Thailand > Practicing English with the monks

Today we have a free day. I sleep in and set the alarm for nine o’clock. After that, I have a leisurely breakfast. At the reception I buy postcards to send home. Then we walk into the neighborhood behind our hotel, all the way to the canal. From there, we follow the main road toward the center of Chiang Mai. Halfway, we visit a department store, which consists of various smaller shops. On the way out we end up in the parking garage, from which we only manage to find our way out with some difficulty. At the city ring of Chiang Mai we struggle to cross the street. Four lanes of traffic speed by in both directions. Once we finally make it safely to the other side, we sit down at a terrace for a drink (a cola for 10 baht).

Thailand - The monks

Geert wants to go to the Chiang Mai zoo to see the new pandas, while I want to visit the temples in the city center. So we decide to meet again at five o’clock. Until then, each of us goes our own way. Geert leaves in a tuk-tuk heading to the zoo. Through the streets I walk to the Wat Prea, an impressive temple in the heart of Chiang Mai. A tuk-tuk driver offers me a sightseeing tour and cannot understand that I prefer to walk. From the Wat Prea I head toward Wat Chedi Luang, but I take a wrong turn and end up near the Ping River. I decide to continue on to the river. Along the way I send emails home from an internet café. From the Ping River I walk toward the Night Market. During the day it is very quiet there. I have lunch at the German restaurant and then continue on to Wat Chedi Luang. As I want to take a picture, I pass some monks who are holding a “monk chat.” A sign says that they are disappointed if you have questions but just walk by. So I join one of the tables and a monk explains Buddhism, Thailand, and also the different colors of their robes. They use the monk chat to practice their English. The conversation is informal. Afterwards we take a group photo together, and I buy a small book about Buddhism from them. Around a quarter to five I am back at the Night Market, where Geert arrives at the same time in his tuk-tuk. We eat at a small restaurant in the “pink” neighborhood. Immediately, a Thai woman sits down next to us; she wants to play Connect Four. We politely decline. The food is excellent—I enjoy a delicious Thai meal. In the evening we stroll around the market, and at nine o’clock we take the minibus back to the hotel. In my room I pack my suitcase, go over the travel program for the coming days, and then go to sleep.