Chiang Mai is Thailand’s second largest city. It certainly wasn’t so large when we first visited in the 1990’s, when it was most famous for Songkran, the Thai water festival, and the fact that Good Morning Viet Nam was filmed there. Now it has a population of over a million people and the old city stands as an oasis in a grand metropolis that spreads for miles in each direction. Nevertheless, at its centre, it still retains an “old Thailand” vibe, with its bustling Night Market.

This city, in my mind, was the gateway to an area synonymous with the growing and shipment of opium, which comprised the area bordered by Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and the borders with Myanmar and Laos. Indeed this area was notorious for such trade, particularly in the sixties and seventies. Nowadays the term “Golden Triangle” is more commonly a reference to the town of Sop Ruak, which lies at the point where the Ruak River, which forms the Thailand-Myanmar border, meets the mighty Mekong, Here, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet.

Pat also taught me another term that I’d not heard before…she’s done that quite often over the years…”Banana Pancake Trail.” Apparently this was popularised during the 70’s and 80’s to describe the trail followed by backpackers around South East Asia and referred to the basic, cheap, nutritional breakfast available to them by the hostels in this part of the world. Every day is a school day.

On the day of our arrival in Chiang Mai we were a little disappointed to find many of the shops and restaurant/cafes in the centre closed. However, on enquiry, a delightful lady, who it turned out was married to a Scotsman, explained that the King was visiting. Only the third time in the history of the monarchy that a sitting King had visited. For the record Rama 6, Rama 7 and now Rama 10. Local community dance groups, literally of all ages, lined the route to the central plaza.

In Chiang Rai we visited Buddhist temples, of course. Many with emerald and golden Buddhas. One of the more unusual temples, is the Silver Temple.

The custodians of this edifice enforce a strict entry policy, but without applying a fair entry payment policy. Slightly unfair to women to have to pay but not be able to go in! Proof positive that religious rules were devised by men!

Chiang Rai is close to two famous temples, namely, The White Temple and The Blue Temple. They do exactly as it says on the tin. Each is very impressive and whilst a little gaudy, they are each, beautiful and attractive at the same time.

On previous trips I have come across many informative noticeboards containing warnings and the like.I recall getting told what to do in the event of coming face to face with a grizzly bear. I’m not convinced that standing tall, looking big and waving a stick would have been particularly effective but hey ho!

In this part of the world it is the mis-translation or mis-transcription that can provide amusement. We came across the following, very informative board at the entrance to a 3 kilometre trail to a waterfall outside Chiang Rai.

Some are clear and practical advices and/or instructions. Stay on the trail; alcohol not allowed etc. Others have, unfortunately been cursed by the omission of some letters viz “Guns, rearms or weapons” and “Gathering of ora prohibited”. However, “Do not write” and “Keep clean“, as the 8th and 10th Commandments demand, have clearly lost something in translation. Presumably they mean No Graffiti and Keep Tidy, rather than “No Blogging” and “keep a sense of personal hygeine” as I might interpret them.

Finally, I should exlain the redicament that I find myself in, which is causing me issues when comiling this blog. It is not only the roducers of information boards that need to sub edit their work to avoid missing letters before ublishing.

I carry with me a lato, which I bought in Central America 3 years ago. Indeed, I am using it to tye this blog. Unfortunately, after a few days away, it develoed a roblem. art of the to right hand corner of the keyboard decided to cease to function. As a result I unable to tye the letter , or the closing bracket or the ( minus sign , or the numeric (zero . My Backsace key works but I have had to resort to using the onscreen keyboard to log on (my assword has some zeros, and when tying the letter in articular. It results as you can see in a cross between the scrit for a Two Ronnies sketch and a age from James Joyces “Ulysses”. (Did I mention that the aostrohe key isnt working either.

I recall the TV rogramme ” Blockbusters”, hosted by Bob Holness, where the catchhrase, taken from its inadvertent use by one young contestant became ” Can I have a lease Bob. Funny at the time. It really doesnt work when tyed here on my defective keyboard.

Toodle i