Chiang Mai: Day 4 (Ping River Cruise, Wat Umong, Sunday Walking Street).

Day four in Chiang Mai was spent out and about ALL day.

We began the day taking Sammy to the hospital to get a couple of stitches removed. Sam fell down an escalator about a week ago. It wasn’t a serious injury–but he did need two stitches in the back of the head. He is all better now and earned an ice cream treat for being so brave.

Next we took a short cruise down the Mae Ping. Our tour guide explained how the city was built along the river using elephants. Along the way, we docked at a pier and visited a small farm and restaurant where we had the traditional Thai dessert of sticky rice and mango. We also tried some other popular tropical fruits including jack fruit, black dragon fruit, star fruit and guava. Jack loved the star fruit. He ate an entire plate full.

Next, we went to went to Wat Umong (temple of the tunnels). Although, we have all been getting a little bored with all of the temples–Wat Umong was really fun and interesting. Wikipedia describes the temple grounds as follows:

“The entire Wat Umong complex consists of 15 acres of wooded grounds. You can feed the fish, turtles, and ducks in a large pond. The wat is famous for its ancient tunnels and large stupa. There are tunnels with Buddhist images below the chedi which can be easily explored. These tunnels were supposedly built by the King and painted with bush scenes so they could keep a famous but mentally deranged monk within the grounds of the monastery as he had a habit of just wandering off into the bush for days on end.”

We explored the tunnels and went to a small island to chase pigeons and watch people feed huge catfish.

Finally, we ended our night at the “Sunday Walking Street.” The Lonely Planet Thailand book described the Sunday Walking Street as a “must see” — and it really is something. It is one of the biggest open markets we have seen and located in the heart of the old city. The Walking Street is open every Sunday from four in the afternoon until midnight. We spent about 2 hours eating and walking. We also took a few detours to look at the ancient “old city” temples at night.

One more day in Chiang Mai. We will be sad to leave.

Hanging out in Chiang Mai:

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