January 20, 2014 Monday Part 1

This “post” will be in three parts. Jo dropped Lucia off at 3-Sis in the morning, and Lucia, Linda, and I hired Ms. Ying, a Red Truck driver, to take us up Suthep Mountain (Doi Suthep). When I needed a Red Truck last year, I met Ms. Ying in front of Wat Chedi Luang, and used her a few times for various excursions, and I now have her phone number. There are three places of immediate interest on Doi Suthep. First is the Bhubing Palace Royal Garden, second is Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, and third is Wat Palad, a temple in the forest half way down the mountain, to which very, very few tourists go. Just before 10 we were off to the mountain. First stop, the Bhubing Palace Garden.

Bhubing Palace Royal Garden

The Bhubing Palace is the royal winter residence where the Royal family stays during their seasonal visits to the northern part of Thailand. Visitors may not go onto the actual Royal Palace grounds, but the gardens are open to the public during some parts of the year. When going to the Royal Gardens, there will be a lot of walking, the gardens are quite expansive. There are rose gardens, orchid gardens, a large fern garden that you walk through to get up the hill to the reservoir with the water sprays in synch to music, a little like the show at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. There are so many pictures, so I am posting a few to give just a little idea of this beautiful place.

Near the entrance, there are very beautiful gardens all around, And many include orchids, including the purple orchid that has become a symbol of Thailand. The gardens are stunningly beautiful, snd vrey well maintained, as one would expect of the Royal Gardens.

Roses of all types are also plentiful. some are a little unexpected – they may not particularly uncommon, but I do not believe I have ever seen such beautiful purple roses. There are many of these at the Bhubing Palace Gardens.

The orchids are plentiful and also beautiful.

Here is one of several stands of what could be called “giant bamboo.” The larger stems are easily 10 inches in diameter. Quite interesting. When i was here a year ago, there was an occasional slight breeze and the bamboo stems knock against each other with a pretty deep clacking sound.

And here I am under one of the rose archways in the lower rose garden.

Next: Up Doi Suthep – Part 2 Wat Phra That Doi Suthep