We based ourselves in a leafy B&B nestled in the thick of a bustling neighborhood a few minutes walk across the Ping River into the heart of the city (recommended by friends from our trip through Patagonia). Directly across the narrow street were a bakery and a tiny storefront with amazing noodle soup. Towards the end of the day, the bakery seemed to always have a sign advising that their coconut cream pie was sold out, so we tried it and were delighted. It was a superb execution of a classic American pie.
The old city was protected by moats and a substantial wall (significant portions of which remain) with four gates, of which Tha Phae Gate was the most important and through which monks, traders and diplomats would enter. Within are 40 temples and hundreds more outside the moated walls, an extraordinary density, so that the essence of Chiang Mai seems to be simply temples, food and tourists enamored of both.
Wat Chedi Luang
The chedi (very similar to the ones we had seen down in Ayutthaya and, of course, an alternate term for “stupa” or a mound in Buddhism in which typically there are relics) was built to enshrine the ashes of a king, completed in 1475 after nearly a century of construction, it was heavily damaged by an earthquake in 1545 when it lost half its height.
Wat Phan Tao
One of the few remaining all wood structures of its kind in Chiang Mai city (within the province of Chiang Mai), the assembly hall is a teak building from 1876 constructed from the disassembled parts of a royal residence from 1846. The temple originated in the 14th century.
Wat Phan On
The Wat was founded in 1501, but the very striking Chedi is quite recent: 2007.
Wat Pha Lat
Halfway up Doi Suthep, the mountain overlooking Chiang Mai city, is a temple complex tucked into the forest.
It was founded in 1355 to commemorate a sacred white elephant who stopped to rest here before continuing on to the much more famous Wat Phra That Doi Suthep at the top of the mountain.
Now it seems to be mostly used as a retreat for monks and is a very mellow place to visit. They were setting up for some sort of event while we were there.
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
Near the entrance to the complex is the sacred white elephant. The legend is that a monk from Sukhothai had a vision about finding a Buddha relic. He followed the vision and found what was taken to be a fragment of the shoulder bone of the Buddha with magical powers. At a particular Wat, it magically split in two. Not knowing what to do with the larger half, it was placed on the back of a holy elephant who walked up the steep slopes of Doi Suthep (stopping, of course, for a bit of a rest at the site of Wat Pha Lat), trumpeted three times and dropped dead. Taking this as a sign, a chedi was built to house the relic and the Wat was founded in 1383.
It’s a very colorful scene around the chedi! In fact, the overload of gold was pretty much blinding in the midday sun.
The story of the temple, in relief.
Doesn’t every Mom feel misunderstood?
Wat Lok Molee
The first known mention of Wat Lok Molee, now that we were back in central Chiang Mai from Doi Suthep, is from 1367 when the King invited 10 Burmese monks, housed in the temple, to come and promote Theravada Buddhism, the dominant form of Buddhism in Thailand and a very conservative form (whatever that may mean) of the religion.
The chedi was commissioned by the King in 1527.
The Assembly Hall was added in 1545.
A very busy place, Wat Lok Molee seemed to be the most vibrant temple we visited, filled not just with tourists, but with local people taking instruction or learning a dance or otherwise engaged with the life of the temple.
Wat Ton Kwen
Revered as a surviving example of classic Lanna wooden architecture, Wat Ton Kwen was established in 1852 and the viharn or assembly hall was built in 1858. Being in an out of the way rural area outside of the city and lacking the pizzazz of gold dripping all over everything, it’s seldom visited by foreign tourists but is beloved by the locals who often come for wedding photography. Our driver decided it would be a nice place for us to see while we were venturing out with him to see other sites. We agreed. There is a great tranquility to this spot chosen and enshrined as a rest stop on the route taken to process a Buddha relic. The open wooden cloister is unique to Wat Ton Kwen.
Doi Inthanon
Yes, another “we made it!” photo from a national park, this one in Northern Thailand, a long day trip from Chiang Mai.
To set the context, this is no beach resort; this is the highest point in Thailand: 2,565.334 meters (8,416.5 feet) according to the signage – a bit cooler than the city and more of a challenge for our sea level lungs.
Kew mae pan nature trail
It may be uncharacteristic to hike a cloud forest in such beautiful weather, but we hadn’t a single complaint. Our Hmong escort was very good natured, pointing out various plants and birds, and the landscape was amazing.
wachirathan waterfall
We have low expectations for waterfalls, having seen plenty of them, but our driver convinced us to give this one a chance. He was right. It’s a very nice one and, hopefully, the photos do it justice.
the royal chedi
Near the summit of Doi Inthanon the Royal Air Force constructed two chedi, each to honor the sixtieth birthday of King Rama IX and his Queen, respectively.
The gardens are beautiful and the chedi quietly impressive . . .
. . . especially the Queen’s.
Finally . . . the Food!
Going on a food tour means moving from place to place, watching, listening, tasting, eating, but not too much, as there’ll be much more as the night goes on and then a bit more. It’s normally a pretty chaotic scene. In one of the restaurants a patron at the next table mentioned that he flew to Chiang Mai from Singapore solely to eat this meal. It’s a food city and there’s lots to try. We move around the city in the back of a red truck with facing benches, like one carrying soldiers, fire fighters or farm workers. It makes for a certain camaraderie.
To our taste, Thailand is hard to beat for food. The quality of the produce is first rate and the spicing is amazing. We did find a restaurant with doors and air conditioning that we loved, an ambitious chef with a cheerful and hustling staff. We even paid a second visit. Chow Chow, for those who might be in the area.