Chiang Mai

From Tokyo, we flew into Bangkok and from there directly to the old city of Chiang Mai where parts of an ancient city wall and a moat still exist amongst busy city streets.

There were gorgeous temples everywhere, old and new. One of my favorites was the very first temple we visited. We'd gotten in late, and our Grab (Asian version of Uber) took us through winding streets, some dirt, in a more rural residential area. The car headlights flashed on bamboo, people sitting in chairs in open front metal shops, an occasional person walking in flip flops along the verge. Just as I was thinking there is no hotel here, we pulled up to an innocuous wall with a sturdy wooden door and walked into a little paradise. A rectangular pool surrounded by grass and trees and plants in pots lay to our left and an open air reception desk to the right. Past that were flowering plants, a high bar with stools and open tables and chairs for the breakfast buffet area. We were offered cold bottled water and walked back to a large room with three comfy beds.

In the morning, we ate breakfast by the pool. The Pad Thai noodles were so good I ordered that dish over and over in Thailand and I liked every version I tried, though none was quite as delicious as that first day. From my chair, I could see metal spires across the street and I asked Joshua if we could walk over and look at the building through the gate before he ordered a Grab to take us into the city.

Closer up, we could see the gate was open. There was no one around. It felt a little strange to walk in. Later I realized this was common. Beautiful temples were left wide open with not a soul around. There was always a small sign outside the temple requesting shoes be removed. We'd read about this before we came and I also made sure to wear long pants and to bring a scarf or wear a shirt with sleeves, as it's respectful for knees and shoulders to be covered. Joshua said he'd never seen a temple like it. It was made of metal, with gorgeous raised scenes depicted on panels along every wall.