{"id":3545,"date":"2012-05-31T22:26:36","date_gmt":"2012-05-31T15:26:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/?p=3545"},"modified":"2012-05-31T23:29:04","modified_gmt":"2012-05-31T16:29:04","slug":"temptress-of-the-north","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/2012\/05\/31\/temptress-of-the-north\/","title":{"rendered":"Temptress Of The North"},"content":{"rendered":"

[dc]A[\/dc]lready at my fourth<\/em> different guest house since arriving in Chiang Mai! Told before now of the first night\u2019s debacle. Although the staff at the next seemed fairly aloof, I liked the space quite a bit; and ended up serving out the three-day maximum term. After which, decided on a lark to stop by Chada House to see if the dorm renovation had been completed. Was shocked and elated that it had<\/em> been (though didn\u2019t notice anything different about it).<\/p>\n

After checking in, went out gallivanting; only to be upon my return informed that any future gallivantings would be required to be performed with shoes \u2013 else I would no longer be welcomed there. I mean, I love the people (only a few guests in the dorm my one night there, but were mucho interesting) and the place and all. But a man’s gotta maintain certain limits.<\/p>\n

So now here I am at the fourth location. So far, I like it. The dog here is called \u201cMilo\u201d; so every time I see it, I call out, \u201cMilo Minderbinder!\u201d I feel like there must be a more famous \u201cMilo\u201d than Milo Minderbinder\u2026but damned if I can think of one.<\/p>\n

But you shan\u2019t believe what they\u2019ve got here:<\/p>\n

\"hoedad\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Hoe-dad<\/a> in the guest house, y\u2019all! Shouldn\u2019t be surprised, actually. I recall Ginger John had once told a story about his hoe-dad exploits while visiting India. The locals were laughing their asses off at him when he went to use one; but he learned them good what he\u2019s all about with hoe-dad in hand. They were singing the skinny white dude\u2019s praises after that! (Er, but the point of the story is that the hoe-dad is, I think, pretty well-known and -loved here in Asia.)<\/p>\n

[dc]O[\/dc]n the temples front, have been concentrating on visiting ones outside the moat, and it\u2019s been going spankingly well. The first one I came to, on Friday, was totally bizarre. I don\u2019t at all understand what in the Hell they\u2019re doing here with all this string; but, shit, I think I like it.<\/p>\n

\"weird1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"weird2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"weird3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"weird4\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"weird5\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Next up was Wat Buppharam, and this\u2026say, do you wanna know a secret? Tell you a goddam secret, if you\u2019re curious to know. Wat Buppharam, whose name I\u2019ve only just learned, was the very genesis of it all. This humble little temple here — which I noticed on my first visit, whilst walking from the train station to the guest house \u2013 is what really piqued my interest. It somehow seemed so much more authentic than Bangkok\u2019s mega-palaces; and I thought to give this temple thing a try.<\/p>\n

\"buppharam2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There it is! There be the culprit. See, previously having only visited temples inside the moat, I\u2019d not \u2018til now actually called in at the one on whose shoulders it all rests\u2026and it turns out to be on the very<\/em> short list of my favourite temples. Not so much for this<\/em> structure, however. While great, it\u2019s the modern structure on the same grounds (this small one is 600 years old, or something) which knocks the socks off.<\/p>\n

Every time one looks at it, from whichever angle, is to be stupefied and amazed. This thing rocks its world, inside and out, upstairs and down.<\/p>\n

\"buppharam3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"buppharam4\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"buppharam6\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"buppharam7\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"buppharam8\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"buppharam9\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"buppharam10\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"buppharam11\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Want some friendly temple advice?<\/p>\n

\"dogs\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Friday afternoon, had an awkward moment while juggling in the park. The proprietress of the first guest house, who happened to be there lazing, saw me and called out, \u201cHey! Don\u2019t you remember me? Durian??\u201d<\/p>\n

I hadn\u2019t even seen<\/em> her, let alone remembered. But now she knew that I was still in town, though no longer staying in her establishment. I dunno, maybe guest-house-owners don\u2019t give a shit about stuff like that. Hopefully not, as she\u2019s rather a nice human person; and I never wanted to hurt their feelings any.<\/p>\n

Oh, Chanthaburi may be the all-time weirdest place in Thailand; but it doesn\u2019t stop Chiang Mai pulling its own weight, too.<\/p>\n

\"clothing\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Saturday, attempted to break on through to Doi Suthep, a very popular temple up on the mountain. Apparently the exact location was chosen by an elephant. You\u2019re supposed to get a sawngthaew out at the moat, for 100 Baht for the round-trip.<\/p>\n

So I went there waiting, the first to show for this particular trip. The drivers don\u2019t depart until ten people are confirmed. It\u2019s the reason I chose Saturday morning; assuming the wait would only be ten or fifteen minutes. But after one hour\u2019s time, not only were there not ten people confirmed, there were not even two<\/em> people. The driver was doing his best to try to drum up business, too; but for some reason in vain.<\/p>\n

Sunday, tried it again; and there were three people waiting when I arrived\u00a0 — same driver. He offered to take the four of us for 120 Baht, if we\u2019d permit him to fill the truck up on the way back down. We were cool with that, so off we zoomed.<\/p>\n

It was myself, a German couple, and New Yorker who\u2019d been traveling with them for a few weeks. He certainly lived up to the New York mile-a-minute-talking stereotype. Super-nice and interesting guy, though. He studied Thai for a month before coming to Asia, and has been practicing away since his arrival. He\u2019s off to Laos soon, and took a particular shine to my suggestion to stop in Nong Khiaw, and get the slow boat to Luang Prabang.<\/p>\n

As far as the temple went: yeah, great space, in an awesome setting. There\u2019s a big deal made of the 309 steps (I think it is) to get up to the Temple grounds from the street.<\/p>\n

\"suthep1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I thought it seemed like a lot fewer<\/em> than 309 steps, however. Here\u2019re the Temple Rules. That last one cracks me up. What? They\u2019ve had issues with people getting down and rolling around in the dirt?<\/p>\n

\"suthep2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Huhn \u2013 maybe that\u2019s<\/em> why the ground around the various structures is all tiled over: visitors just would not<\/em> keep clean (or what).<\/p>\n

\"suthep7\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In the kind of landing-area between the top of the steps and the inner grounds stands a jakfruit tree. Never seen so many jakfruit on a single tree before now!<\/p>\n

\"suthep3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

These ringing bells lend a nice touch to the look-see at the valley below.<\/p>\n

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