Monk and elephant Thailand

02

Oct
2020

Life in Chiang Mai

Posted By : Josh Knutson/ 169 0

Adjusting to life in Chiang Mai was helped by our group of 24 students from Washington State University We had been meeting for months discussing everything from culture to the Thai language and camaraderie. While in Chiang Mai we had to attend class in the morning and most afternoons were spent touring around the area visiting local temples, speaking with Buddhist monks, and trips to the night market.

On one occasion we had been introduced to the gentlemen from Australia whom had moved to Chiang Mai to become a Buddhist monk. He had been living and learning at his monastery for 20 years. He explained that he had given up his worldly possessions and was focusing on his life around the Buddha’s teachings. Thai Buddhists are predominately of the Theravada school of Buddhism. The monk also gave us a lesson in meditation and suggested that in order to obtain enlightenment would should consider practicing mediation daily.

A daily trip to the night market was always a highlight of my time in Chiang Mai. It not only gave us a chance to haggle for the goods at the market, but also allowed us to practice our Thai language skills. My favorite phrase continues to be “Lot noi dai mai”, which means, make it cheaper or give me a discount. If you didn’t receive a discount, it was always commonplace to walk away and have the vendor follow you to offer the discount.

Life in Chiang Mai over the next several blogs with showcase the cultural immersion we seek on all Knutson Travels tours.

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