On our third day in Chiang Mai, the Missus decided that She wanted to visit Doi Suthep, located about 15 kilometeres from Chiang Mai. So how to get there???? Well, you just flag down a "sawngthaew" one of the innumerable red trucks plying the streets. Bargain, and get on your way…..
We arrived at the 309 steps up to Wat Doi Suthep….. and it seemed like everyone else in Chiang Mai decided to visit as well.
There's quite a bit to see, more than I could possibly cover in a post.
Lest you think just tourists come to Wat Doi Suthep, you'd be mistaken, as there seemed to be many who came to worship.
We spent a nice morning wandering the grounds.
We could only imagine how beautiful the view would be on a clear day.
Walking around sure stirred up my appetite….. so we had the sawngthaew drop us off across the Three Kings Monument, and went lookng for something to eat. I noticed a Khao Soi shop on the corner. I'd already tried Khao Soi twice, and was relatively unimpressed. This place looks busy, so I decided to give it another try. The Missus had already decided that Khao Soi wasn't Her thing, and stuck with just a soda.
I don't know if it's the fried noodles that is rather powdery and could have come from a can. Or if it is the watered down curry flavor that can't be rescued by lime, shallots, or even the only item I enjoy, the pickled vegetable. It could be that I didn't have a good version of this dish. But I really didn't care for the three versions Khao Soi I tried….. maybe next time….
As we walked down the street, we noticed another shop full of people. It looked like satay was the specialty here.
A woman walked down the aisles taking orders. As she took orders she'd bark them out, and the orders would hit the table.
Then things stopped…… the woman announced something, and half the people got up and left! The woman told us that they had run out of chicken, and only had pork left. I guess this place made a mean satay chicken. We decided to stay……
And indeed the pork was fine, but nothing to write home about.
I thought it was strange that each of us got two servings of rice. One on a plate, and the other in a bowl.
No matter, the rice had been cooked in chicken stock, and I would have been happy with just the rice alone.
Even better then the rice was the bowl of chicken broth, rich and vibrant with chicken drippings, great oil, with just the right amount of salt, and a touch of ginger to cleanse the palate.
That was worth the price of admission……
Like the rest of Thailand……… food was everywhere…….
Food aside, I found this little pup adorable.
cute puppy, too bad those khao soi didn’t meet up!
Hi Kat – Yeah… I’m wondering if perhaps I expected too much????
I love the bells and the view, maybe the clouds add to the atmosphere? The chicken soup and rice sounds delicious.
Too bad they ran out of Chicken Satay but, really, it’s hard to go wrong with grilled pork.
Such a sweet looking doggy.
They say if you haven’t seen Doi Suthep, you haven’t seen Chiang Mai! So you’ve done well! It is crazy busy though.
I hope the little pooch wasn’t going to be on someone’s dinner table!
Hi FH – The view was pretty, though I think it would be downright beautiful on a clear day.
Hi Lynnea – That pup was just taking it easy with all the folks walking past and around.
Hi Su-Lin – I guess I can check that one of my list then!
LOL FF – I don’t think they eat dog in Thailand…… ;O) Plus, I don’t think he/she is meaty enough!
I remember when last time i was in chiang mai climbing those steps up to Doi suthep, Shows how unfit you are when you are as out of breath as me.