Day 15 - Chiang Mai

Today we got out of class a little early so a couple of us decided to go to the cultural museum and learn more about the Chiang Mai area. I'll give you a few highlights:

• Chiang Mai is over 700 years old and was founded by the Lanna Kingdom (means millions of rice fields)


• Was under rule of numerous kings from 1200 - 1400's and then moved to a location South of the original dwelling closer to the Ping River


• The new city was built in the early 1400's in a square mile parameter with a Moat (a canal that is about 4 feet deep) that runs around the outer edge. The entire kingdom including the temples and palace were built within these boundaries.


• Between the late 1500's and 1800's the city was overtaken by people from Burma and Ayutthaya. The moat area was overrun at this time but Chiang Mai regained power in the early 1800's and the gates around the city were rebuilt.


• The first Westerns arrived in Chiang Mai in the early 1800's and the first Christians formed a church in the mid 1800's


• The postal service and railway came to the area in the early 1920's and during WWII many Thai people in the area were contracted to build roads around the Northern region to open up travel through Asia


• It is now the second largest city in Thailand with over 200,000 people

Chiang Mai is a very "Americanized" city from what I have seen over the past couple weeks. There are ATM's, coffee shops, Internet cafes and 7/11's on every block and you can find any type of food from around the world in the city. Chiang Mai attracts many forangs (Thai word for foreigners) who live here permanently or backpack/vacation through the region. I heard that there are over 5,000 Americans who have retired here permanently and I would expect the number of retired Europeans to be even higher (NOTE: A foreigner is not allowed to own more than 49% of any home or building in Thailand. A Thai person must own 51% of a building so I guess if you want to live here you better know a trustworthy Thai!) This city is one big tourist trap and sometimes I feel like it is a European city, because I see more foreigners than Thai people! Trust me I don't stick out here as much as you may think with blond hair and blue eyes.

The moat area remains intact today with 4 major gates in the North, East, South and West that allow access into this central downtown area (see picture above). Here you will find numerous temples, restaurants, hostels, hotels, bars/entertainment and markets. However, I am staying out West of the moat near the university so we see more of the everyday Thai lifestyle. It has been nice to be outside of the "forang area" and around the students. We can walk out onto Suthep Rd. (which is where our resort is located) and find Thai food and delicacies at the street vendors and great markets with fresh fruits and vegetables.

I have really enjoyed Chiang Mai the last couple weeks. It is a beautiful city with lots of things to do in and around the area. It also has a rich history that the people respect and cherish.