Thailand 2011 - (Page 6)

CULTURAL HIGHS CONTINUED A must while visiting Chiang Mai is viewing the tradition of umbrella painting. Wat Phan Tao—a beautiful assembly hall that was once a royal residence. Wat Phra Singh is another superb temple, among the most venerated in the city. For the cultural traveler, shopping in the Warorot Market by day and later the Night Bazaar, is a premier attraction, with some of the best buys also found in art galleries and boutique shops. Another must is the Weekend Walking Market, a Chiang Mai institution that takes place every Sunday and starts at Thapae Gate and runs along the length of Ratchadamnoen Road through the heart of the Old City. Visits are also made to silk workshops to see umbrella painting, laquerware or silver-working artistry. Shopping mixes easily with a day or more of learning the secrets of Thai cuisine at a Thai cooking school or trying out a Thai massage, which bears a close resemblance to yoga. Another popular cultural encounter takes visitors outside the city to hilltribe villages, but before going, look ﬁrst into the Tribal Museum, which offers a good introduction to the hill-tribe people of the north. On a tribal village tour, a group may visit three villages and join in elephant trekking, river rides aboard bamboo rafts T6 and costume parades accompanied by music and dance. On more rugged trips of a few days to a week that combine hiking and village stays, trekkers get a special perspective on the lush jungle terrain of Northern Thailand and there are many notfor-proﬁt organizations involved in helping hill-tribe villagers build sustainable tourism initiatives. goods and ceramics. ■ The celebrated and government-supported Thai Elephant Conservation Center (24 miles from Lampang) is one of the best elephant training camps in Northern Thailand. About 12 animals a year arrive here to be trained over a period of ﬁve years. Tourists may watch sessions in which elephants learn stacking, carrying and pushing logs. Additionally, visitors can take 1- to 3-day mahout (elephant driver) training courses. On site is a small museum focusing on the culture and history of elephants in Thailand. ■ The far north of Thailand is known as the Golden Triangle, the meeting point of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. Gateway to this picturesque region is Chiang Rai, a 3-hour drive from Chiang Mai and a delightful province on the Mekong River whose attractions include lovely temples and ﬁne shopping for local silver and hill-tribe crafts. Of great interest are the towns strung out along the Mekong’s Burmese and Lao borders including Nan with its beautiful murals at Wat Phumin and a museum housed in a former royal palace. Each year at the end of October, boat races take place on the river, BEYOND CHIANG MAI ■ Lamphun (16 miles SE) is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Thailand. Founded in 663, the town today is well known for its beautiful women, as well as the annual Longan Festival and the Wat Phra That Hariphunchai, one of the most striking and golden temples in the country. Another special temple complex, Wat Chamadevi, lies a half-mile away. ■ Also near Chiang Mai is the province of Lampang, graced with some of the ﬁnest Burmese temples in Thailand, and outside town is the Wat Phra That Lampang Luang temple, famous for its impressive 19th century murals. From the same era are the teak houses seen throughout the town. Today, teak furniture is just one of the traditional crafts produced here, along with cotton

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Thailand 2011

Cultural Highs
Medical Tourism
Romance, Thai-Style
Think Green
Thailand Tee Times
Muay Thai
A Culinary Feast
All Aboard
Touring Thailand
Fast Facts

Thailand 2011