Monday, November 17, 2025 Around the Moat 3: North and East I am starting to walk east along the north side of the moat. And, like at the southwest corner, a little of the wall is still intact, seen at the far right of the photo. Wat Lok Molee It looks to be a long walk, but each side of the moat is only about 1.5 kilometers (just under a mile). Less than half way […]
Saturday, November 5, 2025 Wat Benchamabophit, The Marble Temple Wat Benchamabophit, formally known as Wat Benchamabophit Dusitvanaram, is one of the best-known and renowned religious landmarks in Bangkok. And it is a major tourist attraction. The temple is known for its refined architectural composition in the ornate style associated with temples of Bangkok. The central-Thailand style includes high gables, multi-tiered roofs, and elaborate finials. The Marble Temple combines traditional Thai aesthetics with European influences introduced […]
Saturday, November 15, 2025 A full day in Bangkok – Wat Pho Breakfast Before I head out to see temples in Bangkok, it’s time for breakfast at the hotel. The hotel in which I am staying used to be the Novotel Phloen Chit (the Novotel Hotel in the Phloen Chit district of Bangkok). I had come to like this hotel because it is very affordable for a 4 or 5-star hotel, and it is right […]
Saturday 1 February 2025 Returning to Khun Chang Khian to see the Sakura Mukda is a long-time friend of mine who owns a massage shop on Loi Kroh Road here in Chiang Mai. I often sit and chat with her after an evening walk, watching the people walk by. She told me that one of her massage ladies, Yui, wanted to go up the mountain to Khun Chang Khian to see the Sakura. She came […]
Wednesday 29 January 2025 Temples I see often and seldom visit On Ratchamanka Road is Wat Pha Khao, a temple I pass often and have seldom felt compelled to enter and explore. Here is the sign on the corner with very sexy-looking angels in the carving. Inside, there is a coffee shop by the entrance, and further in, a viharn and chedi. There are always several people and monks here, so this is a fairly […]
Wednesday 29 January 2025 Temples I see often and seldom visit Writing my blog was easier when I was walking the pilgrimage routes in Spain to Santiago de Compostela. Every day while walking to the next town, I took many photographs. At the end of the day, while resting and waiting for laundry to finish, I would select a representative few, process them (crop and resize), upload them to my blog host site, and then […]
Sunday 26 January 2025 Hiking to Wat Umong via Wat Suan Dok After crossing the hectic canal road, like a divided highway, I found a route to Wat Umong through the smaller and less busy sois instead of the main roads. I arrived at Wat Umong from Wat Suan Dok in a respectable 45 minutes. Wat Umong Wat Umong is located south of Chiang Mai University in deep woodland near the base of Doi Suthep […]
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 […]
James the Intrepid Pilgrim 