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Visiting the Thousand Temples in Chiang Mai

Visiting the Thousand Temples in Chiang Mai

10 Jun 2011 08:30:00

If you like cool temperatures, Chiang Mai is a good place for you! Besides its nice weather the city has a thousands of exiting places to explore. Chiang Mai is the city in Thailand with the most Buddhist Temples. Almost everywhere in the city places of worship for the Buddist are easily found. Moreover, its culinary wealth, cheap shopping centers, and the beautiful panorama of Chiang Mai surrounded by mountain, there is no doubt, this city is the most attractive tourist destination in North Thailand. Chiang Mai is located around 700 kilometers north of Bangkok. Every day there are several trains going to Chiang Mai from Hualampong railway station, Bangkok. Besides, intercity buses going to Chiang Mai operate frequently. If you want to go by plane, Chiang Mai can be reached directly from Bangkok, Phuket, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Compared to Phuket and Pattaya which are in southern Thailand, Chiang Mai is more suitable for a cultural tourists with family. The atmosphere feels friendly, offering its beautiful nature and unique culture. It is strange that Chiang Mai is not so popular among Asian tourists. The city has been a favorite destination for backpackers from Europe and North America for a long time. Tourists from Tiongkok and India area a common sight in Bangkok but are rarely seen up north. The history of Chiang Mai begun more than 700 years ago when King Mengrai founded this city in 1296 as the capital city of Lanna kingdom. The area of old city Chiang Mai is surrounded by high walls and canals. Now only some parts of the walls are in good condition. The area of old city, located inside the walls, is the most unique part of Chiang Mai.

Wat Chedi Luang

If we look at the city map of Chiang Mai, the area of old city surrounded by walls is located in the middle of the city. As to be more precise, the central point of Chiang Mai is Wat Chedi Luang, a Buddhist temple complex which can be treated as the zero kilometer point of Chiang Mai. This fact seems to be very interesting: Chiang Mai is already seen as a metropolol has in fact had its origin in a Buddhist temple. It shows that Buddhism has become an inherent aspect of life for the people of Chiang Mai centuries ago. The main pagoda at the complex of Wat Chedi Luang is 85 meters high and was the tallest building in Chiang Mai for more than 500 years. Once, due to an earthquake, the pagoda collapsed, but has been restored fully now. Another unique aspect of Wat Chedi Luang is a collection of wax statues kept in one of the buildings within the temple complex. The statues are figures of monks who used to stay at Wat Chedi Luang. At first sight, the wax statues resembles real human being. Local people carrying various kinds of offering often pray in front of it. Not far from Wat Chedi Luang is another temple complex which is not less attractive. The temple or vihara is called Wat Pan Thao. Unlike other temples which are usually dominated by gold colour, Wat Pan Thao building is made from teak wood showing its original color. The inside part of the temple is decorated with Buddha statues and a number of old ceramic articles.

Altar for praying, Wat Doi Suthep

You have not been to Chiang Mai if you had not visited Wat Doi Suthepi, a temple complex located on the mountain, around 15 kilometers from the central part of Chiang Mai. People say this temple keeps the sacred relict of Buddha's bones. Wat Doi Suthep is regarded as very sacred by Buddhists. The visiting pilgrims are not only from Thailand but also from neighboring countries such as Burma and Laos. Although it is still actively used for praying, Wat Doi Suthep is open for the general public. At Wat Doi Suthep we can marvel at the panorama of Chiang Mai from high ground. The most interesting sight are the airplanes take off and land at Chiang Mai International Airport. All of it can be seen from the mountain of Doi Suthep.

The Bhuping Palace complex

If you have enough time, it is recommended to visit Bhuping Palace which is regarded as the summer palace for the Thai royal family. When King Bhumibol and his family do not stay at the palace, Bhuping Place is open for public. If you are able to come in either spring or summer, you can see the very large flower garden of King Bhumibol in front of his palace. The palace complex was built in 1961, so the building is quite new. Another unique thing which can be seen by visitors is the biggest bamboo tree in the world. The bamboo tree grows on the slope of the mountain so it takes some energy to see it.

Khao soi, the special food of Chiang Mai

Who says that you can only do cheap shopping in Bangkok? Chiang Mai has the Sunday Market and Night Bazaar which are not less colorful than shopping centers in Bangkok. On the Sunday Market you will only find genuine handicraft products made in Thailand. Not imported products from Tiongkok which are commonly found in other places. As to these genuine Thai products, its designs are quite unique and hard to find in other places. The Chiang Mai Sunday Market is the best place to buy souvenirs. Before leaving Chiang Mai, do not forget to taste Khao Soi, the special food of this city. Khao Soi is noodle served with hot curry soup. Khao Soi is usually eaten with pickles and sea food. Its taste is very unique and special. It is worth to try! A complete travel guide to Chiang Mai and North Thailand can be found in Backpacking: Thailand published by Elex Media Komputindo.

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