The Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai is an outstanding destination. So comfortable, you do not want to wander off site. It has ninety plus rooms placed into sixty pavilions which gradually descend to active rice fields and then a lake. There are 32 acres of gardens. It is like a botanical garden. The ground-keeping staff mill about in "Thai farmer" couture. The fabric is hand loomed. The dyes are natural. The cuts are flattering.
20% of the rooms are privately owned. We are renting one of those. It is elegant. Third floor. Large windows. A pagoda breakfast terrace.
A kind and gentle man takes care of us. He brings breakfast, answers questions, gives advice on activities. He has a warm smile and a sweet laugh. Mr. Nui.
We begin our day with breakfast. Then a walk around the gardens. Say hello to the two picture perfect water buffalo. Watch the yoga class on a platform at the lake's edge. Then we dip into the pool. There are several. We rotate. It is hot and humid, as it was in Sri Lanka. The pool is a welcome cooling off mechanism. Plus, never a good swimmer, I think my strokes have improved here.
We celebrated Wes's birthday here. The on-site, Khao Restaurant, is new. Not two days old. We went to make a a reservation. Ah ha. They spread the word. The next day, three guys surprised us in our room with a rousing Happy Birthday song, a fattening delicious cake and a teddy-water buffalo.
That night we went for dinner. Much of the seating is open air. The climate was perfect. We sipped a local dark rum made from sugar cane. We dubbed it comparable to Havana Club 7 Year dark rum. Earlier, we met the chef. He describe his new menu of updated Thai classics. They have a rice menu. A choice of seven. My favorite was from a mountain top farm. It was brown like a chestnut. And had a nice bite to it. Italians would say, al dente. We ate a red curry and sturgeon and vegetables. For desert, passion fruit ice cream and something extra from the kitchen: small discs of sticky rice with a bowl of threads of cooked sweetened egg yolk and a pool of coconut cream.
We thought we ought to go off site to see the real world. We took a car into old town Chiang Mai. The most ancient part is, conveniently, a tidy walled square containing a few dozen blocks and surrounded by a moat. It was precisely this area, centuries ago, that was captured by Myanmar/Burma. Then later reclaimed by Thailand. The interior is not particularly ancient looking except for the thirty plus temples. If temples are your passion, it is a treasure chest of temples. Aside from the temples, and hostels, and massage shops the rest seemed a bit urban. Lots of auto and motorcycle mechanics. Quite littered. Not the stuff one dreams about — culture different from home — traveling across the globe to see.
Another time, we went off-site for a Thai massage. It was two hours long. They were outstandingly skilled. Wes and I were side by side on floor mats. We wore loose fitting cotton shirts and baggy pants to the calves. It was massage without oil. We were quite worked over by strong hands. Sometimes to the verge of pain. A simple groan was enough to communicate "ouch". For those two hours the world stood still and the brain went limp.
Back in paradise, everyday the hotel prepares floral arrangements in large bowls of water. Beautiful like a kaleidoscope. Always different. I imagine the person who creates them. It must bring a measure of pleasure to watch the bowl fill with color and pattern. I will remember them.
At the end of each workday, the garden staff form a procession around the central lake. Some carry drums and symbols and play rhythmic tunes as they march. It is a beautiful site and a highlight at the end of the day.
After a few excellent days, we said goodbye to dear Mr. Nui and his breakfasts of dragon fruit, papaya, mango, tiny bananas, Sri Lanka tea.
Southeast Asia intimidated me for a long time. The spoken languages seemed beyond my grasp. I can learn Spanish or Italian or French. But the Asian languages make sounds that our mouths are not accustomed to producing. One word can be said five ways. In a high voice, a low voice or a mid-range voice. It can be pronounced with rising tone or falling tone. Each of those five inflections gives the word five distinct meanings. The written language, too. Not an alphabet to build a word. It is all symbols. With time and attention, I know it could become familiar, but between western language and eastern language there is a wide divide. I am trying. I can say good morning and thank you. That is a start. Easing into Asia. It could be a theme of the trip.
Wes and Marlow
November 2017
Chiang Mai, Thailand
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