Ibrahim Jabbari
WHERE: Chiang Mai, Thailand
Few tourists visit Wat Ku Tao, built in 1613 to inter the remains of Tharawadi Min, son of King Bayinnaung, who ruled of the then-Lanna kingdom from 1578 to 1607 and appointed his son viceroy. The temple is named Ku Tao because of its distinctive melon head (tao means “melon” in Northern Thai dialect.) The unique watermelon-shaped chedi (stupa) is made up of five stacked stone spheres decorated with porcelain and glass pieces. Wat Ku Tao is the temple of Chiang Mai’s Shan community (of neighboring Myanmar/Burma’s Shan state).
For lunch, walk 15 minutes south to Free Bird Cafe, on the edge of the Old City. Proceeds from the restaurant—which serves vegan Burmese (including a tasty Shan chickpea curry), Thai, and a few Western dishes—go to Thai Freedom House, a nonprofit that supports Burmese refugees and marginalized Thai minorities. There’s a nice little secondhand shop, too.
