Sunday 26 January 2025 Hike to Wat Umong via Wat Suan Dok I typically hike with my friend Rudy from France on Sundays when he is in Chiang Mai, but he was not available today. I considered returning to the Monks Trail and hiking all the way up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, but I just was not psyched for that difficult of a hike today. Instead, I decided to return to Wat Umong, […]
Saturday 25 January 2025 Moving from The 3-Sis to See You Soon After leaving Wat Phan Tao, I walked north to Chang Phuak Gate, the gate on the north side of the wall. Part of the wall by the gate collapsed after being undermined by heavy rains about three years ago. When the damage was assessed, more of the ancient gate foundation was discovered which led to the entire area of the gate and road […]
Saturday 25 January 2025 Moving from The 3-Sis to See You Soon For the 12 winters I visited Chiang Mai, I stayed at The 3-Sis, a guesthouse and restaurant in the middle of the old city. The 3-Sis is so named because it is owned by three sisters and their parents. I know all of the family. Poppy manages The 3-Sis. About 6 or 7 years ago, Ice, one of the sisters, and her husband […]
Friday 17 January 2025 Exploring Wiang Kum Kam Again Wat Chedi Liam Our last stop was Wat Chedi Liam (also Wat Chedi Lem, Wat Chedi Liem, and Wat Ku Kham), a temple that is active today. Wat Chedi Liam is considered a premier attraction of Wiang Kum Kam. Although no ruins exist at Wat Chedi Liam, the pyramidal-shaped chedi is from the early era of the ancient city. The chedi at Wat Chedi Liam is […]
Friday 17 January 2025 Exploring Wiang Kum Kam Again Wat That Kaow Our next stop was at Wat That Kaow. The name of Wat That Kaow (or Wat That Khao) translates as “White Relic Temple,” and is in reference to white lime plaster that would have once covered the chedi. This temple is located just outside the original Wiang Kum Kam city wall and is one of the most visited temple sites today. The ruins […]
Friday 17 January 2025 Exploring Wiang Kum Kam Again Wat Pu Pia The next excavation site we visited was the remains of Wat Pu Pia, like Wat E Khang, a very complete temple with a viharn, a ubosot, and a fairly complete chedi. The chedi has 4 niches to house Buddha images (likely standing Buddhas by the tall shape). Wat Pu Pia (or Wat Pupia) is a 16th-17th Century temple and is written that it […]
Friday 17 January 2025 Exploring Wiang Kum Kam Again Wat E Khang Just across the soi from Wat Nan Chang is Wat E Khang. Wat E Khang is one of the most impressive ruins in all of Wiang Kum Kam. There is the foundation of a large viharn and, most surprisingly, a nearly intact chedi connected by a brick pathway. At the rear of the viharn are stairways on each side leading up to the […]
Friday 17 January 2025 Exploring Wiang Kum Kam Again Wat Nanchang The third site at which we stopped is Wat Nanchang, sometimes written as Wat Nan Chang. Unlike many of the other signs with historical notes and descriptions in Thai and English, this sign only announces the site. Wat Nan Chang, like its neighbor Wat E Khang, is one of the most significant excavation finds in Wiang Kum Kam. The temple ruins were buried 1.8 […]
Friday 17 January 2025Exploring Wiang Kum Kam Again Wat Chang Kham The second site we visited was Wat Chang Kham, formerly known as Wat Kan Thom. It is called Wat Chang Kham today because of the elephant statues at the base of the chedi (“chang” in Thai translates to “elephant”). I did not see the elephant statues among the ruins. This is a small excavation site, with essentially only one structure uncovered, the foundation and […]
Friday 17 January 2025 Exploring Wiang Kum Kam Again One significant and largely unknown aspect of Chiang Mai’s history is the ancient lost city of Wiang Kum Kam. When the course of the Mae Ping River changed, the city was buried under 2-3 meters of mud and later abandoned. Wiang Kum Kam was rediscovered in 1984 when the Thailand Fine Arts Department, which is responsible for excavating and maintaining the country’s archaeological sites and museums, […]
Sunday 12 January 2025 Hike beyond Doi Suthep to Remote Village Rudy and I have a tradition of hiking every Sunday. Rudy is from France and is in Chiang Mai every January. We met at Wild Rose Yoga three years ago. Today we decided to attempt to hike again a route we hiked with the Chiang Mai Hiking Club last year. The hike starts behind Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and goes through the forest […]
Thursday 9 January 2025 Revisiting a large remaining part of the Kamphaengdin I have been fascinated with the Kamphaengdin ever since I learned about it. The Kamphaengdin was a second wall made of earth and clay built in the late 1500s to protect the expanded parts of Chiang Mai to the east and south of the square, walled city. The Kamphaengdin was built inside the Klong Mae Kha so that the klong (small river or […]
James the Intrepid Pilgrim 