January 11-12: Chiang Mai
The final leg of my journey back to Vientiane was spent in Chiang Mai, Thailand’s second largest city. I stayed in the tourist center of town and explored the plethora of temples and shops on foot. The usual night market was combined with the final remnants of a holiday market downtown, which offered a dizzying array of handicrafts. The city seemed to me like a more modern version of Vientiane–like the Lao capital it has lots of trendy Western restaurants, but these are supplemented by chain restaurants and a larger ex-pat community, and more tourist attractions.
One of my favorite Chiang Mai moments was when I walked by a local school soccer match being held on the blacktop next to a major temple. The stands were filled with monks, watching and cheering intently for their teams. Although I am used to seeing orange-robed monks in Laos all the time, I still find it charming whenever I see them doing “everyday” things, like texting, or going to 7-11 to get a snack.
Most of my visit to Chiang Mai was spent wandering on my own, soaking in images of the city.
See a gallery of all of the Thailand photos here.
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