Having arrived at the Chiang Mai Airport, we were immediately captivated by the mesmerising scenery just beyond the airplane windows. Right next to the landing strip was a big mountain accompanied by several hills. Chiang Mai was already treating us well with its warm weather, and a gift in the form of SIM cards.
View from the airport runway
After gathering our luggage, we headed to the amusingly named Yourhouse Guesthouse, a place Dr. Yeoh dubs as the Shangri-la of all backpackers; and indeed we agree. Our mode of transport was a “lot tang” (which literally translates to red car). At first, everyone was shocked by the choice of transportation as these trucks were no more red (magenta maybe?) than they were cars – they looked like a swanky hooded pick-up trucks, sans the swanky. However it is not to say the ride was not an enjoyable experience; it seemed like the vehicle shown in the Korean drama “Goong” during the one of the episodes when the characters were in Bangkok.
The lut deng fits up to 12 people
On the way to the guesthouse we saw remnants of the old Thai fort at various points along the road; there was the Three Kings museum which is five minutes away from the guesthouse. At every corner we looked there was a cultural or a historical structure. This city and its cohabitants are literally living in a historical site, taking advantage of its past to make it part of the present. This was quite a peculiar site for many of us who normally only experience history in a commodified context.
The main agenda for our day was a visit to the Chiang Mai University and we were greeted by a sea of students in Uniforms; black, blue, white, and violet shirts able outsiders to distinguish the level of study of each student. Though we were fascinated by this uniformity (pun intended) we decided, first and foremost, to have lunch. Though it was a stuffy cafeteria, the food was ... simply awesome. The spicy food there was really spicy, the savoury really savoury, and the sweet deliciously sweet.
As we waited for our rides back to the guesthouse after an interesting lecture on Thailand Highland Minorities, we stumbled upon what is called a “thon poh toh” (which translates to the golden tree). Students make wishes by hanging a gold leaf on the tree and hope for them to come true (how useful it would be for assignment week in Monash!).
The golden tree in the middle of a cafeteria
A particularly distinctive feature of the University for me, was the vastness and intensity of the greenery which surrounded it; it seemed as though the institution was built around the trees. Once we arrived at the guesthouse, we were at liberty to do what we wanted – including sleep.
One of many green gardens in CMU
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