Wednesday, 21 January 2015  Walking to Wat Suan Dok Again

It is a bit of a long walk, but I wanted to return to Wat Suan Dok. Wat Suan Dok is a large temple out near Chiang Mai University. The term “Suan Dok” means Flower Garden. This area outside the wall was for a long time the royal flower gardens, thus the gate on the west side of the wall is Suan Dok Gate, and the name of this area of the city is “Suan Dok”. Completely appropriate that Suan Dok Gate opens to the Suan Dok area, and the location of Wat Suan Dok. I set out on the walk, it is about 1.5 or maybe 2 km each way. Given that this is the day before Chiang Mai University graduation and the Royal Princess is in town to hand out diplomas, traffic is heavy, especially in the direction of Chiang Mai University (the direction I am going). It is almost better to be walking.

I walked from Wat Pan Tao past the large police station, past Wat Phra Singh, and out Suan Dok Gate. The next challenge is getting across the outer perimeter road. There is no trick, in my experience, when I start to think that there will never be a break, a break comes. And that is what occurred today. A break came, and I got across the road.

Just across the outer perimeter road, at the start of Suthep road that leads to Wat Suan Dok and Chiang Mai University, past some hospitals, there is a chedi, not on a temple grounds, but all by itself next to an office-looking building that the sign says “National Archives in Commemoration of H.M. the Queen’s 60th Birthday, Chiang Mai.”

That does not explain the chedi or anything about it smewhere there is a story and the history. It is a beautiful chedi, and I am glad it is being preserved.

Here is the large chedi at Wat Suan Dok. Always a beautiful site. The picture does not convey the size. This is a large chedi – said to be 48 meters high, or about 150 feet. I love this chedi almost as much as the old, large chedi at Wat Chedi Luang.

Oddly, few tourists come here. Most of the people who come to Wat Suan Dok are Thai.

At the base of the large chedi, each or the four sides are protected by two five-headed dragon naga. Very detailed and striking.

Flanking thelarge chedi are four smaller, but also large chedis. These are very similar, but not exactly the same. I love the texture of the top of this chedi.

To the north, right by the large chedi are a grouping of smaller, all white chedis, all enshrining the remains of Chiang Mai or Lanna royalty over the years. The area has a serenity and peacefulness to it that just feels good.

The viharn (worship hall) is very large. Today, there was a ceremony, and many monks were assembled. I got the impression that it was something of a graduation of right of passage for many of the monks.

Because a ceremony was underway, I did not take many pictures. I always love to go the the back a stand by the large standing Buddha status, even though it is surrounded by scaffolding for the viharn’s renovation in progress.

I headed back to the old city. I went to Good Morning Chiang Mai coffee house with my computer to catch up on some work. It is fine working in the room, but sometimes that feels a little isolated. And the owner of Good Morning Chiang Mai is a friend of Rose and John of Wild Rose Yoga, and allows computer people to work upstairs. Good Morning Chiang Mai has very strong internet, good music, and good coffee drinks, a good place to get work done. They close at 5, so it is a morning/afternoon place only. This has been a good Wednesday.

Next: Silk Factory and a Textile Exhibition