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.

Turning left out of our cafe, this Temple is just a couple of minutes walk on the right hand side of the road.

Sitting in a wide, open compound, notable features of this Wat are; the interesting collection of artifacts inside the main Temple, which include:

• old record players
• radios and a tape machine
• more of those wall paintings
• a very beautiful Vihan
• a most impressive Monks dwelling.

There is a sheltered sitting area and , like many of the Temples, a wide variety of plant life.

Another feature of the main Temple worth a note are the beautifully gilded wooden doors.

A Gold painted Chedi sits next to the Temple.

Once again I could find no English Language History information here and there was no one around to ask. For mention of Wat Chai Prakiat elsewhere try looking here.

You can either walk down Ratchadamnoen Rd, turning right out of the cafe, across the first crossroads and then left at the second intersection; or if you have already found your way to Wat Umong Mahatcheran, then cross over the street from the front of that Temple.

At the time of my visit the site was in some disarray, looking somewhat neglected but I believe that it is yet another Wat on the restoration list.

Although there was no written history available, I had a very nice chat with a very friendly guy called ,Tong Chai.

Tong Chai informed me that the Wat and the Chedi behind it is over 500 years old and is built and decorated in the original Lanna style.

Despite its present condition, as with most of these wonderful buildings, there is no hiding the beauty, and I look forward to seeing this one again after restoration is finished.

There was a stunning painting on the side of the Vihara, and, I suspect, more inside the Temple.

For more photos of Wat Ban Ping visit our photobucket album here.

Immediately on your right as you come in is home to a well respected Thai massage training course for local Thais.

There is a large courtyard with many trees offering plenty of shelter from the sun.

The Temple itself is quite large.

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.
To the left of the main temple is a large wooden Vihara.
My visit here was short, just dropping of my partner somboon who was trying the massage course.
Should i have reason to return I will be sure to get more photos and hopefully more info.

for more photos please visit our photobucket album here.

In the future I will try and get more information on its history, but this will involve some time chatting to the Monks there; being a village Temple, off the tourist trail, there is no English info.

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.

Something else I want to find out is the story behind the fish. They are clearly significant to the village, judging by the village sign which is overlooked by a large sculpture of, yes you guessed it, a fish!

The large tarmacked square is home to a stunningly beautiful tree;( anyone care to identify it?

So much I need to do to improve these write ups; history to discover; botany to identify; comments and assistance are always welcome.

The Wat is guarded by two impressive Dragons at its entrance.

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.

Inside the Temple, more of that Temple artwork, with many scenes from the Buddhas life depicted on the walls.

My first visit here was brief and I will endeavour to return for more photos and info. Although the grounds are modest there appeared to be quite extensive buildings, most probably a Temple school as well as Monks accommodation.

The young novices we saw there were very happy, (and why not?), living in such a peaceful setting .
for more photos from Wat PayaChompoo please visit our photobucket album here.

First on our itinerary on this day was to visit the ancient ruins at Wiang Kum Kam.

Wiang Kum Kam was an ancient settlement  before it became King Mangrai’s capital around the period of 1287-90. King Mengrai moved his capital due to frequent flooding, but Wiang Kum Kam remained important throughout the Lanna period.

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.

With our days itinerary our time here was limited but I fully intend to return and spend a whole day there at which point there will be a much more detailed report on this wonderful site. For more photos visit our photobucket album here.

Most of the major routes in & out of town show large blue tourist information signs and there are also smaller individual signs.

Wiang Kum Kam features on many and if you travel out of town on either the Lamphun Road (Rte 106) or the Hang Dong Road (Rte 108) you will see the signs for you to follow.

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.

The interesting, and challenging looking mini golf course costs 100 baht per person and has a very pleasant cafe area attached, with a wide ranch of food available at quite reasonable prices.

After lunch, we made a short ride to the fabulous Bo Sang Umberella Factory

Bo-Sang-Umbrella Factory

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.

A Little History.

Over a hundred years ago a Monk named Phra In Tha, from Bo Sang Temple, travelled to the Thai/Burmese border to make meditation. Whilst he was there a Burmese man brought him a hand painted paper Umbrella. On visiting the mans village, Phra In Tha, observed the villagers making the umbrellas and carefully wrote down various procedures that go into making of them.

Returning to Bo-Sang he passed on the information he had gathered and taught his own people how to make these most useful works of art.

Since then, the craftspeople of Bo Sang have developed a wide range of styles for the Umbrellas that have become a very famous part of Chiang Mai heritage.

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.

1. the paper making process, using bamboo or mulberry pulp.
2. the cutting of bamboo for the umbrella skeleton.
3. the making of the umbrella skeleton.
4. the adding of the paper to the skeleton
5. the hand painting and finishing of the umbrella.

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.

The manageress in the shop, Kun Nok, is very helpful and friendly so don’t be afraid to go and have a chat.
For more photos please visit our photobucket album here.

UPCOMING EVENT-BO SANG UMBRELLA FESTIVAL-16th-17th-18th of January.

With ever more knowledge of this wonderful region of Thailand, and its culture stored away in the old grey matter, the day old would not have been complete with out the obligatory Temple visit. And that is not meant in a derogatory way. My love of the Temples of Chiang Mai and Thailand is great, and trips out really are not complete with out at  least one Temple included.

Many say ‘ once you’ve seen one Temple you’ve seen them all’. I say, open your eyes. Each Temple has something unique to itself, be it the setting, the architectural design, art work, the lay-out, location or the inhabitants, both human and animal, not forgetting the often varied plant life. Ok, some are less exciting than others, but I will never tire of searching  out new ones, and mostly the lesser known ones. Something that increases my love for these places is that some of the most beautiful examples I have visited so far have been tucked away, off the tourist trail and you see that the artwork, the landscaping, the care and the love is not just done for effect.

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.

Without wanting to put the place down, for me it felt a little too ‘sterile’. Its hard to pinpoint why, and such perceptions can be very personal, so don’t let my opinion put you off taking a look. There is a lot of beauty there, and with its location, some stunning views.

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.

My favourite part of this visit was going up to the neighbouring peak, via a mud track opposite the main road entrance to the Temple.

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 photobucket album here.

Time constraints needing me back at the cafe by 6pm ended another great day out. Thanks again to Ally for coming up with the route.

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 temple has been much expanded, with even more extravagance and with many more holy shrines added. The first road to the temple was built in 1935.

The Legend of The White Elephant.

Legend has it that a Monk called Sumanathera from Sukhothai had a dream; he dreamt that  God told him to travel to Pang Cha in search of  a relic.

Following the instruction from his dream Sumanathera journeyed to Pang Cha where he is said to have found a bone, which many claim was a piece from the Buddha’s shoulder bone.

This relic is said to have had magical powers; not only did it glow but  it was also able to vanish, and could move  and duplicate itself. Sumanathera took the relic to King Dharmmaraja ,the  ruler of Sukhothai.

Dharmmaraja eagerly made offerings and held a ceremony on Sumanathera’s arrival. However the relic displayed no abnormal characteristics, and the disapointed King, told Sumanathera to keep it.

However, King Nu Naone of the Lanna Kingdom hearing of the relic called on  The monk to take it to him instead.  With Dharmmaraja’s permission, Sumanathera took the relic to the area now known as  Lamphun. Here the bone apparently split in two, one piece the same size, the other  smaller than the original. The smaller piece of bone was enshrined at a Temple in Suandok.

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.

Sadly much of the mysticism surrounding this Temple has been lost to tourism.

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.

There is still strict dress code here and you will be refused entry if your clothing is deemed inappropriate.

Within the inner compound is the Chedi, surrounded by many many sacred Buddha images.

At times there is a Monk on duty in one of the Vihans where members of the public can enter to receive blessing from the Monk.

The courtyard outside looks over the City of Chiang Mai and much of its outlying villages and towns.

Getting there;

Many ways, the best of which is to rent yourself a motorcy and ride up yourself, or maybe even a bicycle if you are young and fit enough.

Or you can take a local red song taow(bus). Either you can take one of the specified buses that wait at points such as Wat Phra Singh. These buses are likely to cost you 200 baht upwards and the driver may put a limit on your time up there if you have arranged a two way trip, which they will encourage you to do.

My preferred method for the song taows is to take one from here to outside the front entrance to Chiang Mai University, which should cost 20 baht. Then a short walk from there, towards the mountain, is the bus stop for going up to the Temple, Royal Palce or Doi Pui Hilltribe village. If you are happy to wait for the bus to fill with passengers you will get up there for a further 40 baht.

Again they will encourage you to pay 80 baht two way but may place a time restriction. Be aware that only at the busiest times is there ever likely to be a shortage of buses waiting outside the temple to bring you down.

The nearby houses boasts some beautiful trees that make it a very nice walk into the Temple grounds.

There was no information available and no one around so it is difficult to gauge the age of this Temple. Newly painted and still with signs of recent rendering , first impressions suggested that it is not as old as many of the Old City Wats.

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.

There is a Vihara that is not so much smaller than the Main Temple and a large activities hall that is clearly a recent construction.

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.
For more photos of this Temple please visit our photobucket album here.

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.

At the front of the compound is a covered area where you can get a range of different massages , from traditional Thai to to Herbal steam of facial massage.

For more photos of this quaint Wat visit our photobucket album here.

Yet another Wat located along Sri Poom, the top moat road , on the outside of the Old City, Chiang Mai;

Wat Maor Kam Dtuang is easy to locate, just look out for the shimmering shiney walls that mark its border with the pathway.

Within the medium sized compound you will find the Wat itself, a beautifully decorated Vihara and some quite extensive ‘activity’ buildings.

Another unique feature is the quite original statue depicting Pa Ya Nak.

For more photos visit our photobucket album here.