My Thailand Budget Travel part 2

My Thailand Budget Travel

Thailand Trip Day 11 

 

Day 11 : After settle down, today early morning I start to explore this beautiful old town city Chiang Mai. Take Tha Pae Gate as base direction, I headed to north and south direction until I see another moat gate of Chiang Mai old city at each direction.

If you walk slowly, each direction to another moat gate takes you about 30 minutes. On the way there are few small lane on the left and right of the main road flourishing with coffee shops, guesthouses, tour packages agencies, massage shops, local residence houses, stalls selling foods and drinks, and Wat (temple).

To mentioned too, local food here are ranging from 25 baht to 50 baht and the drinks are ranging from 15 baht to 35 baht. For the coffee shops that built along the central Chiang Mai targeted to tourists, the food prices range from 60 baht to 250 baht and above and the coffee drinks prices range from 45 baht and above. In addition, cross the road of Tha Pae Gate do have international fast food chain shop – Mc Donald and Starbucks. Local foods here are quite small portion per dishes.

Day 12 : Wake up early morning, I start to explore towards east and west direction of Tha Pae Gate. Walk eastward takes me to famous market, Warorot Market and Ton Lam Yai Market. These 2 market is combination of wet market and dry market and do have stalls selling clothes, handicraft, and foods. The chestnuts (500 gram for 180 baht) here is very fragrance and crunchy, highly recommended. Both markets occupy quite large scale of spaces. There are a lot of other shops and goldsmith shops in this area.

When I arrive here at 7 am, Warorot Market and Ton Lam Yai Market are just open, but some stalls selling clothes and handicraft are not opened yet, and the besides shophouses are not open shops yet. The rest of the shops and stalls here opened at 9 am.

Opposite road of these 2 markets is Chiang Mai old city famous Night Bazaar. It starts operate every night from 7 pm until 1 am midnight. Night Bazaar gathers many western and Asian tourists especially those who are stay at star hotels. Few with stars big hotels are operated here. It has a lot of stalls open stretch along the shops and Anusarn Market (night market). Anusarn market does have stage performing Thailand traditional dance and besides of it is eateries food court. The journey to Warorot Market, Ton Lam Yai Market, Night Bazaar take around 20 minutes from Tha Pae Gate.

Afternoon I walk westward to Wat Phra Singh. Wat Phra Singh is a famous and big temple inside Chiang Mai old city precinct, together with Wat Chedi Luang. Both Wat Phra Singh and Wat Chedi Luang attract tourist buses bring in tourist to visit these over few hundreds years historical temple. Wat Phra Singh do have 700 years of history. 

On Sunday, Sunday Market is operated here stretching along the road from Wat Phra Singh to Tha Pae Gate. It takes 20 minutes to walk from Tha Pae Gate to Wat Phra Singh. If you like to stroll night market and buying, it might take you more than 3 hours to walk along the Sunday Market. Always bargain before you buy, normally around 20% of selling price. However, some minor stalls don’t let you bargain. Sunday Market is the most famous market in Chiang Mai and has the most local people coming here.

Thailand Trip Day 15 

Day 15 – Day 16 : Today is a great day. I get acquaintance to 2 pretty tourists came from Chong Qing province of China whom have become teacher in exchange to Bangkok and Sukhodai  to teach Chinese for 1 year in Thailand local school. Taking chance of school holiday now, they are travel around to Chiang Mai, Pai, Koh Samui, Phuket, and then Singapore. It is most precious moment and memory for a backpacker knowing other backpacker in the journey, sharing same interest and difference experiences.

We go to famous Night Bazaar and Sunday Market together. These large scale night markets are really suitable for travelers to walk around and see this country culture based on the foods, local people, traditional clothes, handicraft, souvenirs, arts, wooden carving arts, and music dance performing. I think lady will definitely like here for all the clothes, bags, scarf, and souvenir stuffs. 3 hours is really too short for us to hang around at Sunday Market (start to close after 11pm).

Before going to Sunday Market, we are having our dinner at Chiang Mai largest hot pot venue at Sukhontha Buffet. It is the largest hot pot venue I ever seen, which occupies large space of area. It contains more than hundred of tables. In Chinese word, it is called thousand people buffet.

If you want to try different kinds of Thailand foods, come to Sukhontha Buffet. Sukhontha Buffet have every types of Thailand foods you look for, ranging from raw hot pot dishes, cooked Thailand foods ready to served, dim sum, drinks, fruits, cookies, salad, donut, and cakes. Their hot pot is a round dome hot pot with middle round dome shape used for grill and surrounded by narrow round hot water filled area used to boil dishes.

Sukhontha Buffet is really worth to try. It only charges 210 baht per person. Besides that, it has stage that performs the local music and some funny shows. It is really funny, really.

Chen Jun, Jian Li and Xiao Kui are the friend that I met and known in the journey of 3 months meditation and chanting. Although the time together is short, these are really precious friendship and will remain in my memory for long lasting. I wishes all the best to them and followed by peace, happiness, stay health and blessed in their life.

Thailand Trip Day 17 

Day 17 – Day 30 : Entering meditation mode again. Now I am able to meditate for 1 hour for each walking meditation and sitting meditation. Of course there still have distraction thinking flow through my mind. Applying mindfulness of the thinking, and let it go.

For my daily meals, I eat vegetable powder brought from Singapore, a glass of milk, and some chestnut and dry longan for my breakfast. For lunch I eat beef noodle soup (35 baht), and a glass of milk, some chestnut and dry longan, banana, apple, tomato and small portion of carrot for my dinner. Rice and meat will lead to yawning and feel sleepy when doing sitting meditation.

For the 20 days of stay at Chiang Mai old city, I observed and realized that there are 70% of tourists are westerner and 30% of tourists are Asian. 98% of Asian tourists are China people. I observe that 70% of China tourists are pure female group like single 1 person, 2 people, 3 people and 4 people. It look like China people more willing to travel to more rural and less develop countryside for its nature scenery views, historical sites and local tribes culture and lifestyles than any other Asian country. Also, China female is more independence and more willing to embrace to these kinds of travel sites.

Tips : Laundry (wash and dry using machine, 7 kg) – 80 baht,

Bicycle rental : 50 baht per day, Motorbike rental : 250 baht per day

7 Eleven / Bank / Money exchange / Pharmacy / Guesthouses / Coffee shops / Songthaew can be found at everywhere of Chiang Mai Old City.

Update of Wat Rampoeng :

At Wat Rampoeng, I wake up at 3.40 am and 4 am start to meditate. 6 am the bell ring for breakfast. 

After breakfast, meditator go back to own room take a short break, and sweeping the courtyard leaves then continue meditation. 10.30am will ring bell for lunch. After lunch, meditator will go back to sweep own room, bath and then continue meditate. For the meals, there are vegetarian meals and meat meals for meditator to choose. The meals are prepared by central kitchen. Before we eat, we will chant first with meaning of consciousness of the purpose we having the meals. After that we will eat slowly and mindfully. We wash our own plate after eat. No foods are allowed after midday. However, liquid drinks like milk are allowed whole day. You can buy milk at temple shop. At 5pm to 6pm, Wat Rampoeng does prepare high sugar drinks for meditator. In monastery, all eating and drinking must be in sitting position, absolutely no stand / walk while eat or drinks.

Every 7am to 7.30am, there will have Buddha devotees bring the foods and drinks to Wat Rampoeng and queue up in a row to offer to monks. The monks will queue up and attend to each of the devotees to accept the alms foods.

For the first day in Wat Rampoeng, I meditate for 8 hours, started with 15 minutes for each walking meditation and sitting meditation in rotation. For the second days meditate up to 9 hours with 20 minutes walking meditation and sitting meditation in rotation. The consequences 3 days I meditate for 10 hours per day with 25 minutes and 30 minutes for each walking meditation and sitting meditation until my leaving.

The goal of Wat Rampoeng Insight Meditation is to gain a clear, complete understanding of the three obvious characteristics: Impermanence, Suffering and Non-Self. Having gained an insight into the three characteristics, the meditator realized that everything in this world is transient, subject to suffering and uncontrollable. Thus the mind abandons the desire to acquire, to have and to be.

My Thailand Budget Travel

Thailand budget travel

Thailand Trip Day 1

 

Day 1 : Take 2.45pm flight to Bangkok. The flight takes 2 hours to arrive Bangkok Thailand. Thailand time zone is one hour behind Singapore time zone. However, Thailand daylight and night are same to Singapore. It means at 7 pm at Thailand, the sky as dark as 8pm in Singapore. My smartphone timing is automatically adjusted to Thailand time zone timing. I take the Airport Rail Link to Hua Lamphong railway station.

After 4 hours waiting at Hua Lamphong railway station, I onboard to 10pm train to Chiang Mai. The experience in the train is not bad though. Sometimes I feel the sleeper bed bumping up and down when lying. This will especially obvious if you take upper decker sleeper seat. The train contains three difference section/kinds of seat – air-con sleeper seat, non air-con sleeper seat, and normal sitting seat. I realize all westerner take non air-con sleeper seat. Non air-con seats have open window to let the fresh air flow in. The train is clean and comfortable.

The train takes 17 hours to arrive Chiang Mai railway station, after traverse through villages, paddy fields, and greenery jungle road. The panoramic near to Chiang Mai along the journey is really nice and like picturesque. Looking far forward, it was flat land covered by greenery paddy field, and scarecrow squatting at the passageway of paddy field, some wear clothes and some without. They are like a guardian help their owner to take care of the paddy field from intruder. The air is so fresh when I stand at the connecting cabin section looking outside, breathing and taking photo.

The train was delayed two hours to reach Chiang Mai railway station. It is common for the delay of train in Thailand. The delay normally can go up to 4 hours for Bangkok to Chiang Mai journey.

Day 2 : After arriving Chiang Mai railway station at 3pm, I take a Tuk-tuk to my hotel with the journey of 15 minutes drive away. It costs me 100 baht (actually less than 50 baht can get the Tuk-tuk already, and Songthaew roughly 30 baht, being ripped off).

When check in hotel, receptionist request for credit card details. I let them write down my credit card detail (this is really wrongdoing). After checking into my hotel room and bathed, I called my credit card bank to cancel my credit card functionality. Remember to insist of not providing credit card details to hotel receptionist (it is not compulsory and many tourists not given). It is my mistake for not thinking further and wisely. At the end they told me this is for deposit purpose in case I consume the drinks and snack inside the hotel room.

After that, I meet with another lady backpacker who takes upper decker sleeper seat with me on the train, and go to visit Chiang Mai University. Chiang Mai University is one of the recommended must go tourist spot in Chiang Mai. It covered large space of areas and have a lot of plants and greenery spaces. Here also places for me to understand their university’s environment, facilities and study culture.

At night, we go to Wat Phra Singh and Sunday Market. Wat Phra Singh was raised to the status of royal Wat (first class) under the royal patronage in 1941 AD. Sunday Market is just in front of Wat Phra Singh and stretch along the way to Tha Pae Gate. At Sunday Market you can see stalls selling local design clothes, handicraft, arts, wooden carving handicrafts, foods, fruit drinks, shoes and etc. You must bargain to get better price and the bargain normally around 20% of the selling prices.

Day 3 : Wake up early morning, today I take Songthaew (pickup taxi) to Doi Suthep temple Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (160 baht for round trip). Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is the most famous temple in Chiang Mai. It located at the middle of Doi Suthep hillside. Doi Suthep’s scenery is so picturesque and serene. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep receives a lot of tourists either Asian or westerner. 

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep was built by King Phaya Kue Na of Lanna kingdom. King Phaya Kue Na engaged the Lord Buddha’s relics that he kept in his shrine for 13 years to the pagoda of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. He took the relics on the back of elephant and prayed for the sacred place. The elephant walked to the sacred Doi Suthep mountain and showed the significance that this is the most suitable place to keep the sacred relics by acclaiming and walking around for 3 times.

For traveler and backpacker, you can rent a motorbike costs 150 baht per day to go to Doi Suthep and Chiang Mai University. Chiang Mai University is next to the foot of Doi Suthep Mountain. From foot of Doi Suthep to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (entrance fee 30 baht) takes around 20 minutes journey. On the way up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, the most sacred monument of Kruba Siwichai was established as another place for the people to worship. You can relax at the beautiful natural waterfall of Montatarn as well as another sacred temple, Wat Palard, which is the first stop of the sacred elephant while took the journey of sacred relics to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.

Futher up of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is Bhuping Palace (entrance fee 50 baht). Bhuping Place is the royal winter residence in Chiang Mai where the Royal family stays during seasonal visits to the people in the northern Thailand. There is many beautiful flowers planted in Bhuping Palace. 

Thailand Trip Day 4 

 

Day 4 – Day 9 : Today mark the start of my meditation course. At 9.30am I take Songthaew to Wat Rampoeng, Northern Insight Meditation Centre. Wat Rampoeng provides 10 days and 26 days basic meditation course. It accepts international students (foreign meditation people). They do have monk able to speak English and as translator between foreigner and abbot when reporting.

Before you decide to go Wat Rampoeng to meditate, you should have resolution and dedicated mindset to meditate. It is really tough for those who like to talk. There are no talking, no handphone and no communication. What you do since you wake up at 4am until sleep at 10 pm is meditate, meditate, and meditate.

The meditation starts with mindfulness prostration. After that, proceed to walking meditation and then sitting meditation. Walking meditation and sitting meditation interchange every 15 minutes. The walking meditation and sitting meditation duration are increase everyday by 5 minutes. Sometimes depend on condition whereby when reporting and abbot review your progress, abbot allows you to maintain for same meditation duration.

At the last 3 days of 26 days basic course, you will be requested to meditate for 3 days 3 nights non stop without sleep. However, it is still dependence on individual meditator.

Meditation is really worth to experience, because it strengthen your mindset, allow you to face all the challenges with calm and resolution.

Day 10 – I am discharge from Wat Rampoeng. It is mistake cause by English language misunderstanding. Although later the foreign meditator officer ask me to stay back since it was cause by mistake, I decided to leave since I already done the closing ceremony without giving reason to abbot when asked why to leave the day before.

After left Wat Rampoeng, I headed to Tha Pae Gate as recommended by monk Phra Lim from Wat Rampoeng by motorbike (arranged by Phra Lim, really thanks to him) and then Songthaew. 

Tha Pae Gate is a place where guesthouses were flourished. The guesthouses here range from 200 baht for single fan room to 550 baht for twin air-con room. It also depend on quality of guesthouses, some even expensive than hotel. Tha Pae gate is located central of Chiang Mai. You can reach Night Bazaar, Sunday Market, Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra Singh, Warorot Market and Ton Yam Lai market within walking distance. Each guesthouse do have own restaurant that provides foods (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and drinks with prices range from 50 baht to 150 baht. I strongly recommend all backpacker and traveler to rent a bicycle with 50 baht per day to tour around Chiang Mai ancient city. 

Chiang Mai ancient city is a tranquil and beauty city surrounding by moat and wat.

My recommendation is Julie guesthouse and Kavil guesthouse (for backpacker who looks for cheap accommodation). They look more promising in quality and cleanliness. If you see some ants and mosquito, it is normal in northern Thailand. All houses here‘s door and windows are covered by mosquito net to prevent mosquito and ants and insects entry. Julie guesthouse (180 baht per single fan room) is most popular among the tourist especially westerner backpacker.

All of the guesthouses here do provide hot water bath and Wi Fi (signal always very low). Some of guesthouses are awarded with certificate by Lonely Planet, Trip Advisor, Rough Guides and sticker of recommendation. You can take this as clue and gauge for the quality. I am late when arrive here, so I don’t notice it at the time.