Oh really?

All these temples, and I hadn’t been banned from any yet! But, alas, I found a ‘He-Man Woman Haters Club’ temple here in Chiang Mai.

city pillar shrine – women are not permitted

I thought to myself:  Wow, what great Karma! Right after I complain that the temples are boring – voila! This! Modern day misogyny in the form of discrimination is SO not boring!

So, not one to back down from a challenge, I decided to permit myself entry. I said to that city pillar: “I’ll take your ‘No Women’ rule, and I’ll raise you a Woman in Shorts!” (gasp! the horror!).

Feast your eyes upon this, fellow women of the world, I got a pic inside the Top Secret Man Cave!

sacred interior only men shall pass through (i skipped the optional donation jar)

Wowwww! I don’t know how I handled seeing this – I mean, I didn’t even get lightheaded and faint.

And guess what… NOTHING happened. The temple did not crumble. Buddha did not roll over in his grave. The monks did not all decide to leave monk college. In fact, the man who was inside the pillar ‘guarding’ it didn’t see me because he was on his cell phone… hmmmm… I wonder if a woman sentry would’ve caught me?

Now I feel so empowered – I’m thinking I can do anything. What’s next? They’ll let me vote? I’ll be allowed to drive a car? Go to college? Make eye contact with married men? Maybe even get a job???  A girl can dream, can’t she?

Still feeling mighty privileged, I decided to tour the rest of the Wat Chedi Luang temple complex – it was cool😆

wat chedi luang – partially crumbled from earthquake in the 1500’s

monks in training❤️

wat chedi luang

viharn

enormous buddha inside the viharn

pretty paper lanterns

buddha

awesome tree

buddhist university

monk laundry day

The site also has a branch of Mahamakut Buddhist University on its grounds, so there were lots of monks roaming about.

A few other temples:

wat phra singh

wat phra singh

wat buppharam – Donald Duck!!!?

?

I love Chiang Mai. It’s small but has plenty to do, has mountains in the backdrop, and is on a river. The “Old City” is a few miles by few miles square at the center of Chiang Mai, and it is surrounded by a moat and what’s left of an old wall. If you look at Chiang Mai on a map, you’ll see it – very unique. Inside and outside of the Old City are both all developed with retail and houses, just the Old City has a lot more temples (probably 1-2 every small block).

main gate to the Old City

old city wall remnants

bridge over moat

old & new

typical CM old city street

pano from coffeeshop

ping river

night market

cute street

I have an SPG hotel room with cash and points, which means I paid $35/night (tax and all) for a great, upgraded room with a view of the mountains:

tub & room

picture window

view from room

sunset view

nice to wake-up to

The weather has been perfect. Sunny and low-80s, with no humidity! I think I will hike in the mountains tomorrow😊

Next up:  Chiang Mai Zoo & Illusions