Once you find what you want check on our google map for precise location.

Ratchadamnoen Road going from Wat Phra Sing to Thapae Gate.

Immediately below is the shop list , numbered and designated left or right as in left or right hand side of the road. For easy recognition match the key to the appropriate photo in the gallery at the bottom of the page.

• 1 left–Top of Thailand Tour Agents-  no reviews or links at this point.
• 1 right- The Brain Academy- popular with Thai students for extra learning.
• 2 left– small Thai Hairdressers- go on make yourself even more beautiful.
• 2 right- Kasikorn Bank ATM machine- no Bank, just machine.
• 3 left- Sabai Tours- no reviews or links as yet but run by very friendly Thai lady………there is a 7-11- store next door with a Siam Bank ATM machine.
• 3 right– Coffee shop popular with Thai students from the nearby high schools and nextdoor is RSN Tours–no reviews  as yet.
• 4 left- This is a thriving Thai Off License, usually open after 10 am.
• 4 right..before this shop is a wide Thai beauty and cleaning product shop.. the shop in the photo is a laundry outlet that also has postcards for sale.
• 5 left- This is one of those glorious Thai shops that defies pinning down, selling, as it does , various things from Fruit to plastic display units.
• 5 right- This lovely Pharmacy is run by a friendly Thai Lady, who has a good command of English Language.
• 6 left- This is a local Thai cafe- Don’t be shy, go try it out. -no reviews as yet.
  
• 6 right- Here is a row of Bangkok Bank ATM machines with another small Thai Cafe at the end of this row of shops.
• 7 left- this is a Graphics design shop- no reviews as yet.
• 7 right- After you have walked past Wat Si Goet you come to The Chiang Mai Central Police Station.
• 8 left-next on the left comes a Thai cafe supplies shop, selling drinking straws, takeaway cartons , plastic cutlery, etc….at the end of this row is a local Animal Clinic, open from 1pm until 3pm and then 6pm until 8pm.
• 8 right- after the police station you cross the crossroads with JahBan and as you do you will this this small Thai newspaper and cigarette stall- they do have The Bangkok Post and Chiang Mai Mail.
• 9 left- on the left after passing Wat Tung Yuu you will walk on to the cross with jah Bahn; as you cross you get to All Seasons Tour and internet cafe.-no reviews as yet.
• 9 right- A small thai bar -open evenings. no reviews as yet.
• 10 left-Chiang Mai ReflexologyCentre-150 baht an hour, very skilled massuers–next door is Chiang Mai Tailors, no reviews as yet.
• 10 right-A Thai sign making shop with a Motorcy Repair shop next door.-no reviews as yet.
• 11left- Another Thai Hairdressers for you, very friendly lady with good command of English Language, di me a good crop for 80 baht.
• 11 right- Wide frontage Car repair shop-no reviews as yet
  
• 12 left- On the other side of the Traffic light controlled intersection with Phra Pok Klao, stands this proud building whoes ground floor is occupied by Herb Basics health food shop.
• 12 right- Chiang Mai Forensics Police station.
• 13 left- next to Herb Basics, continuing towards Thapae Gate is a Thai Trophy makers.
• 13 right- TIC  Tours, very popular tours with backpackers, very friendly and helpful staff, good prices.
• 14 left- English Language School—looking for a job? why not try here?
• 14 right-Right next door To TIC is this Thai Massage shop-lots of good comments about this place from some of my customers.
• 15 left- Singer Motorcy Show room
  
• 15 right-You will find these shops right next door to The Brick Road Cafe-thats us-; first Relax and Refresh, sells essential oils, handmade soaps, etc, and also offers Thai and Foot massage. next door towards Thapae Gate is Chiang Mai Cotton, selling Handmade cotton clothes.
• 16 left- Treasury Pavilion; free entry into this building that apparently holds vast coin displays-no reviews at present.
• 16 right- Thai Beauty Clinic and next door to the left in the photo is a childs medical clinic.
• 17 left- Chiang Mai Architects Collaborative.
• 17 right- Large frontage Thai Dry Cleaners.
• 18 left- Mitsubushi Showroom
• 18 right-Thai Postcard and Postal service outlet- very reasonable overseas postage and shipping.
• 19 left- AUA language Centre – this building is often used for shows such as music recitals.
• 19right- Two arty souvenir / collectors shops here.. first The Lanna Gallery, Art Gallery shop and then LondonI clothes shop.
• 20 left- first a Thai Laundry service and next door a Postal service shop- no reviews as yet.
• 20 right- The Lanna Architecture Centre- no reviews as yet.
• 21 left- A large open market, along the lines of the Sunday Walking Market. On the left side this finds you at the Thape Gate end.
  
• 21 right- Chiang Mai Collective , Thai Tailors shop.-no reviews as yet.
• 22 right- Thai Car  repairs workshop.-no reviews as yet
  
• 23 right- Thai motor cy sales- no reviews as yet.
  
• 24 right- Dtac Mobile Phone service main office.
• 25 right- Thai Tour shop and bicycle rental.. no reviews as yet.
• 26 right- Daihatsu Show Room
• 27 right- AUA language school -very popular with Thai Students wanting to learn english, also do Thai for english speakers.
• 28-right- Toyota Show Room
• 29-right- Large outlet selling all manner of electrical goods from mobile phones, cameras and computers to air conditioning units and even motorcycles. Lots of great deals to be had.
• 30 right- Internet shop-no reviews as yet.
• 31 right- UOB currency Exchange and ATM and then Siam Commercial Bank and ATM
• 32 right-Touch Massage and training shop-no reviews as yet.
• 33 right- Thai Tour Shop and then  small Pharmacy- no reviews as yet.
• 34 right-Another pharmacy and then Postal Service shop.-no reviews as yet

This brings you to the Thapae Gate end on the right.

If you have used any of the outlets featured on this page and wish to send us a review please do so by email using the contact link at the bottom of the page.

We are here but for a second and gone.

If we spend time thinking about what to say the moment has gone and the time is no longer available for us.

When you have read this the time will have moved onto the next moment from when you started to read it and now it is even later.

Be sure to live life to the full, say what you must when it needs to be said.

Live long & prosper

Firstly a little advice if you are planning such a trip with a friend when you are both starting from different locations. Do ensure that both parties really do know the proposed meeting point. At the very least ensure that you have a well charged mobile phone so any confusion can be sorted easily. Me and Ali,(my webmaster, all hail!), arranged to meet at a coffee shop on the Hang Dong Road. Trouble was I got the wrong place and had discovered my mobile phone battery well flat that morning with no time to charge it up. From all accounts we both spent some time riding up and down Hang Dong road looking for each other and failing miserably. In the end I took the view that Ali was likely to have gone ahead to San Pa Tong anyway so I did the same. I was wrong and I have to apologise profusely to Ali for screwing her day up. putting my guilt to one side here follows the report of a great place to visit.

The nicest drive, I think, is to head out on the canal road, passing the Night Safari intersection(placemark 17 on our Google Map) and on to the intersection with the Samoeng Road,(placemark 18); at these lights cross over and carry on straight ahead. After around half an hours gentle ride you should bear left, (placemark 19) which will take you to a T junction with the main 108 at San Pa Tong. Leaving the Night Safari intersection at around 11.15am, I arrived at San Pa Tong a little before 12, midday.
The ride down that minor road had been lovely, through the rice fields where workers were busy gathering straw and the air was filled with the smells of fresh cut plant life. Other stretches of the road had wonderful floral scents, lavender, wild garlic and much more.
Just to the right of the T Junction at San Pa Tong was a delightful little coffee shop, “Cup and Cake”, where I sat a while with an iced Latte of very good quality for just 40 baht. The staff were very friendly and the manageress was very helpful when I enquired on the whereabouts of the Forest Temple that Ali had said we would be visiting. She wasn’t sure, but pointed me in the direction of  Wat pa De-lurn Tam. (was it this one Ali?)

This Temple turned out to be just 5 minutes or so ride down the road and a wonderful place to visit.

Set in quite vast grounds, with several buildings spread out between the trees, the compound appears very well tended and appears to be very popular with school visitors.

Indeed it seems to have been developed into a ‘teaching’ Temple.

In various spots around the grounds you come across many figurines dipicting various scenes from The Buddhas life story. An excellent teaching tool to pass on the culture.

Other notable features are the gigantic Golden reclining Buddha; a group of quaint concrete Animal statues, including dinosaurs,  and a curious dome shape Vihara.

At the time of my visit there was a large party of children ,from one of the local school, milling around.

It became quite impossible to take photographs of the concrete animals without several children rushing into the shot and posing. Many of them seemed keen to practice their English and there was a prolonged period of answering the same questions, ‘what is your name?’, ‘where do you come from?’. The lovely part of that was the genuine looks of delight when they got an answer, seemingly surprised that I’d actually understood them.

One confident young lad, Boom, became my guide for a short time, keen to point all the many different things worth photographing.

It was he who took me around to the dome shape Vihara, quite different in design to anything I’ve seen at Thai Temples before, it had more of a Dutch feel about it to me.

Peace was restored when the school children were called to the large activities hall where they were screening a cartoon film of Buddhas story on a large projector screen, followed by an enthusiastic sounding lecture from one of the Monks.

The Monks dwellings are set to the back of the grounds behind a big wall and set between a much higher density of trees, so maybe you could call this a Forest Temple; I’m sure it was in the past.

There is so much to see here, and it would certainly be a great ‘family’ visit. For many more photos of this Temple grounds visit our photobucket album here.

After spending the best part of an hour and a half here, I then headed back the way I came, taking my time and visiting 6 more Temples on the way home. All these Temples will appear soon under the Temple list on our home page. You could do the same or maybe even just take a ride around the many village roads, and even head up into the hills for an hour or two; something I’ll be doing next time I head out this way.

Relax by the water; get some food; have a massage; maybe play badminton; or join the many ‘walkers’ on the path that circuits the park.

You might like to feed the pigeons or the fish; there is as much or as little to do as you please in this wonderful public park.

It is also often used as a venue for activities during such events as The Flower Festival, (in February).

And there is a large concreted sports area, where you will often see the traditional Thai game of Ta Kaw being played.

You can view more photographs like these in our Photobucket.com albums