Day 6 in Chiang Mai started early at the crack of dawn (the view from our 7th floor room):
What would breakfast be like without bacon?
Just a word about honey, the bee product. I had the most delicious honey ever at an ashram in Khajuraho, India. Since that day, two years ago, I have sampled all the honey offerings at Wegmans and Tops to no avail. After some research I found that most of the honey sold in America has been processed to remove the pollen. It turns out that when the pollen is removed you cannot determine the source of the honey. Google it and you'll see what I mean. In the above picture the little pancakes are covered with honey and it was delicious just like in India.
After breakfast we continued our walking tour of Chiang Mai into the old city. The old city is surrounded by a moat and here are some pictures:
We walked by the AnusawariSam Kasat (the 3 Kings Monument) commemorating the founding of Chiang Mai in the 14th century:
And by a school:
Which reminds me, two days ago I was sitting on some steps at Thammasat University waiting for Judy when a professor walked up and asked if I needed any help. After some short conversation wherein I told him that I was a Michigan Law Grad he offered me a job teaching advanced English for lawyers and businessmen. Judy vetoed the idea.
More walking led to temples:
A stop for coffee at the east gate of the old city:
With a close-up of the door:
After some refreshment, on to the most famous temple in Chiang Mai, Wat Phra Singh:
In the above picture, the golden image in the background is the Lion Buddha, the city's most revered Buddha image. Legend says it originated in Sri Lanka and came to Chiang Mai in the 1360s.
Next is Wat Chedi Luang dating from 1441. It was believed to be one of the tallest structures in ancient Chiang Mai. Stories say that it was damaged by an earthquake in the 16th century:
A picture of the only original remaining elephant sculpture:
And on to Wat Chiang Mun, established by the city's founder:
Inside a smaller adjoining temple two ancient Buddha images are housed: the Phra Sila (right), originally from Sri Lanka some 2500 years ago, and Phra Sae Tang Khamani, originally from Lopburi some 1800 years ago. These images are behind two sets of bars so they are hard to see:
A blow-up of the Phra Sila:
A blow-up of the Phra Sae Tang Khamani:
Winding the day down:
All and all, another good day in Chiang Mai.
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