It’s hard to describe what makes a street in Chiang Mai different than a Street in any other big city, but that’s not to say that there isn’t a difference. There is definitely a difference. I love walking to our ministry or just walking around and observing everything I can. There’s something about the whole atmosphere of a place that is completely unique and hard to sum up in just a few words. Chiang Mai is similar to any other city, but it’s also entirely different. It’s the small things. For example, there is this house I like to call the pigeon house because the guy there always lays out bird feed in his yard/ally and there are generally about a hundred pigeons in his yard and on the electric wires above his yard. One balcony of one of the buildings we pass has a windmill perched on the railing about the size of a bird house. It is ornate and brightly colored and it actually moves, but it definitely couldn’t power anything. There is also a table with a bright pink panda tablecloth sitting abandoned outside of a for rent building that has a whole lot of little glass sunflowers attached to the bars over the windows and door. Then, there’s the store with all the plates and a maze of isles. Many of the restaurants are parked in the gaps between buildings, and there is the one alley restaurant with a mini garden in the back. There’s the messy yard with the fruit cart that seems continually abandoned. There is a random giant statue of an elephant sitting outside of a building. Also, someones garage/ roofed parking spot has vine plants hanging from three sides and all over the roof. Not to mention, most stores and buildings have their own different tiled entrance next to the sidewalk. There are a lot of hanging decorations, such as little paper prisms, flags, lights, and even decorative umbrellas. There is just the most random things everywhere, and I love it. The small, weird things make this place so different and unique.
On a bigger scale, the architecture here is different and pleasing to the eye. There are some buildings that are all out unique and old fashioned, and then there are modern buildings thrown in everywhere. A lot of the buildings are simple and normal at first glance, but they always have little extra things in the windows or balconies or roofs that is delicate and ornate. If architecture could be compared to dance, than the Thai architecture here would be ballet. The traffic, consisting of largely motorcycles, tuktuks, and Songthaews is crazy, confusing, and doesn’t stop very often.Furthermore, the city comes alive at night. The markets that are rows of abandoned tables during the day become a colorful lively chaos at night.
I have found that I love looking out the window or standing on the rooftop and watching the traffic go by. I have also found that painting ceilings is very difficult. If you ever paint your ceiling anything other than white, who even are you? Also, humid heat never stops being hot, downpours make alleys into small ponds, and drinking water is always better cold. I have discovered so much in these past two weeks, not only about Chiang Mai, but also about myself. It is so cool to let God show me his heart for these people and this city, and to look for Him in everything. By continually trying to find God in what I’m doing, I have found excitement in things I never considered exciting before, and noticed people and details I don’t normally take the time to notice.
