Interesting scenery on a recent run
Our runs take us all over the wonderful city of Chiang Mai, Thailand. This is a unique city in Thailand because although it does have a high population once you get just a bit outside of the city limits the place really opens up and has a ton of nature. Once you get around 15km from the center of town you wouldn't even know that there is a million people living here. Therefore we get a break from the hustle and bustle of busy city life a few times a week for those of us that go on all the trail runs.
Here are some shots that I took on some recent runs that I quite liked.
This is a plantation of sorts and ones like it exist all over the place in the area. What makes this particular one so cool to me is the mountains in the background as well as, if you look really closely, a house that is perched up on top of it. I bet it would be a lovely place to live if you could deal with the drive!
Every now and then we come across a burial ground in the middle of the jungle. These must have been very important and wealthy people because generally speaking Buddhists are cremated upon death. I think this is a particular sect of Buddhism that is based in Chinese culture but don't quote me on that because I am not sure. You need to have a huge amount of money for something this elaborate since land is quite expensive in Thailand!
This one was taken at the end of a run where we were all parked at the circle for our announcements that take place after all of our runs. Sometimes the sunset works just so perfectly with the scenery and it was dead quiet on this day as well. It was really peaceful and I loved it. Chiang Mai the city is quite noisy so it is nice to get away to enjoy the quiet in places like this every now and then. This is just one more added benefit to being a Hasher!
Many of our runs take place at least in part on temple grounds. There are hundreds of temples in Chiang Mai and this is a big part of the reason why the city is such a popular tourist destination. We always ask permission to use the temple grounds before doing so and we are very respectful while we are there. We remain quiet and we will walk if we are ever around a relic like this. It is important for us to respect our environment and we do exactly that!
Lastly we have a photo of one of our members climbing the stairs at the dam located in the northern part of the city. We come here frequently because of course there is a ton of unused land here as well as a bunch of water features. Being in close proximity to water is something that we try to do as often as possible because there is just something about it that makes the day more enjoyable. We never actually get in the water... well, not on purpose anyway. There have been a few people over the years that have accidentally fallen in.
All these scenes and many more can be something you experience with your own eyes if you would ever like to come and join us. We welcome new members and visitors on most of our runs and you can find the full details at our poorly made and barely functioning official website
ON ON!
