Lamphun is another charming town, not so far from Chiang Mai; around 45 minutes easy motorcy ride; and built in the same style, with moat and City walls.
Wat Phra That Haripunchai sits just inside the city walls and is a very historic Royal Lanna Temple.
Legend has it that in The Buddhas lifetime, The Buddha actually came to the Lamphun area to gather alms and was given samor fruit by some Lua tribesmen.
The Lord Buddha predicted that there would be a city erected on this site and that it would be named Hariphunchai Nakhon.
In the Buddha year 1204(661AD), two hermits, named Wasuthep and Sukkatanta, did indeed build a city at the spot and named it Hariphunchai Nakhon, meaning a City where the Lord Buddha used to eat
Samor fruit.
Hari means Samor Fruit, punchai means to consume and Nakhon means City.
There are two Chedi’s on the site, one of which was constructed by a Lanna King, King Athitayaraja, over 1000 years ago.
The more modern round Chedi is presently under refurbishment.
There is also an impressive Buddhist manuscripts hall and several other buildings surrounding the main Temple.
One of my personal favourites was the red stone bell tower.
The artwork and craftsmanship decorating the various constructions are of the highest quality.
Also worth a note is the very grand Gateway that certainly gives that air of Royalty.
For many more photos of this Temple please visit our photobucket album here.
This impressive Wat can be found behind The Princes Royal College which lies on Kaewnarawat rd, the main road out to Arcade Bus Station, Chiang Mai. Just turn left down the soi immediately before the college(coming from the river), and then right and you will see the entrance.
Immediately on your right as you come in is home to a well respected Thai massage training course for local Thais.
Inside there are many scenes from Buddhas story adorning the walls in that splendid traditional painting to be seen in so many of Chiang Mais temples.
The leafy village of Chompoo, sits around 20 minutes out of Chiang Mai, off Highway 11, and is a beautiful place to visit, with its large village ‘square’ centred around the small but delightful, Wat PayaChompoo.
In front of the Temple is the canal where you will see many huge catfish, and maybe join in the popular pass time of feeding these hungry monsters.
The large tarmacked square is home to a stunningly beautiful tree;( anyone care to identify it?
The Temple itself is small but nonetheless attractive. The modest Chedi behind the Temple has one of the pulley systems for blessing the Chedi by dousing it with water from a silver bucket , decorated by a lovely phoenix type bird.
The young novices we saw there were very happy, (and why not?), living in such a peaceful setting .
Here’s yet another great day out for you. Quite a special one with lots of historical and cultural interest. We tend to start these days out at around 11am, due to business commitments, but if you were to set off a little earlier you’d give yourself even more time to take it all in.
When the River Ping changed course, during the Burmese period,the area became flooded and was buried under river mud and silt. In the 1980s, after rediscovery during construction of a football pitch, the ancient site was developed into an historical park.
There are several Temple sites revealed over quite a large area with a wonderfully rural feel to it.
A popular way to get around the whole site is by taking one of the pony and cart tours available.
So, after our brief visit to Wiang Kum Kam, it was a short excursion on the outer ring road (Rte 121) towards San Kampaeng and taking a lunch stop at Inter – Mini Golf, an 18 hole pitch & put obstacle course, on the San Kamphaeng Road opposite the turn off to Bo Sang.
Once again, even having been in Chiang Mai for 3 years now, I got that ‘newcomer’ feeling as we entered Bo Sang from the opposite direction to the one I have used previously.
Lo and behold I finally saw the main Umbrella factory that I have always missed on my previous visits.
Much more ‘touristy than the smaller affair mentioned in my previous Bo Sang report, from my family visit, it is nonetheless much more interesting, with a much better insight into what goes into the making of the famous Umbrellas.
Behind the huge shop is the ‘factory’ area, where you can stroll around at your leisure and watch the five stages of the manufacturing process.
If you are wanting to find out more than just what you get from looking it is possible to get a guide to go around with you, who can answer your questions.
A nice touch to the set up is that the artists, of which there are many, will, for a small fee, paint one of their many designs onto to virtually anything you give them. One present craze is mobile phones.
All that said, Wat Doi Saket is one of those that can be considered to be on ‘the tourist trail’, as many of the larger mountain Temples are.
Most notable for me was the Chedi ‘within’ a Chedi, something I’ve never seen before.
And the artwork inside the main Temple is another mind blower, with some quite surreal and futuristic works included on the huge walls.
At the top is a recently landscaped area with terraced lily ponds and even better views than you get from the Temple that it overlooks.
It has a grand statue of the Buddha aboard a multi headed pink elephant.
There are tables spotted around the terraced garden and it is a perfect place to sit in meditative thought. For more photos please visit our 
Guarding Chiang Mai City and out lying areas, sitting near the top of the mountain, Doi Suthep, is this beautiful Temple complex with the best view over Chiang Mai that you are likely to find.
There are varied versions of how and when this Temple was founded. It is said to have been founded in 1383. This appears to be when the first Chedi was built.
The other piece , the King placed on the back of a white elephant which was released in the jungle. The elephant is said to have climbed up Doi Suthep, which in these times called Doi Aoy Chang (Sugar Elephant Mountain). The elephant is said to have trumpeted three times before dying near the top of the mountain. Interpreting this as a sign King Nu Naone ordered the construction of a Temple at the site.
A large area at the foot of the Temple grounds is taken up by gift stalls and for those not wanting to have to scale the long, steep steps to the Temple it self, there is now a cable train available for just 10 baht per person.
Within the Temple compound at the top there are coffee and snack shops and regular shows of traditional dancing and music by local school children.
Within the inner compound is the Chedi, surrounded by many many sacred Buddha images.
This small Temple is located south of Wat Jet Lin on the other side of the road down a small cul-de-sac that ends at the Temple gate.
The nearby houses boasts some beautiful trees that make it a very nice walk into the Temple grounds.
On the other hand, the Bell Tower, hidden behind trees to the rear of the compound seemed to have a some what older feel to it.
Behind the Temple is a medium sized, square Chedi. The things that caught my eye here the most were the green stone Angels on the compound wall as you walk in.
Turning right out of the Brick Road Cafe a leisurely 10 minute walk will get you to the Thapae Gate end of Ratchadamnoen. A short distance before you reach the end you will find Wat Muen Larn, the last Temple on the left hand side of the road, facing Thapae Gate.
Like many in the Old City, this small size Temple is built in the Lanna style and appears to be quite old in origin. It has some interesting buildings within its modest compound. The bell tower in particular caught my eye.
