22/07/2026
The Same Place, a New Day and a New Perspective
The Chiang Mai Provincial Administrative Organization’s Commemorative Park remains one of my favorite places for an evening walk. Today, I finished my errands a little later than usual, so I drove there just before sunset. Thankfully, the rain stayed away.
The park was much busier than usual. The parking lot was packed, the walking paths were crowded, and the food stalls were bustling. There must have been a special event taking place. I had to park quite far away—and, more importantly, remember exactly where I left the car! Years ago, I once wandered around the parking area for more than 10,000 steps before finally finding it again. This time, I wisely took a photo of the parking spot.
The weather was as pleasant as ever. I strolled along, stopping now and then to take photos. There seemed to be many walking groups, some of them perhaps competing to see who could walk the fastest. I noticed more conversations in Thai than before, while English and other foreign languages were heard less frequently.
There were also more young women posing for photo shoots, adding a lively atmosphere to the park. One of the highlights was a bird club giving a demonstration with trained birds. The audience was delighted as the birds flew gracefully from place to place, responding beautifully to their handlers’ commands.
After completing a comfortable walk around the lake, I continued through the area lined with food stalls. With so many tempting choices, I decided to enjoy a simple meal from one of the vendors—and it turned out to be surprisingly delicious.
By the end of the evening, I had walked more than 7,000 steps. A pleasant outing, a little exercise, and a fresh perspective on a familiar place—an evening well spent.
