Tuesday, January 30, 2024 Wat Muen Tum Across Prapokkloa Road and only 50 meters or so north of Wat Jed Lin is Wat Muen Tum, sometimes spelled Wat Muen Toom. Almost all Buddhist temples have the main entrance on the east side. The viharn (worship or prayer hall) doors open to the east to greet the rising sun honoring the beginning of the day. On the west, or setting sun side of the viharn is […]
Tuesday, 30 January 2024 Prapokkloa Road Leaving Wat Fon Soi and walking north on Prapokkloa Road, just 80 meters further is Wat Jed Lin, sometimes spelled Wat Chet Lin, Wat Jet Lin, or Wat Nong Chalin. Wat Jed Lin Wat Jed Lin is a beautiful, serene temple beside a large pond with lotus flowers, lily pads, fish, and fairly large turtles. Sitting in one of the bamboo pavilions, relaxing beside the pond, it’s hard to […]
Tuesday 30 January 2024 Prapokkloa Road The walled old city of Chiang Mai is approximately square, very close to 1600 meters square on each side. It is remarkable how accurate the layout is, given that this was constructed more than 700 years ago. And 1600 meters is very close to 1 mile. Within the 1 square mile of the old walled city of Chiang Mai are at least 50 Buddhist temples. I pass by many […]
Sunday 21 January 2024 Revisiting Wat Jed Yod I have been to Wat Jed Yod many times over the eleven years visiting Chiang Mai. The temple grounds are large with many trees, almost like a park with a serene atmosphere. There are always tourists here, but not many, and I feel like I have much of the temple to myself. I like the many chedis at Wat Jed Yod, all old and rustic looking and […]
Sunday 21 January 2024Three temples on Tha Phae Road Wat Chetawan About 200 meters east of Tha Phae Gate on the north side of Tha Phae Road is Wat Chetawan, directly across Tha Phae Road from Wat Mahawan. Wat Chetawan seems to be in a constant state of renovation and/or reconstruction for as many times I have noticed this temple in my many visits to Chiang Mai. The sign over the main entrance appears temporary […]
Sunday 21 January 2024Three temples on Tha Phae Road Wat Mahawan About 200 meters east of Tha Phae Gate on the south side of Tha Phae Road is Wat Mahawan, directly across Tha Phae Road from Wat Chetawan. Wat Mahawan is a little rustic and appears well-worn, and while some cleaning and/or restoration might be in order soon, the temple is quite appealing. There being many plants gives the temple a larger, garden feeling, while […]
Sunday 21 January 2024 Three temples on Tha Phae Road I walk past three temples on Tha Phae Road often as I walk to the Story 106 co-working space for coffee and to work on my blog. Since I have visited these temples many times in the past, I generally ignore them and walk by. Since seeing these temples is part of my daily routine, and they are very different with different histories, I thought […]
Sunday, 14 January 2024 Wat Phra That Doi Suthep to Khun Chang Khian The Chiang Mai Hiking Club is an informal group of mostly Chiang Mai residents who hike in the area every Sunday. The only way to connect with them is to show up at one of their hikes, the details of which are posted on Friday on their website for the upcoming Sunday hike. The goal of this hike was Khun Chang Khian […]
Wednesday, 10 January 2024 Return to Wat Phra That Doi Kham After my adventure to Lamphun I decided to return to a temple just a little outside Chiang Mai to the south and slightly west. I last visited Wat Phra That Doi Kham four years ago in 2019. Being more than 12 kilometers away, I arranged for a driver to take me there, wait while I viewed the temple, and return me to The 3-Sis. […]
Tuesday, January 9, 2024 In the City of Lamphun On the way to Lamphun, the songtaew driver allowed me to sit in the cab with him since I was the only passenger and there would be no pickups along the way. The fastest way to get to Lamphun is a road running parallel to the train tracks, the same road I walked down almost three weeks ago (although while I was walking, I did not […]
Tuesday, January 9, 2024An afternoon in Lamphun I have many, many excellent days in Chiang Mai, Thailand. And even the not-so-good days are pretty good. Tuesday afternoon was one of those not-so-good afternoons. I had decided to make an afternoon trip to Lamphun, a small city about 25 kilometers (15 miles) south of Chiang Mai. Lamphun Lamphun is fairly significant in the region’s history. It is the capital of the Lamphun Province with an official […]
Sunday, December 7, 2024 Sunday Hiking A missed adventure turned into a new adventure. Another good day in Chiang Mai, Thailand. For several years in my visits to Chiang Mai, I have heard about the Chiang Mai Hiking Club, an informal group of people who get together every Sunday for hikes in the general Chiang Mai area. I finally found their website and told Rudy about the group. Rudy is a friend from France whom […]
James the Intrepid Pilgrim 