The two countries of Thailand are North and South. Part 4
Part 4. In which we part, but then reunite and offer gifts to the goddess of water.
November 22, Thursday. Chiang Mai.
Plans for the day:
- cooking courses Thai Farm Cooking school (Male)
-Wat Pa Pao
- Wat Lok Moli
-massage Fah Lanna Spa (I)
-Yi Peng holiday, lanterns, Loy Krathong
Unscheduled:
-Wat Mon Thia
-Wat Buppharam.
-Chinese Pung Thao Kong Shrine
So, on the fourth day in Thailand, I waited for a real holiday!
In the morning my husband and I parted ways.
As I persuaded him, two months. Not less.
- We - I say - we need to leave.
And he is in no way.
- You - says - do not know the language, where are you without me? You will definitely get lost!
- I know one hundred English words, three hundred Chinese, I have a map and experience. I didn't get lost in any country. And I'm terribly uninterested in cooking classes.
In general, barely persuaded.
The husband resigned himself and went to his cooking classes (now we have Thai food at home)) . gif" style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px" />
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A truck came for him at 8 am. At culinary courses, they cook and eat all day long) My husband is a well-known culinary specialist in narrow circles, don’t feed him bread, just cook something.
And I was still lying around, where to rush something. All day ahead. Freedom!
I left the hotel at 9:30, found myself breakfast in a cafe around the corner. I liked Chiang Mai very much. A calm, soulful city in which I could live. Go to the market, hang out in co-working spaces and massages, swim in the pool all year round, and dine on tops, catching dumplings from the soup with chopsticks) The dumplings in the soup here are absolutely magical! ) And all this is quite inexpensive. Especially the food) In Thailand, you don't have to cook at home, the streets are full of tasty and cheap food.
But while I live where I live, I consider every day spent traveling as a gift of fate.
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In a great mood, I set off to look for an ancient Burmese temple Wat Pa Pao. Admission is free. As well as in other temples that I visited today.
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The energy of this temple is crazy. The soul unfolds and collapses) If you love old stones, as I love them, then this temple cannot be missed.
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The area is pretty dark. Even scary. There are practically no people.
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Grave-graves. Chedi big and small. Already frost on the skin. Yes! ) Chedis always keep someone's ashes. Large ones - store the ashes of the Buddha (there is a legend that in Thailand there are 10 chedis in which the ashes of the Buddha, the vessel in which this ashes were stored, and the ashes from the funeral pyre of the Buddha are stored).
There are smaller chedis that hold the ashes of royalty. Small chedis hold the ashes of respected people, mostly monks. And there are very small ones. I don’t know who is buried there, but I suspect that the more respected the person, the higher the chedi.
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Closed building nearby. It stands a little on the sidelines and, in my opinion, stands out from the style. But the architecture is Burmese.
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Look at the wooden lace. Agree, unusual, magnificent carving.
It may seem that the temple is abandoned, but no, there is a large building of the main temple nearby and it is also the center of the Burmese culture (Tai Yong people)
And there is a school, perhaps future monks are taught there)
11 o'clock in the morning, I still have plenty of time left.
Judging by the map, Wat Lok Moli is nearby, which I also really wanted to visit. In fact, under the scorching sun, almost at noon, I walked for a long 35 minutes.
I buy smoothies on the way. Cooling down every minute with thermal water. An irreplaceable thing! Light breeze of the morning ocean) Wrapped up in a scarf to somehow hide from the sun, with short dashes from shade to shade, I finally find the right temple. In the north, I definitely lack humidity. I don't like dry heat. I feel like an open fire.
Temple Wat Lok Moli is very beautifully decorated for the holiday with colorful lanterns.
And what elephants! That's what Thai temples are good for - they are like in a fairy tale. Especially on holidays.
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There is also a special bird here. Water carrier)
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Water is poured into it and lifted up to the deity on a chedi by a rope. Pull the rope - the water pours out. This is how the offering to the Buddha takes place.
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Unfortunately, I didn't see the process. But the whole temple is very interesting and sincere.
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12 a. m.
Time is running out, for me, at the hotel, at 12:50, a car should arrive to take me to the SPA. There's nothing to be done, I need to hurry) I cross the canal and, on the contrary, accidentally stumble upon a completely beautiful temple Wat Mon Thian
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High steps, right from the road, rise to the temple. It's hard to miss it. I hesitate for a moment, but I go upstairs.
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Thai temples are generally very elegant, but some are simply mesmerizing. The carving that adorns this temple is of some incredible beauty.
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Didn't go inside. I don't really like to look inside. Everything interesting for me is outside.
A few photos and run to the hotel.
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Walk at least half an hour, so I do not stop anywhere else. It's not good to be late.
When I chose the time, I chose the middle of the day, so that in the very heat I would not rummage around the city, but lie down for a massage in an air-conditioned room.
In general, I am not prone to expensive entertainment, but Fah Lanna Spa conquered me even in the photo. Such a nice oasis in the heart of the city.
The driver picks me up at 12:45, we drive no more than 5 minutes.
There are a lot of people inside. But there are not enough staff. I am immediately served a welcome drink, a cold towel and a questionnaire in English. It should be noted the main health problems and the desired strength of the massage. I don’t know the language well enough to understand everything, but Google translate helps me, which turns English words into Russian from the picture. Just point the phone at the text and the letters are rearranged again and again. But this requires the Internet. And to read the Wi-Fi password, you need glasses. And I just didn’t take them)
But I am a master of sports in solving problems that I create for myself)
I take a photo of the password, I enlarge the photo. I can’t imagine how it was possible to live without a phone before? )
Soon my massage therapist comes for me. Such a big woman, it is immediately clear, will stop a galloping horse. I have never seen such tacos in my life.
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She takes me to a separate room. This is a two-story house. Downstairs there is a bathroom with a shower, a washbasin, a bathtub and a footstool. You are seated on this bench and your feet are washed. No more than two minutes) Such a ritual ablution. Usually, before a foot massage, they are well steamed. And here one or two and the feet are washed.
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On the second floor there are two rooms. The first one is with a washbasin. The second is only a massage table and a clothes hanger.
I ordered a 60 minute foot massage and a 60 minute oil massage. All pleasure comes at a price. But such a luxury atmosphere that it's definitely worth it. No extraneous conversations, silence, cleanliness, beauty, gentle music and a relaxing, pleasant smell.
Two hours flew by like a blink of an eye. But I timed it by the clock, even more than two hours passed)
I can not say that it was some kind of super-duper massage. But he was definitely good. Probably, it was worth ordering a Thai massage in such a place, so that later you can compare it with others.
When it's over, they give me time to rest and gather. They don't rush. But when I got out, they take me to the exit quickly, quickly, I only have time to take a few photos.
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This pleasure ends with a tea party with a fitness cookie and an invariable cold towel)
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I'm already sipping delicious ginger tea, but my time in this paradise is over. I spent a total of three hours here.
The car is waiting for me outside.
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At the hotel I go to bed for a little sleep, after the massage I really like it) But soon my husband arrives and we are going to dinner.
Where is the best dinner in Chiang Mai?
At the night food market, of course.
Today we don't eat on top, we go to the Aroy Dee cafe. Aroi - Thai delicious. There are a lot of people, and this is always an indicator of goodness, even if it were not specifically indicated on the sign) And inexpensive. And more. That's why I love Asia) There is a lot of food, the food is delicious, but you don't get fat from it, but even vice versa. Does everyone have this or do I get low-calorie food? )
We don’t sit too long, because today everyone goes to the river, to launch krathongs into the water. And, as it turned out later, there will be the launch of flashlights.
For those who are not in the know, Loy Krathong is a holiday of water and light in Thailand, a day when Thais let go of everything bad and make wishes by lowering their krathongs into the water - boats made of leaves decorated with incense, candles and flowers. So-so Ivana Kupala in Thai)
photo from the internet.
Loy Krathong is celebrated on the first full moon of November. On this day, the rainy season ends and the dry season begins.
The most colorful celebrations take place in Chiang Mai and Sukhothai. With a parade and a mass launch of fiery lanterns. But there are krathong launches in every city.
I read that the celebrations last 3 days, but we only watched 2. The first day is the launch of krathongs into the water and lanterns into the sky. And the next day, the parade.
We buy krathong and along Thapae Rd, in a dense crowd, we go towards the river. People go with krathongs and flashlights. On the way we go to the temple Wat Buppharam.
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The first lanterns are launched there. We're taking a short break, watching the launches. It is not very convenient for me to shoot, because I am holding a krathong, and it is quite fragile. The flowers just lie on top and I see that I will soon crush them completely.
We move back to the river.
Most of the lanterns are on the bridge over the Ping River. There are so many people that at some point we cannot go forward or backward.
So, can you imagine the situation?
All people, like people, light and launch lanterns, and I with krathong. And there is no way out to the river.
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And then a miracle happened.
We saw how slowly, pushing people away, a police car was moving, which was taking out several bikes stuck in the crowd. We settle down in the fairway)
We go around Praisanee Rd, we find an exit to the river. There are also a lot of people here, mostly they launch lanterns. Flashlights can be bought right on the beach. And, in general, you can buy anything - food, drinks, souvenirs. The goddess of water favors merchants))
The coast turns out to be quite steep, you can’t just walk up. We look for where the crowd is the largest and find a place where you can launch your krathong. There is a queue, but it moves pretty fast. Wooden steps lead to a small platform. You can't even reach the water by yourself. Right in the river there are men who accept krathongs from people and lower them into the water. The atmosphere is festive and a little nervous. People are crowding, not everyone knows what they are doing here at all. I know) I bring a gift to the goddess of water Phra Maekhong Kha, and ask her for dreams to come true) Do you think it will come true? )
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Having launched the krathong, we were already going home, but suddenly we bought a flashlight and the second part of the Marlezon ballet began)
To the wire, which is stretched crosswise at the base of the paper lantern, you yourself need to attach the burner in the form of a washer, set it on fire, straighten the paper as much as possible so that hot air fills the lantern and lifts it into the air. Don't forget to make a wish! ) Today is the day of fulfillment of desires!
For a while, you need to hold the flashlight, do not let go. Otherwise, he will be weak and will not be able to rise normally.
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And then raaaz - and let him go free! Ours is the one on the left.
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Happy going home. Suddenly, I see, on the opposite side of the street, a colorful Chinese (or Vietnamese? ) temple.
-Look, what a beautiful temple, let's go there! I ask my husband.
What are you, what a temple, it's a carousel!
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For some time we examine the "carousel" from the outside and from the inside. The temple has a relaxed atmosphere. People just sit, talk, smile. I always pay attention to how people behave in churches. I saw a frightened and sad expression only in our Orthodox churches. Other denominations are more optimistic) But the greatest joy on the faces of the parishioners of Buddhist temples. Buddhism is a pretty funny religion)
We go to the crossroads and see a wonderful picture. On the roadside, right on the ground, mattresses are spread out and people are massaged there. There is a huge human sea around, a lot of bikes, exhausts, flashlights, noise, din... And these people are in complete nirvana, as well as their masseuses, by the way) Such peaceful faces! )
Directly behind them, and further along the path to Tha Phae Gate, there are a mass of chairs where a huge number of people get a foot massage.
-VIP-lodge - states my husband - Do you want to join?
I did not want. But even if I wanted to, there were no empty seats.
On the way we go to another temple - Wat Upakhut. At the entrance I take pictures with the monks. They warn me not to touch them. And I didn't know it wasn't possible. That would be the number if I snuggled up to one of the monks. Would I be arrested?
In Thailand, by the way, the death penalty has not been abolished. Therefore, it is very dangerous to transport other people's parcels across the border.
There are chairs in the yard, people are sitting. We also sit, relax, admire the sky in the lanterns.
There is a beautiful platform for tomorrow's parade here.
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Tomorrow! Tomorrow will be the most interesting!
We spend the rest of the evening in a cafe on Thapae Rd, or rather in an open area, almost on the sidewalk. We drink soft drinks, there are a lot of them in Thailand. Here we try Thai tea for the first time and fall in love with it forever.
Passing by excited holiday people. Lanterns shine brightly in the sky. The night is magical and we don't want to go anywhere. But the waiter comes and says to our neighbors: "You've been sitting here too long. " We take offense together with the neighbors and slowly crawl to the hotel.
Here is the day!
Here is the rest! ))
16 thousand steps shows my pedometer. Muzhnin - 2 thousand more. Yes, how so? He cooked and ate all day)
