Today I decided to go on my own to explore the numerous temples (Wats) of Chiang Mai. The city claims that it has more Wats than any other city in Thailand, including Bangkok. At last count, Chiang Mai had over 300 wats.
Chiang Mai was a walled city. A significant part of the walls is still present and the moat was converted in beautiful canals with fountains that are illuminated at night. Walking the old town is relatively easy as it follows a regular grid (with the occassional wat blocking the way) and if you get lost, you just need to walk until you hit one of the city walls or one of the named gates at the wall.
Even though the city has so many wats, they are not copies of each other and each has a different character. One of the wats that I visited was built in teak wood, polished to a deep red color. Different than most wats, the light was very subdued which gave a very intimate feeling to the place despite the very high ceilings. Fortune telling was available in the temple. This is done by holding a cylinder full of sticks each with a number. You shake the cylinder until one of the sticks falls out. A monk then finds the number in a book and interpret the fortune (or question) to you. Unfortunately, there was no English-speaking monk available at the moment so I didn't get my fortune read.
The next wat I visited was more in the standard style for Thai temples. The temple, although relatively modern, follows the influence of the Lanna period of the 13-14th century which is characteristic of temples in the area. It has a striking, almost blinding, golden stupa shining in the morning sun. Next to the stupa, the wat has amazingly life-like paintings.. almost like photographs, describing the trip of a monk in India and Nepal, following the steps of Lord Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha).
A monk in that temple gave me a short and concise introduction to Buddhism under the gaze of a striking bronze Buddha. Buddhism is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. He was born in 566 B.C. the son of a Rajan and live comfortably in present day Nepal. He was "innocent", not knowing suffering thanks to the wealth of his family. In fact, he was so innocent, that he didn't even know that people die. Disillusioned when he realized the suffering of most, he decided to live the live of an ascetic and embarked on a spiritual quest. Eventually, that led him to the banks of the Nairangana (present day India) where he meditated under a Bodhi tree. There he had his awakening, an understanding of the nature of suffering, its cause, and a way to stop it. He ascended to Nirvana, the end of the cycle of rebirth and suffering at the age of 80.
I kept wondering throughout the city, stopping for a delicious Thai Ice Coffee (like Thai tea but with coffee instead of tea and ice). Eventually, almost by chance, I stumbled upon Wat Chedi Luang. The most striking feature is the semi-destroyed Chedi that collapsed during an earthquake in 1545. Today is a major tourist attraction and it has been stabilized without altering its ruined look.
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The Chedi is not accessible to worshippers due to the fragility of the structure. However, an ingenious cable system transports and drops holly water near Buddha's statue half way up the Chedi. In the picture to the left, you can see the cables and a cylinder containing the water attached to a rope that allows to tilt it and pour the water out. The meaning of the holly water was explained to me by a young monk. It's actually very close to the mystery of the transfiguration in Christianity. The water after being blessed, remains water (this is, it contains all the feature of water, including the possibility of making you sick if you drink it), but its essence has been changed to the universal spirit. By returning the spirit to the ground near Buddha, one is honoring both Buddha and the spirit.
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The temple complex also contains a large number of minor temples in different styles, including one with a very large reclining Buddha (the reclining position represents Buddha just before ascending to Nirvana). There is even a Chinese temple with a "fat" Buddha.
It seems that there was a huge party in the temple complex. There were people selling food, religious artifacts, books, etc. There was also loudspeakers playing a repetitive tune in traditional Thai instruments. It turned that it was part of the funeral of the head monk of the temple. There was also a eery life-like statue of him. Yes, the monk to the left is not a person, it's a statue (also noticed the 5-tier umbrellas around him, a sign of his high religious status). There was a room with a sign saying in different languages "No Women." I entered the room to find, to my surprise, a plastic casket connected to an A/C unit where the monk was laying. After a quick bow, I left the room as fast as I could.
After the temple, I started walking back to my hotel. I made a wrong turn, and instead walk in the other direction to Buak Hat Park. A beautiful oasis of water, fountains, and trees at the corner of the old city. After realizing my mistake, I turned around and started heading, now for real, to my hotel. I was hopping to get a final Thai massage before having to go to the train station to catch my overnight train back to Bangkok, but I didn't have enough time, so I opted instead for a foot massage. After a long day of walking, it was the right thing to get. 
We met in the hotel to catch the transportation back to the train station where our overnight train to Bangkok was waiting. It turned that the train was stopping in Ayutthaya, a city that I was interested in visiting more than Bangkok. Lindsay decided to come with me, so our guide told the conductor that we would be leaving the train there (at 5:30am) instead of Bangkok. After a nice Thai dinner served in our seats, it was time to go to bed. I love sleeping in night trains, the movement is soothing and a good pair of ear plugs and face mask are enough to block the noise and lights. There is also to say about the efficiency of moving hundreds of miles in comfort while sleeping.
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