A Morning offering, the police and taking it to the Mountains! (Tuesday)

So last night I met an expat called Mark who was 60 and super awesome. He’s a Canadian and has lived a bit all over. He’s here because his wife is visiting her family in Burma. He showed me one of the markets and took me around a bit on the back of his Scooter. He also walked me through some safety for scooter use in Chiang Mai.

So today I got up at 6am and then found a monk and gave him an offering. Offerings have to be at least 3 things, water, food, snack. The Thai prefer it to be in the number 9 – so 3 water bottles, 3 ramen noodles (recommended because they can be redonate) and 3 small biscuit/cookie containers. I knelt on the street as you are meant to do (but then I messed it up by not taking off shoes and standing up too early but it was fine) and received a morning blessing.

After that and breakfast, I walked home. Meeting this cat on the way who was looking for business.

I went and rented a scooter, gave them a photocopy of my passport, $250B per day and a $3KB deposit. I then headed off to the mountains. This was probably one of my best days – the feeling of freedom etc. able to do my own thing, getting off the beaten path.

15 minutes later once out of old Chiang Mai I am stopped by the police….. and because I don’t have an international driving permit, they want to take my license and I have to go to station. I am driving without and International driving permit because technically under the 1949 UN traffic law – drivers licenses printed in English with photo’s count (its a debate in a lot of boards). My thai wasn’t good enough so – “Can I just pay the fine now” “Yes, you can drive 1 day, 500Baht”, I pay the fine and I am on my way. I ask him if I get stopped anywhere (he knows I’m on way to Mon Cham) what to say – and he says tell them you pay at old Chiang mai. I do recognize he makes a glance at my plate. Interestingly its the Chinese and whites people getting pulled over on the easily recognized scooters/bikes with numbers on the front. As I have a Motorcycle license I am comfortable on the scooter however the number of tourists with nothing…. its an adventure.

So I head to Mon Cham but I make an awesome missed turn and end up in a different mountain art the Sandeng Forest. It was so worth it. Ran into a few travelers on bike’s who’d had the same experience I had.

I turned the bike around and head to Mon Cham, where I had pork fried rice over looking the mountain. You are surrounded by flower fields and on the way up there are a bunch of stalls of locals trying to sell things. I didn’t do the go-cart run at the top.

On the way back down the mountain I stopped into a coffee shop for some Thai tea and a required bathroom break and had a stunning view.

As I start back I go via the Mae Sa waterfall chain which is lovely. The security guard said it was only 1km, but didn’t mention that it was steep. It wasn’t Mindo though I did have moments – but I was going to reach the 10th fall!!!

Is this built for Thai people or Big People?

I headed back to Chiang Mai to see if I could speak to Monks at Wat Sri Suphan, the silver temple. The temple was pretty and covered in silver metals, this is funded by all the silver smiths in the surrounding district. It is the first temple I’ve see which was men only. I don’t know why. Unfortunately even though its time for monk chat, once again no monks. As this is my 3rd strike this week…..