I stayed in Chiang Mai for another night. Primarily because I found out that the Sunday Market was a must-visit, but also because the hotel had laundry facilities, and it was time to do some laundry. At highway speeds, my riding jacket has been the killing ground for bugs – especially butterflies, and so it’s time to freshen it up.
The hotel doesn’t have a kitchen and didn’t come with breakfast. So I went hunting for some Thai breakfast.
Found a food centre opened. Everything else was still closed at 0730h in the morning.
So I bought a Thai sausage……and some Thai breakfast presents. Just love unwrapping these!
And after breakfast, I headed up to Doi Suthep. Doi Suthep is a granite mountain just west of Chiang Mai. At 1,676m (5,499ft), it offers magnificent views of Chiang Mai city.
Finally! I got to enjoy this winding mountainous route towards Doi Suthep.Panoramic view of the nearby village.The opportunists set up food and drink stalls at one of the lookout points along the way.Poser alert! Me and my Pulsar on Doi SuthepThe Bhubing Palace was built to accomodate the Royal Family during their visits to Chiang Mai. Built on Doi Suthep, it takes advantage of the naturally cool mountain air.The Suan Suwaree or Rose Garden in Bhubing Palace is particularly famous. Here’s me stopping to smell the roses.One of the decorative statues in Bhubing PalaceThis jar was covered in moss. Grossly beautiful or beautifully gross? I like how the moss looked like the jar’s coat of fur.The beautifully sculpted garden of Bhubing Palace
Oh! I spotted a hummingbird! It was no longer than the length of my little finger. When I first saw it, I thought it was a humongous insect. And from the way it flies, I then realised that it’s actually a hummingbird. Awww…. so cute!
I had my first plate of Phad Thai in Thailand!Can you spot the odd bike out? Love the way the Thais personalise their scooters.
So, after walking the Palace grounds, I headed towards the temple on Doi Suthep.
But first, I needed a drink. This was really, really, really good! I subsequently bought another bottle from the same stall.Sculpture of a buddhist monk. I don’t know who he is, but he must be pretty darn important. I’ve seem him in other places, and here, he was sitting at the same level as a sculpture of Buddha just across to the right.The walk up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep – the temple up at Doi Suthep. Pant! Pant! Not an easy climb!Some words of encouragement on the climb up.Detail of the stair sculpture.I spotted many of these little girls dressed in similar traditional costumes. I suspect they would pose for a tourist picture for a fee.Finally! Reached the peak of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep! The entire temple was decorated in gold (as in the color, not the metal). And together with the mid-day sun, it was quite overwhelming on the eyes.This umbrella doesn’t provide too much shade.
I went back to my room to get some rest. Found out that the hotel has massage facilities, and I opted for a 2 hour package. Ahh! Feels so much better after a session of Thai massage.
I headed to the Chiang Mai Sunday Night Market in the evening. This place is HUGE! Really HUGE! In fact, I almost got lost, and had to rely on GPS to get back to where I parked my bike.Thai pork sausages. They looked like meat, but is actually stuffed with rice.Grilled pork. You can probably tell by now that I’m a foodie.
While queuing for the grilled pork, the Thai national anthem (I think) was played over the public announcement system. It was quite a sight to witness the busy market with hundreds of people suddenly coming to a complete standstill as everyone stood motionless and in attention while the anthem was playing.
“Pork sausage”. The looked like rice cakes, and had the same consistency as the fish cakes that I’m more familiar with. Nevertheless, served with the Thai spicy green sauce, it’s yummy, yummy, yummy!Mussels with eggs. The Thai version of the Singapore “orh-lua”Wat Inthakin Sadww Muang – the place where the pillar of Chiang Mai was placed in 1296. Wat’s (or temples) like this pepper the city of Chiang Mai. Many Wat’s are in the process of restoration. This one looked like it’s been recently restored.Detail at the entrance of Wat Inthakin.
Just as I was thinking that it’s the first day I’ve spent in Thailand without rain, the sky turned dark and looked ominous. With my GPS, I navigated on foot back to where I parked my bike and scooted back to the hotel.
4 thoughts on “The sgBikerBoy 2016 Trip – Day 7”
Hi LKM, how are you? been following your journey but stopped at day 7. Probably cannot get internet?
Hi again. Just wanted to say your pix and story are such a reminder of our stay in Chiang Mai. My wife popped her back out during a yoga work-out so I went up Doi Suthep on the road bike (human powered). We practice in the Japan Alps so it wasn’t too bad. Didn’t see many motorcyclists up there, other than some local scooter riders. We enjoyed the Sunday market too, and our hotel had the same towels wrapped as elephants. Lovely touch. I am hoping perhaps 2019 to get a bigger bike than my 2017 390 Duke – maybe a Triumph 800 Tiger, and replicate the great ride that you took. We would likely not aim for more than 400km-500km on any given day, though. All the best, Peter in Tokyo
Doi Suthep on a 1HP (that’s HUMAN-power, not horsepower) bike??! Wow! I could never do that! Thank you for these comments – I’m now reliving those memories re-reading my own blog postings. The Duke 390 would likely suffice – remember, I did this on my 200cc made-in-India machine. But of course, if you’re two-upping with the missus, the Tiger would be significantly more comfortable. Would definitely love to ride in Japan one day! All the best!
Hi LKM, how are you? been following your journey but stopped at day 7. Probably cannot get internet?
Happy riding.
Mr Biker
Coming soon…. coming soon… =)
Hi again. Just wanted to say your pix and story are such a reminder of our stay in Chiang Mai. My wife popped her back out during a yoga work-out so I went up Doi Suthep on the road bike (human powered). We practice in the Japan Alps so it wasn’t too bad. Didn’t see many motorcyclists up there, other than some local scooter riders. We enjoyed the Sunday market too, and our hotel had the same towels wrapped as elephants. Lovely touch. I am hoping perhaps 2019 to get a bigger bike than my 2017 390 Duke – maybe a Triumph 800 Tiger, and replicate the great ride that you took. We would likely not aim for more than 400km-500km on any given day, though. All the best, Peter in Tokyo
Doi Suthep on a 1HP (that’s HUMAN-power, not horsepower) bike??! Wow! I could never do that! Thank you for these comments – I’m now reliving those memories re-reading my own blog postings. The Duke 390 would likely suffice – remember, I did this on my 200cc made-in-India machine. But of course, if you’re two-upping with the missus, the Tiger would be significantly more comfortable. Would definitely love to ride in Japan one day! All the best!