Kalm Village

Kalm Village is an art, craft and culture center not far behind the Chiang Mai Gate market. Barbara told us about it and Dan checked it out. Sunday morning we walked over there (it opens at 9:30). What an amazing, beautiful place!

The first section we went into had a large display of handmade caned chairs. They are beautiful, many with multiple colors.

There is an interesting-looking restaurant, which wasn't open so early. But the coffee shop was. We had a drink and enjoyed the lovely ambiance. Beautiful pottery for sale along the back wall.

A library was upstairs from the coffee shop. Again, a nice relaxing atmosphere to sit and enjoy.

The stairway leading up had several steps with carving, a nice touch.

A display area had many clay water whistles. This is just one; they all had amazing designs. You can see a vase-like extension in the back. When it has water in it and the item is tilted, it whistles. A video screen demonstrated.

Three shops had beautiful textiles and home goods. I liked the dressing room!

Today is Tuesday morning in Thailand. I'll be heading home tomorrow. Dan will be staying on, as he enjoys the heat! Thanks for following along.

Lamphun

After touring the temple and museum, we went to the Terracotta Garden. The coffee shop is on the grounds of a large site where hand-carved terracotta art products are created. The terracotta art is modelled on ancient S.E Asian styles, and there are examples all around.

Looking across the lawn from our outdoor seating at the cafe. Even though it was a hot day, our seats were in the shade and it was very comfortable.

Barbara with her fancy drink of chocolate and sweet potato. Mine was chocolate and banana.

We both had the burrata salad with delicious tomatoes and pieces of dragon fruit.

This structure was across a lake.

We had to cross this bamboo bridge, which wasn't very enjoyable!

One of the many sculptures that caught my eye.

On the drive home we took the old Lamphun road. It is lined with large trees that have been "ordained" by monks so they can't be cut down. Many are gone already.

Our last stop of the day was at a huge second-hand shop. It had everything you could imagine, plus lots of old TVs just in case you want to make an aquarium or decorate a home in 1950s-60s style!

Hari Phun Chai Museum

The Hari Phun Chai Museum was just across the street from the temple. It is very well done, with good English translations of the Thai signage.

We started on the lower level, which had dozens of inscribed stone tablets. One of the signs noted that the tablet was used for communication -- no paper yet for messages. This is just one of them.

The main level of the museum had many exhibits and I can only show a few of them here. Near the beginning was this display showing the old town with the temple at the center. There was a movie which our guide kindly started for us. As it talked about the history of the place, various areas of the map would light up. It was very impressive.

One of the many terra cotta (and bronze) heads. This was had a particularly funny expression.

A lovely seated bronze Buddha.

They had displays of many smaller Buddha statues in different materials. These are wooden ones.

When I saw this large item, I thought, oh, a headboard! (Just the right size.) But, no, it is a candle holder. I loved the snake carvings.

This embroidered textile shows part of the Buddha story. It was about a yard or meter wide.

This lovely young woman followed us around after taking our admission fee. She turned on two videos for us and answered some questions we had.

A Trip to Lamphun

Thursday I enjoyed another out-of-town trip with Barbara. This time we headed to Lamphun, an old town about a half-hour south of Chiang Mai. Our first stop was Wat Haripunchai, a very large complex. There was so much interesting to see!

Sign at the entrance where we found a parking spot

This part is under construction

We saw this wonderful group of pre-schoolers. As they passed us all in a line, they waved and said hello, and of course we did too. So cute! Later we saw their shoes lined up outside one of the temple areas.

Inside the main temple area. As always, there is a large golden Buddha at the front. There were several people meditating and praying.

There were ornate decorations everywhere. The walls had large murals with the story of the Mon Princess who ruled this area over 1000 years ago. Usually this type of mural tells the story of Buddha's life. In this case, there were smaller pictures below the large murals for that.

We were able to walk completely around this large golden chedi after we removed our shoes. There were people lighting candles along the way, and some were putting oil into a boat-like structure.

Many small bells on the circumference

And quite a few of these large ones. People were pulling the rope to make them ring.

There were a lot of roosters at this place. I liked this display of many different sizes.

After spending a good amount of time in the temple complex, we crossed the road to the museum. More on that later.

Eating!

Now that I only have about a week left before heading home, I want to be sure to revisit my favorite dishes. Last night we went back to the Guitar Bar so I could have my favorite pineapple fried rice. It has bits of chicken and a few small shrimp along with the rice, raisins, and vegetables. Delicious!

Dan had one of his favorites, Panang curry with pork (steamed rice alongside).

These are the salt and pepper shakers at the Guitar Bar. Cute!

There's a place at Chiang Mai Gate where someone makes samosas every evening. Two chicken and two veg (potato) made plenty for our supper. We like them with some sauce and yogurt. The bowl is made from a banana leaf, great way to serve them.

We do like a snack in the afternoon. There are usually cashews and dried mango available, and we've gotten fond of these, Kanom Dok Jog in Thai, Lotus Flower Cookies in English. They are crunchy, just slightly sweet, and have a good though mild flavor. I found a great video on YouTube that shows how they are made. Maybe this link will work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVQD55PMavo&t=8s

A reliable place to find them is a kiosk on the sidewalk between our place and Chiang Mai Gate. They cost 20 baht (about 70 cents) for a bag of five). They break easily, so I try to pack them carefully into my string backpack.

The Consul's Garden

Barbara suggested we meet up for lunch at a restaurant set in the gardens of the British consul in Chiang Mai in the early 1900s. As expected, this was a beautiful place, right on the river. It was an enormous grounds, with at least three residences on the property. The lawns were enormous.

Near the entrance was a fountain and a welcoming wall.

As we neared the restaurant, we walked through this lovely arcade. There were a couple of other old cars on the property that we saw later.

The decor was interesting. There were both a piano and a pump organ. I suspect neither was in playable condition. Not sure how Mona Lisa fits in here, but there she was on the wall. And a violin!

Looking out toward the river from our seats. This is through the window, explaining the shadows.

Dan had fish and chips, a perennial favorite, and it was good.

I had a club sandwich, served on very nice whole-wheat bread.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the toothpicks that held my sandwich together. How cute is that?

Barbara had a breakfast plate with a lovely croissant.

When we stepped out of the air-conditioned room after eating, I was met with a wall of heat. Both Dan and Barbara said how wonderful it felt. Yes, the air-con was a bit on the cool side, but not too much for me!

Sam Kamphaeng Hot Springs

Our next stop was the hot springs. It is a huge installation, with picnic and camping grounds, a restaurant, and lots of space. We found a parking place and walked over to the source.

Here I am in front of the sign

The nonstop geysers at the source

Near the geysers was a very hot pool. It had hooks all around the edge. People would buy small baskets, put eggs in them, and hang them in the water to cook. It seemed to be a popular activity.

The hot water flowed through a small channel for some distance. At the far end was a covered area with a pool for bathing. We got changed and showered, then went up the steps to the pool area. It turned out to be hotter than I expected, and I was only able to stay in for a couple of minutes. The pool was large and there were only a few other people there. Sadly, I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped I would.

After we got changed back into our clothes, we decided to have foot massages at the nearby pavilion. 30 minutes of pure pleasure!

On our way out, we stopped for some water and ice cream bars. A nice treat after dealing with the heat! And this beautiful tree covered our pathway.