We visit Doi Suthep, which dominates the skyline to the west of Chiang Mai, characterized by the eagles nest temple of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. This is Northern Thailand's holiest shrine and one of Thailand's most important places of pilgrimage. The view on a clear day extends over a seemingly infinite plain, making Chiang Mai look surprisingly compact.
Then on to the city of Chiang Mai which has over 300 temples of the Lanna’ style dating between the 13th and 18th centuries and characterized by curved wooden roofs pointing up at the top. Its old quarter is set within a 2 km moat and retains many of its traditional wooden houses. We visit Wat Phra Singh one of the most visually impressive temples in Chiang Mai. The main temple building is the star of the show, featuring the Lanna-style roofs and an intricately decorated facade that shines brightly in the sunlight. Wat Chiang Man temple is next and it once served as the residence of the city’s founder, King Mengrai, shortly after its construction in the 13th century which makes it one of the very oldest in the region. The temple itself is a glorious sight from every angle.
We then visit the Lanna folk life museum which opened last December. The museum is the brainchild of Chiang Mai Municipality Mayor Tussanai Buranupakorn whose aims to revive Lanna culture, educate the young about the Northern Thailand's distinctive culture and history, and make the museum a new tourism attraction in the old town. It was wonderful and a good setting for discussion at lunch at the local restaurant Huen Phen where we has some local dishes the heat toned down for westerners.
We then go to the most famous temple in Chiang Mai’s Old City Wat Phan Tao it is a more modest building. Its ornate decorations and detailed statues dotted around the garden are very nice and quite different. The temple has a viharn, which is one of the few remaining all wood structures in Chiang Mai. We are then off to the wood carvers warehouse to buy a spirit house and then to the Buddha store to furnish our spirit house.
After some rest we take a tuc tuc to the Sunday market a once a week event complete with musicians, clowns, message and of course many vendors. After walking through the market we stop at a local restaurant Kanjana for some tasty dinner and some local beer before heading to our hotel.
No comments:
Post a Comment