Love & Wisdom in Chiang Mai

Sasima House

Before going to Thailand, I have already booked the house. We preferred a house to rooms at hotel. Sasima was a clean house. It looked it was a small house but when went inside, it had some rooms which were very clean and comfortable. The students really enjoyed to stay in Sasima house.

In the morning, after having a night in Sasima house, we were ready to take a walk around Chiang Mai to Old City. We would go around from one temple to other temples.

Morning in Chiang Mai, it was different from Bangkok and Uthai Thani that we were ever in those provinces. It was at 7.00 a.m, but it was still dark and cold. It was not the same with Bangkok which was very hot.

Wat Jet Lin

It looked like a simple temple. We went inside and looked around. We met some monks and having talked to them talking about wisdom with monks that stayed in that temple. My student tried to have communication with them also took a photo with other monks who also as the guests.

Wat Jedi Luang

This temple was more popular than the previous one. We spent more time in this location. We also talked to other guests. She said hello to me because she knew me from Indonesia by reading the word Indonesia on the back of my t-shirt.

Three Kings monument

This monument was so impressive that made me want to know about those kings. They were King Mengrai, the founder of Chiang Mai; his contemporary and reportedly good friend King Ramkamhaeng of Sukothai; and King Ngam Muang of Payao.

The sculpture stands in front of the old provincial administration building, which now houses the Chiang Mai City  Art & Cultural Center .

Chiangmai City Arts and Cultural Centre

I, my students did not go inside the building. We had to pay or buy the tickets. The students did not like to inside and were not interested to see what were inside. We just were at the gate and in front of the building then left.

Wat Phra Sing

The temple’s full name is Wat Phra Singh Woramahaviharn.  King Phayu  was the fifth ruler of the Mengrai dynasty of the Lanna kingdom and ruled from 1336 until 1355. He started the construction of the temple in 1345 to house the ashes of his father, King Khamfu. Initially, the temple was named Wat Lichiang Phra. Several buildings were added a few years later including a wihan. It is the assembly hall where monks and laypeople congregate. The temple may have been the first monastery to house the Emerald Buddha, which later resided in  Wat Chedi Luang . This Buddha image is now enshrined in Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok.

Masjid Nurul and Muslim Kampoong

Being very hungry after having a long walk visiting some temples and monument, we needed to find the halal food. It was not so easy to get the halal food in Chiang Mai because we had nobody that we knew in that province. So the best way to find the halal food by finding Masjid, logically we could find or meet muslims around the masjid.

My students and my friend asked the location of the masjid near Wat Phra Sing. Someone suggested us to take a Red Car (Public transportation in Chiang Mai) to go to a nearer Masjid. I just followed them. Arriving in the masjid, we found it closed. I tried to ask someone whose house near the masjid but she did not speak English.

I just asked Allah in my heart, and then followed my feet stepped and found muslim area/kampoong behind the masjid.

My students found a small food shop and bought the lunch there. And I went behind that food shop, to find a place for sholat. I met Jamal, an Indian muslim that stayed in Chiang Mai. We talked as if we knew each other for long time. My students also thought he was my friend. Actually I knew him at about 5 minutes.

He helped us to go back to Sasima house by asking his neighbour who had a Red car. We did not the address of Sasima but we had the phone number of that house.

Jamal phoned the owner of the house and asked the address so that the driver of the red car could bring us back to Sasima house.