold patterns against the black background. This technique reached its zenith during the Ayutthaya period and continued to be refined in subsequent eras.

Over time, Chiang Mai’s lacquerware incorporated influences from Burmese styles, especially in the use of colored lacquer and etched designs. The craft has been preserved through generations, with artisans adapting traditional methods to contemporary aesthetics.

Located on San Kamphaeng Road, often referred to as Chiang Mai’s “Handicraft Highway,” Lai Thong Lacquerware Emporium is renowned for its high-quality lacquerware products. The emporium showcases a wide array of items, from traditional designs to modern interpretations, reflecting the rich heritage of Chiang Mai’s lacquerware craftsmanship.

Visitors to Lai Thong can witness the meticulous process of lacquerware creation, gaining insights into the techniques that have been honed over centuries. The emporium serves as both a retail space and a cultural experience, offering a glimpse into the enduring legacy of this traditional art form.

I wasn’t able to get a lot of photos in the emporium because they had a hard photography embargo, but I will say that the lacquerware was beautiful…and pricy! Apparently the cost of gold has more than doubled over the past several years, which would also impact this industry.

source: goldcost.org

Learning about the lacquerware process

Example of handpainted product

We got to the hotel, we met up with Cory, who used his extra day in Chiang Mai to raft the Mae Taeng River with 8Adventures. Check it out!

Photo credit: 8Adventures

Photo credit: 8Adventures -- Cory's getting to guide!

Cory and I went for a run to Chiang Mai University, and then everyone ate dinner as a large group at The Pizza Company—not my personal cup of tea, but students were ready for pasta, pizza, and fried chicken, and their joy brings me joy :)

6/6: Free day in Chiang Mai

The next day was a free day in Chiang Mai, and students had options to join me for a hike and gastronomy tour, Han for a history and culture tour, or do their own thing. Students had a great time exploring Chiang Mai, and they participated in a wide variety of experiences. I asked students if they’d be willing to share photos, a recap, and an image of a Willy Wonka Overlord to describe their day:

From Lily and Isabel:

We wandered around Chiang Mai with Han, Liv, Lindsey, Sienna, Mia, Collin, and Kale for most of the day which was super fun!! We visited a bunch of different wats in the morning - Wat Umong (700 years old!), Wat Sri Suphan (made out of hammered silver), Wat Chedi Luang (in the heart of Chiang Mai’s Old Town) and a couple other small ones. Ate some amazing khao soi for lunch and swam at the hotel for a bit after our adventures, then went to dinner at the best Burmese style restaurant with Kellie, Cory, Lily T. and Anna. Wandered through some night markets and “forbidden” hideaways afterwards — a great last day in Chiang Mai!

Source: ChatGPT

Photo credit: Isabel and Lily

From Keller:

George and I walked from the hotel to the historic city during our free day. No plan in mind, simply just walking around and discovering whatever we find. We stumbled upon the cultural center, which we then bought tickets for and viewed, which was interesting. My favorite part was seeing the mini displays of what life looked like back then. I also enjoyed seeing the small amount of Karen history that was featured in the museum. After that, we walked around the central wat in the old city. We talked to some Thai people and I got a lesson as to what the blessing I got meant, and when I’m supposed to take it off (on odd numbered days). Overall, very interesting day and very tiring!

Photo credit: Keller

From Izzy and Lily:

We drove up to the longest zip line in Thailand and convinced Boi (one of our drivers) to join us! We got to zip line to the song "I believe can fly", and go cart to some amazing Mario music! It was genuinely such a great experience!

Source: ChatGPT

Photo credit: Lily and Izzy

Photo credit: Lily and Izzy

From Collin:

Source: ChatGPT

From Mia:

Source: ChatGPT

I gotta say, the overlords ARE getting more whimsical.

My free day:

Source: ChatGPT

I spent my Chiang Mai free day accomplishing something that's been on my Thailand bucket list for a few years--hiking the Monk's Trail, a trail to Wat Pha Lat, which was the foot-route monks took to reach What Phra That Doi Suthep before the construction of the road in 1935. Wat Pha Lat served as a resting place for monks en route to Doi Suthep for many years.

I put the offer out to the group to join Cory and me for the hike / return to Doi Suthep, and Matt was brave enough to 1) do the hike and 2) spend the morning with us--and we were so glad he did! While it's not a long hike, it is a burly hike in elevation gain: 2,100+ feet in 3 miles. We left the hotel around 7:30, grabbed a tuktuk, and were dropped off at the trailhead to begin our adventure quest.

Taking a tuktuk to start our adventure quest

Doesn't count unless it's on AllTrails or Strava

Start of the trail

After reviewing my photos of Wat Pha Lat, I'm tremendously disappointed in my inability to take a single photo of the overall temple grounds--they were truly stunning and very peaceful. One of the more unique wats I've had an opportunity to visit. I also have no context for these photos...blog fail.

Wat Pha Lat

We spent about 20-30 minutes exploring Wat Pha Lat before continuing up the "trail" to Doi Suthep. It is evident that most folks stop at Wat Pha Lat and either head down the mountain or hail some sort of wheeled vehicle to go the rest of the way because the second part of the trail was gnarly, but in a fun way. I think we had pitches of 35-45 degrees at point. I definitely ended up in the all-hands-all-feet scramble position at least once or twice. We made it to Doi Suthep and spent about 45 minutes at the Wat (I covered this one in a previous post) before hailing a songthaew to take us back to the hotel.

We said goodbye to Matt and grabbed Bianca and a songthaew to the old city for lunch at Khao Soi Khun Yai, were we met up with Han and a group of students for some delicious khao soi. Bianca, I owe you a photo of our lunch adventure but I think they are all on Cory's phone...

Khao Soi Khun Yai

A few students and we went back to the hotel for some R&R before venturing back out for dinner. Cory and I got some mango sticky rice, a massage from the Artist Spa, and watched NBA finals highlights at the hotel pool. Solid afternoon.

6 of us returned to Tom Teng Toh. I do not need to belabor how much I love this restaurant. We had a fantastic family style meal, and as per usual, I did not get a single group photo of us at dinner. But I do have one pre-dinner?

The dinner group

We said goodbye to the students after dinner, and then Cory and I set out to the Mellowship Jazz Club to visit James (who Han and I met and have been friends with for 5 years!). James just left FB to manage Mellowship.

Little do I know that I'm about to go careening off a gastronomic cliff where everything I believed for years turns out to be a lie. FOOD DRAMA.

Cory and I walked to Mellowship, ordered a beverage, and waited for James to return from dinner so that I could introduce them and hear about James' experience at Mellowship thus far. The conversation turned to dinner plans, and we shared how much we liked TTT. James' response was, "Oh yeah, I know of that place, but it's overpriced so most locals don't eat there very much. You should check out Maha Larb CNX instead. Open until 3AM and great northern Thai food."

Y'all. Cory and I had already had dinner and walked 25,000 steps on the day, which included the Monk's hike and also bee-bopping around in crappy dress flats because I decided that today was the day I should look *fancy*.

Doesn't count as exercise unless you publicly track it

It was 11:30PM and we were tired as hell. And I WILL BE DAMNED IF I AM NOT GOING TO TRY THAT RESTAURANT BEFORE LEAVING CHIANG MAI AND POSSIBLY THAILAND FOREVER (I mean, that's worst case scenario. I really hope to be back!).

We trudged our way back over to Nimman to find Maha Larb CNX. It is a total no-frills restaurant and IT IS 1/5 OF THE PRICE OF TTT. 1/5th. 20%. I could have been swimming in Northern Thai Style Pork Curry.

Maha Larb CNX

Naturally, I took a picture of the menu but not of the actual food. Trust me, it was delicious. For the next MTSE Thailand trip, add this to your gastro tour.

Okay, I think this post is long enough. I'll cover Lampang and Sukhothai in my next one. Cheers!

Oh, and clipping. We should probably cover clipping in the next post.

Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Thailand Days 13 - 17: Chiang Dao

And on the last day of a 5-day stretch in Chiang Dao, Kellie discovers that the resort *does in fact* have very fast reliable WiFi...

And here I was thinking we were basically off grid for the last 5 days. Eh, it was probably good for me to unplug for an extended stretch. I'm writing this post from my little tree house room in the บ้านระเบียงน้ำ baan-rabiangnam resort in Chiang Dao, which is a new site for me on this third trip to Thailand. Okay, gonna do my best to piece together the last 5 days:

Day 13: Chiang Dao Cave / arrive in Chiang Dao

We left Chiang Mai in the morning and went directly to Chiang Dao Cave. From Thailand Tourism Authority:

Tham Chiang Dao is an attractive cave in Chiang Mai. It is located at the foothills of Doi Luang Chiang Dao in Chiang Dao district. The stalagmite and the stalactite, causing different shapes, inside the cave stun the tourists by their natural beauty. Tham Chiang Dao is a giant cave with beautiful stalagmite and the stalactite inside that form spontaneously. Some of them hide in the nook. When the tourists flash around, there will be a lot of glitters and the tourists can imagine the glitters to be any pictures. One of the charms of the cave is its cold clear water running from inside to the front of the cave. This happens for years until the water flow becomes a pond, a habitat of various fish. It results in a fresh and shady atmosphere, thank to different types of plants that attract a number of tourists, not only Thai tourists but also foreign tourists, to visit. It is the front of the cave that situates Wat Tham Chiang Dao.

Tham Luang Chiang Dao is a historic site that a lot of people admire. This may be because of the astonishing stories about the past which has been told for many generations. Legend has it that Chao Luang Kham Daeng, a son of the ruler of Phayao, had deserted his country to search for the girl who impersonated a golden deer and ran away to Tham Luang Chiang Dao since he was misguided by the beauty of the deer. He followed the deer into the cave and never came out of the cave again. However, he incarnated a powerful angel guarding Tham Luang Chiang Dao. Later, people built a shrine for him and named it "Shrine of Por Luang Kham Daeng." Besides, legend has it that, in the auspicious night when the sky was clear, there was a round object with bright light like the Buddha's relics flying eastwards from behind Doi Chiang Dao for five minutes. After that, the loud noise like the sound of cannon could be heard at the same time when the light disappeared. People believed that this is the spirit of Chao Luang Kham Daeng going to visit his hometown at Phayao.

There are many more beliefs about Tham Chiang Dao; for example, once the marble Buddha image that had been housed in Tham Luang Chaing Dao for many years was stolen, the thief got an accident that he almost died. The other folktale is "Tanjai Buddha image" which was enshrined in Wat Tham Chiang Dao. It is believed that if any people made wishes with Tamjai Buddha image, their wishes would be fulfilled very quickly. The quickness of fulfilling the wishes led to the name of the Buddha image "Tanjai," which means "as quickly as required."

For the cave tour itself, we broke into groups of 4 and had a guide take us through the cave with a single gas lantern. The cave network itself is HUGE--it's understandable why you need a guide to navigate the cave. There were sections with low ceilings, plenty of places to slip and slide, and even a spot where we had to belly crawl through a hole. Good cavin'. For as much travel as the cave gets annually, the cave formations were in pretty good shape and were fun to admire--it was several students' first time in cave of this size.

Entrance to Tham Chiang Dao

Buddhas inside the entryway of the cave

Cave snake

Students enjoying their cave experience

Students enjoying their cave experience

One of many cave formations decorated. This one is some sort of animal...a cat maybe?

Stalagmites that have connected with stalactites to form columns and ribbons

Formations inside the cave

After the cave visit, we got settled into the resort and had lunch. The resort itself is beautiful....and in the middle of a dense tropical forest area. Bugs abound. Critters abound. Wildlife abounds. Water pressure in the showers is spotty. Hot water is spotty. As I write this post, there is a flying insect giant mosquito thing that looks like it should be encased in amber and featured in the next Jurassic park film.

The resort owners themselves are super kind, incredibly accommodating, and friggin' amazing cooks, but the reality is that it must be very difficult to keep up a resort in the middle of a dense tropical forest area, and this lodging experience has created some anxiety for our students who are not from geographic areas with bugs or critters. I have empathy for them. I'm proud of them for being good sports for 5 nights and for appreciating the beauty of this place--it's been a good site for re-charging and for strengthening group bonds because it's pretty self contained.

View from the common area of our resort

My room was the top to the left

Our common area for our 5 day visit in Chiang Dao

View of the common area at night

View of my room at night

Anyway, first day in Chiang Dao was spent settling into the resort--the resort also has a lovely little cafe on-site with a tea service that became a regular part of my afternoon routine. I ran two tiny miles on a 30 foot patio. It was a lot of laps.

Tea service at the resort's cafe

Day 14: Phutawan Tea Plantation

After breakfast at the resort, our group walked about 15 minutes to the Phutawan Tea Plantation. From the Robot Overlord ChatGPT:

Located in Baan Mae Mae village, the Phutawan Tea Plantation is known for its extensive cultivation of Assam tea trees, covering over 200 rai of land. The tea plants are integrated into the natural forest landscape, offering a unique and sustainable approach to tea farming. Visitors to the plantation can experience traditional tea harvesting methods and learn about the cultural significance of tea in the region. The plantation is part of a community-based initiative that promotes eco-tourism and sustainable agriculture in the area.

Our group got to participate in the entire tea process, from harvesting leaves to drinking the finished product. We were divided into groups of 6 to go out and harvest tea leaves. I'd say this was really the first experience on this trip where language barriers presented an issue--our group had a blast and our guide was so kind, but we had no idea what the hell we were doing or what we were harvesting. We came back with a basket full of tea leaves and then felt very sheepish when most of the leaves we'd harvested were bunk.

Picking tea leaves

One of the plants from which we harvested leaves

After picking out the bad leaves, the next part of the process is drying the leaves. We used a steel wok with a fire underneath to dry the leaves. While drying leaves in the sun may be more traditional in some areas, the humidity + rain in Thailand makes that style of drying more difficult. After drying the leaves, folks spent time massaging the leaves (kind of in the style of kneading bread), and then we re-dryed the leaves over the fire, and then the tea was steeped and we drank it. It was some sort of white tea and it was very tasty.

Beginning the drying process

Learning the proper way to dry leaves from our host

Kale is drying leaves while Isabel is massaging the dried leaves

Finished product (A white tea)

We were served a fantastic pad see ew lunch, hung out for a little while, and then folks were free to meander on their own either in the surrounding area or back to the resort. I went for a little neature walk and ended up at a cafe that I think is part of the Hi Land Forest View resort. It was a steep climb with a nice payoff.

Afternoon cappuccino and tea from the Hi Land Forest View cafe

After that cafe, I went back and had another tea service at the cafe at our resort. Your girl likes cafes. Good people watching, good conversations, and/or a good time to be alone with one's thoughts.

Day 15: Mae Mae School Service Day 1

Breakfast at the resort, and then we set off on foot to the Mae Mae school, a new school partnership for Westminster. The Mae Mae school (K-6?) is much smaller than Ban Nam Home (K-9) with fewer faculty and less infrastructure. We were greeted by the faculty and students and immediately set to work. Half our group was on a concrete project pouring new stairs leading to classrooms, while the other half of the group was divided amongst the classrooms to teach and play with the kids. These kids were very VERY affectionate and clung to our students like magnets. They wanted to be picked up and hugged and chased and have their hands held the whole time we were there. It was very sweet if not a little overwhelming at times.

Entrance to the Mae Mae school

Prepping the concrete

Filling in the stairs with sand

Playing games with the kids

Big assembly line to pass buckets

Thai students working with Westminster students

Lots of shoulder carries and piggyback rides this week

It dumped buckets after lunch, so we had to pause the concrete work and every student was assigned a classroom for teaching and playing with the kids. Once the weather cleared up, our students went outside to run around and play sports with the Mae Mae kids until we punched the clock around 3PM. I went back to my mountain top cafe for another fancy coffee and then stopped at another super cute cafe for another coffee and a slice of cheesecake because **some people** ate all the carrot cake. You know who you are.

All of the coffees and teas

It was good, but it was no carrot cake

One of my many cafe stops

Day 16: Mae Mae School Service Day 2

The morning of the second day was spent in observance of a Pha Pa ceremony for education. From Robot Overlord ChatGPT:

The Pha Pa (ผ้าป่า) ceremony is a significant merit-making tradition in Thai Buddhism, involving the offering of robes and other necessities to monks. The term Pha Pa translates to "forest robes." Historically, monks collected discarded cloth from forests or cremation grounds to make their robes. To assist them, laypeople began leaving cloth on tree branches, simulating discarded fabric for monks to find. This practice evolved into the Pha Pa ceremony, where offerings are symbolically placed in natural settings, reflecting the tradition's roots.

The Pha Pa ceremony serves as a means for laypeople to earn merit (puñña) by donating robes and essential items to monks. These offerings often include daily necessities such as toiletries, food, and monetary contributions. The ceremony is typically accompanied by chanting, sermons, and communal meals, fostering a sense of community and spiritual connection. Participating in a Pha Pa ceremony allows individuals to express gratitude and support for the monastic community. It reinforces the interdependent relationship between laypeople and monks, central to Buddhist practice. The merit accrued from such offerings is believed to bring spiritual benefits, including improved karma and future well-being.

It was beautiful and interesting to witness, but it was also very difficult because there was no ability to translate the ceremony, so our group definitely lacked context for what was happening. The ceremony itself was about an hour and felt a lot like a church service.

Parade before the Pha Pa ceremony

One of the offerings to the monk

Assembling before the sermon

Listening to the monk

After the ceremony, another foreign tour/service group from Italy came to the school, and together, we served lunch to the students and community members that had come to the school to attend the Pha Pa. There were probably about 20 community members at the Pha Pa, but we weren't given any context for who they were, which is not meant to sound like a complaint, but rather contextualize that a lot of the morning was spent in collective confusion because we didn't have a way of asking or having processes explained to us. The experience helped me build empathy for folks who are foreigners in the US who experience that phenomenon on a daily basis.

Serving lunch after the Pha Pa

Ice cream station -- avoid the durian

Second half of the day was spent continuing the concrete project; the Mae Mae kiddos were again very attached to our students, and while our students were doing everything they could to give all the kiddos energy and attention, you could tell it was starting to drain the crew.

Left the school around 3PM. Cafe + cafe + dinner + bed.

Day 17: Final Service Day at Mae Mae school + farewell ceremony

Our last day at the school was all hands on deck to complete the stair project. Lots of hauling buckets of sand, rocks, water, mixed concrete. Students absolutely crushed it. Everyone found a way to contribute and listened to the directions of our Thai project leaders. One of the things I love about these types of service projects is that our driving staff (Nu, Bird, Ex, and Boy) are always 100% with our team in participating in the service projects. It's a really fun way to connect with them and to follow their examples. And those folks work really, really hard.

We mixed a lot of concrete today

The stair project that we worked on for the last 3 days

We finished the project around 3PM and were invited to attend a thank you and farewell ceremony hosted by the school. Students performed dances and sang songs. It was very sweet and a nice closure to the time spent at the Mae Mae school.

Students performing at the farewell ceremony

Westminster students learning the dance from the Thai students

Cafe + cafe + dinner + unexpected musical performance from local children in Chiang Dao that was also very fun and sweet.

Unexpected performance from local kids on-site at our resort

Tomorrow--back to Chiang Mai!