During October we spent a week in the Northern part of Thailand, visiting Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. The temperature was milder than in Bangkok and there are a lot of interesting sites and shopping. There are also a lot of Wats! - Buddhist temples.
Our first temple experience was actually the Bangkok temple dedication, which we joined online at the Chiang Mai chapel. It was a great dedication.
The following day we visited a famous temple in Chiang Mai called Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. This temple was set up in 1838. It is said to contain a piece of bone from Buddha’s shoulder that was brought here by a monk. The story goes that the piece of bone was mounted on an elephant. When the elephant died, that location became the spot where the Wat was built.
The umbrella celebrates Chiang Mai’s independence from Burma.
The Wat is up in the hills. There were beautiful views over the city.
The Wat is reached via a long staircase of 306 steps. There are serpents running along either side. Climbing the steps is supposed to help Buddhist devotees accumulate merit. We had a baby in a pram so ascended via a cable car.
Erica, Clara and I took the steps back down.
Comments