The Three Kings Monument was completed in 1984 to commemorate the mutual defense agreement of three kingdoms which was established in 1287. These kings: Mengrai of LanNa, Phaya Ngam Muang, ruler of Phayao and King Ramkhamhaeng, King of Sukhothai, took an oath to support each other at the site of the proposed "New City" on the Ping River. Construction began in 1296 and Chiang Mai would become the capital of Northern Thailand.
Chiang Mai, like all of Northern Thailand, has been a land of many cultures. There is also wide diversity in the expat population. This group of women, along with others, meet on Friday's for lunch. Starting with the woman on the left, the nationalities are the USA, Switzerland, the Philippines, Fiji (seated), Italy, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Germany.
River systems are more than important to the lives of every living soul in Thailand. They are systems of transportation, recreation, sources of food, and important to the spiritual and political lives of the people.
The Ping River forms at Doi (Mount) Thuai in Chiang Mai province in northern Thailand at 1,700 m/5,600 ft above sea level and flows generally south for 658 km/409 miles until its confluence with the Nan River where it becomes the great and famous Chao Phraya River. There is evidence of habitation along the Ping River as a far back as 1500 BCE [Wikipedia]. The Ping Basin is one of the largest of the Chao Phraya Watershed, draining 33,896 square kilometers/13,087 square miles of land.
Since early times houses have been built on stilts to accommodate flooding. In rural areas flooding is perceived positively as floods bring nutrient rich soil to farmlands.
The Ping River during flooding
The Old City of Chiang Mai still exists today. Only 1.5 square kilometers in size, It is surrounded by a moat and is marked by ancient gates and the remains of walls built with brick. Inside the walled city is a population of about 127,000. The entire Chiang Mai city District has 1.3 million people and Chiang Mai Province 1.8 million.
The best preserved area of the wall is on the east side at Tha Phae Gate. It is a popular place for events and photos.
Chinese tourists rented traditional Thai costumes and had their pictures taken at Tha Phae Gate.
In the old city there are enough peaceful streets like this for enjoyable walks.
Chiang Mai is very safe - day and night. Stealing is very rare and often, such as in the next image, motorcycles are left unlocked. Computers are left on tables in coffee shops while the owners leave the table, perhaps for a long time.
Housing varies from poverty level to very modest to quite grand. Chiang Mai has a large middle-class and many wealthy residents.
I live in the pink building on an upper story with a sweeping view. My neighborhood is full of restaurants and coffee shops as well as a fashion mall.
Inside the city there are many places that offer an interesting natural environment
Flower Festival
Huge stalk of bananas in my neighborhood.
The old mingles with the new.
There are more than thirty temples in the Old City. Province wide there are over 300.
Wat Wat Sri Suphan (the Silver Temple)
Wat Santidham
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
Wat Phra Singh
markets sell everything from high-end electronics to worms for your lunch.
Gold has always been a method of banking in Thailand. Gold and gems have traditionally been collected in the sands/rubble of the rivers. Now one has to apply for a concession to pan gold.
Robots cruise the aisles of grocery stores, even speaking in English.
There are many marijuana stores in Chiang Mai
Chinese NEW Year
A favorite pastime of adolescent girls is to attend anime festivals, often held in shopping malls.
Dining options range from simple Thai dishes that can be had for a couple of dollars to elaborate fine dining.
Mango dishes are a favorite. I like the smoothies.
Here Areeya Suksiri takes on a huge dessert and she conquered it
Thai students overwhelm street vendors when school lets out.
