Day 5 - Goodbye Chiang Mai
- Heike Panagoulias
- Nov 17, 2024
- 5 min read
It was my last day here in the north of Thailand. I wanted to go back to the old town, discover a few small temples, enjoy some delicious food and stroll through the city.
It was a wonderfully relaxed day. I had ticked off my most important points on my list, so I was able to take a relaxed approach to my last day here.
I slept in late after New Year's Eve and grabbed breakfast at 7Eleven.
One or two days earlier, I had already passed one or two small temples, which I wanted to visit at my leisure today, without a big plan. Just let myself drift, see where I end up...
Wat Rajamontean is a beautiful little temple. It's not overrun with tourists and it only takes a few minutes to visit, but it's still absolutely worth seeing! I loved the large Buddha statue.
I continued to stroll through the old town as I pleased. Although my breakfast wasn't that long ago, the smells from the restaurants here almost drove me crazy! Everything looks so delicious and it's hard to just walk past.
But it was already lunchtime, so why not. After all, I could do whatever I wanted. I hadn't quite internalized that yet.
I decided to go to a restaurant that I passed last time without eating anything.
What a shame! I should have eaten here every day...
Maybe you can guess how delicious it was. And no matter how you imagine it, it was even better!
I sat there for quite a long time. You should probably know that you actually always sit outside here, just under a roof.
There was a pleasant breeze and it was just so relaxing to watch the hustle and bustle on the street, watch all the people and just relax. As I sat there with my iced coffee, I wondered how the Thais do it. On the one hand, there is a hustle and bustle here, mopeds, the red shared cabs and tuk tuks roar through the streets, the stores and restaurants are full and bustling with life. But nobody, absolutely nobody, seems to be stressed or in a hurry here. Not even close. Everyone looks so content and relaxed, no one seems rushed or annoyed. That really fascinated me. I wish I could take some of this back to Germany with me!
What you will find here, especially in Chiang Mai, are the red shared cabs, the songthaews. It is a bit exciting for tourists to ride in them. The drivers usually don't understand English. You wave at a cab and tell the driver your destination, preferably a famous temple hahaaaa. Either he says yes, then you get in and press the stop button when you want to get out. The ride costs 30 baht, which is around 80 cents, which you pay when you get off. Of course, the driver may say no because he has passengers with him who want to go in a different direction.
But it is definitely an experience to ride it!
I was back near the East Gate and thought about walking across this square again. I had discovered a street the night before that was so beautifully decorated. I wanted to see it again.
So, after I'd finished my delicious iced coffee, I set off again.
It was only a few minutes before I got there. It was wonderful. The square was nothing like New Year's Eve. Everyone was strolling through the alleyways, sitting in shady spots, chatting or just taking a short break. I let myself drift through the little alleyways for a while and eventually came back to this square.
A Starbucks that I simply couldn't pass by. I treated myself to another coffee in this café with a view of this square. You don't treat yourself to anything else. After all, I had to adapt to this pace and serenity, didn't I?
I googled a few more small temples in the area and set off again. There were such beautiful, quiet corners here.
You walk through the streets here and if you raise your head attentively and look around you, you really do discover these temples everywhere, some bigger, some smaller, but each one beautiful
I wanted to visit one more temple when I had the chance and so I did. Wat Chiang Man. It was the first temple to be built here in Chiang Mai, on the site where King Mangrai set up camp to oversee the construction of his new capital.
It is a beautiful, very peaceful temple complex. The sun was slowly setting and the peaceful atmosphere made me feel very sentimental. The setting sun made the gold, which can be seen everywhere here, shine in a special light. It was a dreamlike sight.
The idyllic atmosphere that this temple exuded was simply incredible. Quite a few people took the opportunity to indulge in this atmosphere on the various seating areas.
I sat down, I just had to let it all sink in.
I came here with a heavy burden. I enjoyed the fact that I could breathe here again. To take a deep breath. There were moments when it felt like someone was reaching under these packages and lifting them up a little. It was a pleasant feeling.
Many people who have lost a loved one talk about this feeling that the person is very close to you at certain moments.
I could understand what they meant...
It gave you the feeling that you were a little closer to heaven.
The day was coming to an end. I went back to the hostel to pack my things. Tomorrow I'm off to Phuket.
I rested for a while and thought about what I wanted to eat tonight. I'd actually already had a super tasty lunch. But you only live once, I just wanted to eat something delicious again at the night market here. So I went out, looked for something tasty and sat down at one of the many small tables. What can I say, it was just so incredibly delicious! I love Thai cuisine!
Yes, that was Chiang Mai. I sat here with mixed feelings. I loved it here! I enjoyed it so much that I actually found it hard to think about tomorrow and leaving.
However, I was also really curious about what lay ahead of me. I had seen so much culture so far that I was already a bit excited about the beach and swimming part. Snorkeling, relaxing on the beach, lying lazily in the sun, drifting in the sea... I slowly realized that I was really starting to relax. I'll show you photos of myself later. You can definitely see the beginning and end of my vacation!
Conclusion of the day:
We have forgotten how to walk leisurely through alleyways and streets. Just take a break in a nice place, sit down and enjoy the moment. We are somehow always in a hurry, busy, on the go, stressed and annoyed on the way from A to B.
The Thais walk smiling and relaxed... they also reach their destination with the friendliest smile you can imagine.
Let's smile a little more and enjoy the time!
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