Thailand from Bangkok to Chiang Mai
In 1782, King Rama I chose Bangkok to build his new capital and a monument called the Grand Palace.
The "Prasat" is composed of several monuments featuring typical Thai architecture with roofs adorned with golden spires.
The most important part of the palace is the Wat Phra Kaew temple, which houses the sculpted Emerald Buddha.
Dating from the 15th century, it measures barely 45 centimeters, making it the most precious and revered in Thailand!
It's on a long-tail boat that we'll discover the bustling "klongs,"
These floating market canals on the Chao Praya, where merchants sell fruit, vegetables, and basketwork,
Places of real life with their many small wooden houses and otherworldly shacks resting on stilts,
Where monks stroll peacefully, laundry dries on a line, and children bathe in unappealing water.
North of Bangkok, stop at Ban Pa In to visit the Summer Palace of the Kings of Thailand.
Surrounded by its artificial lake, a bronze statue of King Rama V sits in the "floating pavilion."
Wandering through the grounds of the Royal Palace, the poetically named buildings are exceptionally well-crafted:
The Keep of the Wise, the Supreme Enlightenment, the Excellent Palace, divinely brilliant, and the Heavenly Home of Personal Freedom.
"Even ruins bear witness to the grandeur of the past" in Ayutthaya, center of a flourishing empire of the Kingdom of Siam.
Beautiful is the 42-meter-long statue of the reclining Buddha, perpetually draped in a saffron-colored cloth.
Surrounded by its conical or bell-shaped chedis or stupas made of red brick, the life of Buddha recounts.
A head of the "wise man," severed by the Burmese in 1767, became embedded in the giant roots of a banyan tree.
Sukhothai, this "Dawn of Bliss," was the capital of the first Thai kingdom until the 15th century.
The seated Buddha, 12 meters high and 8 meters wide, in the form of victory, impresses with its majesty.
Before going into battle, soldiers encouraged each other with words echoed through the walls.
Great criminals were judged there, and the criminal, facing the gaze of the "Master," had to prostrate himself.
Towards Mae Hong Son, on the border with Burma, nicknamed "the city of three mists" because of the frequent fog,
We will meet the hill tribes, whose culture has remained unchanged for centuries: the Hmong, Akha, Yao, and Karen.
Among the "hill people," the Akha, the women dress in wide leggings and shirts dyed blue-black indigo.
Their headdresses, adorned with coins, represent their social and marital status in the community.
Perched in the mountains, Mae Salong, Thailand's Little Switzerland with its endless rice paddies and tea gardens,
was infamous for its opium trade in this former "golden triangle" between Thailand, Laos, and Burma.
Renowned for its local market for gems from Myanmar, including red spinels, similar to rubies, and star sapphires.
It is the imperial jade, with its milky, intense green or mauve appearance, that symbolizes luck, prosperity, and health.
In Chiang Rai, a "Major City," we will be welcomed by its founder in the 13th century. of Lanna, Mangrai the Great,
In 1432, the Emerald Buddha was discovered in Wat Pa Yier, a temple in the giant bamboo forest.
A lightning strike struck the temple's chedi, which opened to reveal a statue of a seated figure.
Made of dark green jasper, it was transferred to Wat Phra Kaeo in Bangkok, where it has been venerated ever since.
Founded in 1296, Chiang Mai, a "new city," would become the new capital of the Lanna Thai Kingdom.
During the Festival of Lights, thousands of floating offerings lit by candles flow onto the country's waters.
A far cry from the spicy flavors of the south, we will taste "Khao Soy," a soup combining tender chicken,
in a coconut curry broth with fried and boiled noodles, meant to relax.
Seated around low tables, cross-legged on floor mats, we will attend the Khantoke dinner.
On a round rattan platter containing nine dishes, we will enjoy sticky rice served in a woven bamboo basket.
Accompanied by fried chicken thighs, fried pork, fried pork rind, and soup, far from home.
On stage, the nail dance, the sword and archery dance, and the silk spinning dance will take place.
The village of Bo Sang is known for being a leading center for the artisanal production of paper umbrellas.
These hand-painted umbrellas are made from mulberry bark on a bamboo frame.
The village of Baan Tawai is one of the most famous centers of teak wood carving and creative crafts.
For ceramics, celadon, in soft green or blue tones, is used to create tableware and numerous decorative objects.
Wooden or bamboo objects are covered with several layers of black lacquer, a resin produced by the lacquer worker.
They are then finely decorated with gold leaf, mother-of-pearl, or brightly colored paint.
Other artisans, after casting silver, create jewelry and cutlery using the repoussé metal technique.
San Kamphaeng is renowned for its handcrafted silk and cotton, where everything is improvised upon request.
Perched beautifully on its mountainside, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is a popular tourist destination.
With its bell-shaped chedis, statues, tree-lined gardens, and chapels with characteristic roofs,
the monastery is a faithful example of Lanna art, where each stone and statue reveals an aspect of Buddhism.
Visitors are drawn to the White Elephant Memorial, whose wanderings determined the location of the cult.
It's in the Mae Sa Valley that we'll meet the elephants who are the symbol of Thai culture.
Long used for working the fields and forests, as well as in battles and construction.
The elephants will give us a beautiful demonstration of transporting and stacking logs.
We'll set off for a beautiful walk in the rainforest, perched on their backs, almost at ease.
We'll travel to the capital aboard the overnight sleeper train, accompanied by charming Siamese twins.
Before returning to the chill of Parisian life, we'll make a seaside stopover at the relaxing Cha Am Beach Garden.
Swimming in 25°C water and relaxing on its long white sand beach and coconut trees.
Thank you to this "Land of Smiles" for this pampering stay.
Guy PUJOL Says l’ARIÉ….JOIE