Saturday, January 26, 2019 Return Visit to Wat Sri Suphan My friends Liz and Bryan from the Seattle, Washington area were visiting Southeast Asia, and their time in Chiang Mai overlapped my last few days. After they got settled in their accomodation inside the old city, I met them and we walked to the Saturday Night Market along Wua Lai Road near Wat Sri Suphan. We made our way to Wat Sri Suphan as the […]
Saturday, January 26, 2019 Walking Along the South and West Side of the Wall – Part 2 Wat Phra Singh After entering the old city through Suan Dok Gate, I was close to Wat Phra Singh. Wat Phra Singh is of four temples in Chiang Mai with the Royal Temple status. King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII), the older brother of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), bestowed on it the status of Royal Temple […]
Saturday, January 26, 2019 Walking Along the South and West Side of the Wall – Part 1 It is Saturday, and I leave late Monday. After yoga, a cleanup, lunch, and some shopping (for a few souvenirs for friends at home), I decided to take a walk. I intended to walk south from Chiang Mai Gate along the south end of the wall/moat, then up along the west side to Suan Dok Gate, and check […]
Tuesday, January 22, 2019 A Second Hike Up Doi Suthep, Part 2 We left Wat Phalad and headed up the trail towards Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. The trail leads from Wat Phalad to the main road, and that 300 meters is a very steep section. Once across the road, we follow the trail back into the jungle and the noise of the road is soon gone, replaced by the jungle noise, birds and insects. […]
Tuesday, January 22, 2019 A Second Hike Up Doi Suthep, Part 1 Because I have been going to Wild Rose yoga every day, I see and talk with some of the same people. A couple from Germany and a couple from Arizona expressed interest in making the hike up Doi Suthep to visit Wat Phalad and Wat Phra That Dio Suthep. I was also interested in making that hike again. The only day that fit […]
Sunday, January 20, 2019 Four Local, Neighborhood Temples, Part 4 Wat Pan On Wat Pan On is what I call a “neighborhood” temple, smaller, and less frequented by tourists. It is an older temple, having been built in 1501 according to records. Wat Pan On is on Rachadamnoen Road near Tha Phae Gate (the eastern gate) in the Chiang Mai old city, one of the major streets closed each Sunday afternoon and evening for the […]
Sunday, January 20, 2019 Four Local, Neighborhood Temples, Part 3 Wat Pan Ping Leaving Wat Umong Mahathera Chan from what was actually the front entrance, I was directly across the street from Wat Pan Ping. Wat Pan Ping is not a high tourist destination, and thus is a quiet temple in a very busy area, and a very old temple in Chiang Mai. It is very close to other more tourist-centric destinations, like the Three […]
Sunday, January 20, 2019 Four Local, Neighborhood Temples, Part 2 The second local temple is right through a small lane from Wat Duang Dee, Wat Umong Mahathera Chan. Ths temple was built by the three kings who founded Chiang Mai, early in the construction at about the same time as Wat Chiang Man (where King Mengrai lived and worshiped as he supervised the construction of the new city). Today, this temple is open for Thais […]
Sunday, January 20, 2019 Four Local, Neighborhood Temples, Part 1 After breakfast, a long, vigorous yoga session, and a shower, I headed out to visit some temples in the neighborhood that are the non-tourist, local temples. The four I visited are very close to the major tourist temples, not hidden, but overlooked by most tourists. And thus, they are peaceful due to the very low tourist traffic. All are quite beautiful. The old city, known […]
James the Intrepid Pilgrim 