Sunday 5 January 2025
First Hike with Rudy from France

I met Rudy from France at Wild Rose Yoga the first winter after the global pandemic. He is typically in Chiang Mai in January, and we often hike together on weekends. We have had many hiking adventures together over recent years. Rudy just arrived in Chiang Mai after a month in Hua Hin, a town on the coast southwest of Bangkok. Since Rudy had just arrived, we decided to revisit an old favorite, the hike up the Monks Trail to Wat Phalad.

It is impossible to convey the good feeling of walking up the trail in the forest. It is all uphill, and thus a little strenuous at times. Being away from the city’s noise, it is quiet, peaceful, and meditative. I have posted about my walks up this trail to Wat Phalad many times, so forgive me if this is repetitive. The walk itself is always a bit of an adventure. Rudy took a photo of me at the trailhead.

Then I took a photo of him ahead of me as we started up the trail.

It is a natural trail, so there are obstacles to pass, like this fallen tree that has been here as long as I can remember (and I have probably shared photos of it many times).

We arrived at Wat Phalad after about a 45-minute hike. Being a Sunday, there are many people at the temple. The Monks Trail has become very popular since the emergence of social media and the trailhead now being easily found on Google Maps. When I first started making this hike, I was surprised to see one or two other people on the trail or at the temple. Now I am surprised to see less than 20 or 30 people at the temple. More people enjoying what I came to love is a good thing.

In the temple grounds are large stands of large-diameter bamboo. They make a pleasant click-clack sound when a breeze comes.

Rudy took a photo of me pointing at a statue pointing at something.

We decided not to continue up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. The second part, hiking from Wat Phalad to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is longer and much steeper. After a short rest, we headed down the trail.

In a few places, the bamboo has fallen across the trail, making almost a tunnel through the bamboo, another natural, not very difficult challenge. In this photo, we can easily walk through, but in some places, the top is just over waist-high and much slower to negotiate.

We noticed a sign to a side trail to a temple called Wat Sam Yob, so we made the detour.

The detour to this old temple was short. There is not much left to see of what might have been a temple long ago. This was all we could see where the trail ended, a few steps to a flat area where a worship hall might have been long ago.

We continued down the trail.

And we made it to the end of the Monks Trail.

I do not know the history of the name the Monks Trail. It may have been a trail used by monks to get to Wat Phalad from Chiang Mai. Is it properly “Monks Trail,” a trail used by many monks, or “Monk’s Trail,” a trail attributed to one monk, or “Monks’ Trail,” a trail attributed to many monks. I have just heard it called the Monks Trail.

Next: Revisiting the Kamphaengdin south of Ku Ruang (sometimes spelled Hu Hueang) Corner