Long-nose beasts and long-neck women starred in previous posts and indeed highlighted our time in Thailand’s northern star, Chiang Mai.

Yet Chiang Mai itself was one, big highlight made possible by the constant beauty of, from, and around the city.

Day Two in Chiang Mai had us load up into our vans and lumber up a nearby hill, offering the view above. On the way, trees were in full bloom, branch tips alit in a palette of pastels. I asked our driver about this, and he said that this was the month for tree blossoms. Lucky us. And yet just the tip of the iceberg of the artistry–natural or manmade–that pervades Chiang Mai.

Our first introduction to the craftspeople and artists took place on the balcony from which I took the shot overlooking the city. Up here, some came with works for sales.

Others set up shop for their on-the-spot service.

Another hilltop near Chiang Mai featured a Hmong village. Up here were artists of another type.

Nearby was some other structural art:

After this hilltop, we headed down to an artists’ studio, a large, open structure with cement floor, boarded back wall, and several local artists in a row of stations working their craft.

A few worked together making paper umbrellas–and I mean make from scratch.

This lady made the paper for the umbrella shade.

Other workers made the frame and the handle.

Check it out:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q6ogbaMuBU&w=560&h=315]
The other half of the this place saw a few artists perched on stools painting designs on clothes, bags, cell phone cases, or in my case, a camera case.

Interestingly, two days earlier, I had just had a discussion on Facebook with other traveling friends of mine, one of whom said they routinely pay more than asking price from local artists, particularly when the work is done for very cheap.

That was the case here. So, inspired by the conversation, I gave my guy an extra bump in compensation.

He seemed as pleased with it as all the artists here were for the business from our entire group. Of course, all of us–newly decorated–were happy as well.

Next we were hungry, and mealtime in Thailand is often beautiful as well.

Artistic was also the guy who served our lunch:

So I took an expressive picture of him.

In fact, I went a little crazy with this “paint” filter on my camera the whole time in Chiang Mai.

But looking back, I see how appropriate it was for this city of striking artistic expression and beauty to inspire my own artistic side.

So let the filter pictures shine!

Seeing the lives here in Chiang Mai, and then the art created by them, perpetuated to a point of eye-popping beauty for which I was not in store.

***

I’ll be honest, neither of our next two destinations–Chiang Rai and Bangkok—would rival this attraction. But they would each offer amazements that Chiang Mai did not.

Next up was Chiang Rai.

Here, the touristy would give way for the authentic. If “real” village life was what we were after, we’d fall right into the middle of it. Old World and New World Hmong would interact. And developed/developing, Eastern/Western worlds would come together and learn from one another.

Today, we say goodbye to Chiang Mai. Next week, we begin our second leg on this Thailand trek, Chiang Rai Province, and the villages and schools in the hill country of northern Thailand.