city life

i've spent the last several days of my trek just wandering about Chiang Mai just trying to understand what city life in thailand is like. thailand is, of course, well known for its beautiful white sand beaches and the bustling metropolis of Bangkok...but what is there in between? the population of Chiang Mai numbers slightly over 250,000, but its unfamiliarity makes it feel like there could be well over 2 million. there is constant motion in the streets - from motorbikes, to mobile food carts, to the scurrying rats - but i'm never quite sure where people are going. in chiang mai there's no rush hour. there are very few huge corporations, office parks, business plazas or the like to which employees commute from a suburb. the Chiang Mai structure of commerce is very different. it seems like the majority of people are entrepreneurs of small operations, such as massage parlors, restaurants, and mobile carts and sell any number of clothing, gadgets, fruit, jewelry, etc. the tourism and hospitality industries here also seems to provide a large number of employment opportunities. then there are a smaller amount who work as associates in the more established malls, shops, and plazas scattered about. but the typical office-oriented business person we are most familiar with in the states is a nearly non-existent being.

so yea, lots of traffic to/from who knows where. it's wet everywhere and always. not a day goes by that i don't come back to my room without damp feet and pant legs. but everything is extremely green as a result. it's definitely a city of contrasts - temples of glistening gold among piles of rat-infested garbage; the fast pace of traffic versus the generally relaxed mood of the people; monks crossing the streets with prostitutes. but what is consistent is generous nature of all who i have encountered. i've not once been harassed or scolded or shunned, even when i've committed the most significant cultural faux pas (walking into a temple with shorts on, crossing through oncoming traffic, etc.). unintentional offenses are never serious enough for anger. people are human. we are bigger than our actions. even the streets expose ripe teachings.

photos from around the city