The Monk Chat at Wat Suan Dok is a must-try. Initially, things started off lukewarm for me as I was paired up with monks who aren't quite adept at speaking English yet. Hence, I spent a lot of time smiling encouragingly at them and thinking of simple conversational phrases so that they could understand me and practice their English.

Fortunately, the system in place was implemented pretty well as they would ensure that at least one senior monk (typically a year 4 English major student at the nearby Buddhist university) would be around to moderate the discussion. It was rather heartwarming to watch the display of camaraderie as the senior monk would patiently act as the go-between and encourage his juniors to speak up.

A girl dressed in hilltribe clothes posing on the steps of Doi Suthep

Well, things change (as they must), and after two years, some of the things we were most looking forward to have changed or gone completely. The guest-house we were looking forward to staying at is gone: razed to the ground! As for my all-time favorite vegetarian restaraunt with the kitschy, coca-cola decor... it's still there and the food is still great, but the prices have doubled, and I think it has changed hands... *sigh*. Oh well.

Things are happening in the city known as the Rose of the North. Around this time every year a spectacular celebration is held, which is known as the Flower Festival. The place for the exhibition and for the parade was around the southwestern corner of the Old City, on the inner side of the city moat. That place is actually quite close to where I live at, easily accessible by rollerblades. I went there on the 2nd, to watch as people set up the stalls and prepared the exhibition. Some of these elaborate stages were quite labor intensive, and required fountains, sand, gravel etc. to be carried to the place.