Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand. It is
incomparable to Bangkok which has forty times as many inhabitants. The city is
one of the oldest in Thailand. According to legend the city was established in
the thirteenth century by king Mengrai at the foot of the mountain Doi Suthep. Near
Chiang Mai is Wat Phra That Doi Suthep or "Temple on the mountain".
The road to the temple passes a beautiful forest and leads upwards to the temple
built on a 1050 metres high precipice of Doi Suthep. The golden chedi and
the red roofs of the temple rise up above the forest trees. The wat was
built to enshrine a relic of Buddha brought from Sri Lanka to Chiang Mai. The
location for the temple was determined in a traditional way. King Ku Na released
in 1383 a white elephant at the city gate. The elephant went into the
hills, stopped halfway, and then went on to the top. According to legend on his
arrrival the elephant trumpeted three times, turned around three times and knelt
down. The relic was buried on the spot where the elephant had knelt down. It
also marked the spot where the chedi of the temple was constructed. On
both sides of the platform at the beginning of the stairway is a Thorani statue
with streaming water. The stairway, leading upwards to the temple in the shade
of trees, has rails of green and yellow nagas. On top of the stairway two
colourful guards in a pavillion watch the entrance to the temple terrace. On the
terrace, near the stairway, is a statue of the white elephant released by king
Ku Na, with a small chedi on its back. Pavillions near the temple have long rows
of bells. Six entrances lead from the terrace to the temple. The 32 metres high
gilded chedi rises in the centre of the courtyard
up above the Buddha relic and has a quintuple parasol on top. The gallery has
several golden buddha statues. The courtyard has little buddha statuettes
covered with goldleaf. Each statuette has a different pose and represents a
specific day in the week. The terrace offers a great view over the surrounding
environment.
Amongst high teak trees in a forest area of the Mae Sa valley
to the north of Chiang Mai is an elephant training centre. In the past the
centre prepared the elephants for some hard labour in the woods. But because of
the restraint on chopping wood there is no work anymore for the animals. The
training centre has become a tourist attraction. A demonstration in the river
shows how the elephants bathe with a rider or mahout on their backs. A demonstration
in the woods shows how the elephants drag and pile tree trunks. After
these demonstrations tourists can make a tour in
the jungle on the back of an elephant.
In the environment of Chiang Mai is a mountain village
of the Hmong tribe. In the past they used to be the most notorious opium growers
of all mountain peoples, but nowadays they have shifted to the cultivation of
other crops. Their village is traditionally high in the mountains where red
poppies thrive well because of the cool climate. Through the ages the Hmong
spread over a wide area. At the turn of the nineteenth century they
migrated from China to Thailand. They are divided into three subgroups
according to the colour of their traditional dress: the Black Hmong, the White
Hmong and the Blue Hmong. Their traditional dress is noticed for its
colourful embroidery. Many women still have
a traditional vest with an embroidered collar, although modern clothing like
t-shirts is on the rise. The Thai government has made large investments in the
development of the village in an attempt to put an end to its isolation.
Nowadays the village can be reached by an asphalt road. A school contributes to
the education of the children. Their parents get financial support for the
cultivation of alternative crops. The cultivation of opium is severely punished.
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