Wanna come along for a trip through Chiang Mai? Check out this photo essay – a two miles trip to the Crematorium dogs, the homeless dogs we volunteered with. Check out “The Art Of Taming.”
A very pregnant cat in a shop window. Not for sale, Steve asked. Like all cats, Thai cats love boxes. They also spend time outdoors – usually on a leash, so they don’t get lost.
Drying chilis on the sidewalk. Where else? Garlic, bananas, and sunflower seeds too.
The wood-carved facade of a nearby hotel. Fancy indoor/outdoor style.Fried chicken at a street food stall. It smells heavenly and it tastes even better.Here, 7-11 is the center of the universe. You can get food, alcohol, toothpaste, sim cards, cat food. You can drop packages. You can get married. Ok, that one I made up. But you can meet people…You can grab a cold beer for your lunch. It comes with a straw and a bag.Multifunction barbershop. Haircuts, drinks, music and a little touch-up for your roots.One of the many inexpensive B&B.Tiny Buddhist temple on a side street.Somebody’s tiny garden.Another multipurpose business: Hostel, cockfighting, laundry services.And metal art. Thai are pragmatists. You’ll find toilet paper for sale at the guitar shop and bananas at the gas station.Another lilliputian garden.Motorcycle rental place sporting a graphic reminder: Use a helmet.“Let’s design your trip by your own.” Big Promotion: Buy one-day elephant – get free half-day cooking. Cooking an elephant in half a day? I can barely manage a turkey!Lunch: Tom Sum: Papaya salad with grilled pork neck. The green papaya is pounded with green beans, chilis, palm sugar and tomatoes. Spicy, scrumptious and only 50 baht.The 700 years old wall around Chiang Mai. This is the restored South side.Negotiating a SongTaw, an open truck trucking people around. How much for a kid? How much for two?Fresh fruit and their vendor. Can you spot him? Working hard or hardly working?BYOS. Bring your own shade.Traditional Thai medical clinic. They offer twelve types of massage and Tantric Yoga.Bank guarded by its silver dragons.Coffee shop. A good place to spend a morning chilling with friends, enjoying the splendid coffees or taking advantage of the free wifi. Chiang Mai is a top 5 city in the world of digital nomads.Supply store for professional car thieves.Recycling: Sandals made from old tires. For sale at the pet store. Why? Why not?Roadside cafe. The uplifted greeter is promoting the craft shop upstairs.Parking for stone warriors only. It works for scooters and dragons too.Young monk crossing the street. He may be old enough to retire before he gets to the other side.Buddha convention at an antique store.My usual Thai massage is 200 baht. These girls must be prettier.Spectacular dragon fountain in a parking lot.Masked monk. Air deteriorates during the dry season, due to crop burning.Beautiful crafts, some Thai, some from the nomadic Hill Tribes.A spirit house with its offerings. Strawberry soda is always a hit. MUST have a straw. The spirits couldn’t drink it otherwise.Holy cow! The donation box is a safe.Witches transportation authority. Or HomeGoods store. Maybe both.Old fashioned record store.Legal coffee house.Take off your shoes. Podiatry? Nope. House of Dentists.Multipurpose store: Coffee. Pastries. Vintage furniture. Cake. Imported beer.THE fire truck.“Finally! Where’s my blood cake?”
Rada Jones is an Emergency Doc in Upstate NY, where she lives with her husband, Steve, and his cat Paxil. Her ER thriller OVERDOSE is now on Amazon.com.
