So it came to that time of the year again. Thursday, the day before Peace Day, Somboon tried his hardest to convince me to do the traditional walk up Doi Suthep, for the annual festival where sacred water is doused on the Buddha images in the belief that it will bring another years protection from bad spirits.
I am proud to say that I have completed this walk in the past, in 2006.
That year I had just arrived back in Chiang Mai, after a 12 hour flight and 15 hour train journey, and Boon had me walking up Doi Suthep the evening of my first day back. And I did walk, all the way!
Remembering just how hard the 13+ kilometer walk up that mountain was, how my legs turned to jelly by the time we reached Doi Suthep and then cramped up the next day….my answer in the end was thanks but no thanks. Having the excuse of much work to do to complete my recent write up on the visit to Maesa Elephant Camp, I backed out.
Somboon was, however, determined to repeat the feat and went off in the early evening to join the thousands of other local Thais who hold this event dear.
Starting at Chiang mai University entrance, on Huay kaew Rd, its a long haul up to the temple, sometimes made quite unpleasant by the number of vehicles trying to battle their way up through the crowds of walkers, filling the air with fumes as many of them overheat and get stuck .
From Boons photos it is clear that despite a quite violent lightning storm mid evening, literally thousands of people made the effort. Indeed, it looks to me that the numbers may have been up quite significantly on the year that I took part. Maybe the recent problems for Thailand giving added impetus to perform the rituals.
The walk takes place through the afternoon and evening and then the water dousing festival and processions take place early morning. Trooper that he is, Boon made it to the Temple in 4 hours from the entrance to Chiang Mai University. It took us 5 in 2006, and 3 years older and carrying alot more pounds I’m guessing it may have taken me 6 or 7 if I’d attempted it this year.
Not wanting to miss out on the festival atmosphere completely i decided to save myself for the equivalent procession and water dousing ceremonies in Lamphun.
We timed it just right, getting to Wat Haripunchai just after 3.30pm to see the long procession coming into the Temple grounds. Again the importance of this festival to the local population was clear by the numbers in attendance. A cultural and spiritual importance made all the more clear in Lamphun, a city not geared towards tourists.
Although I’m sure there were probably other foreigners there somewhere, we were there for quite a while and strolled round the Temple grounds and then the street market around the moat and I did not see any at all.
The street market seems to go almost completely around the inner moat road and is by all accounts a weekly event on Fridays anyway. Similar to the Sunday Walking Street in Chiang Mai , but in a much more beautiful setting and far more pleasant to walk around.
I think this will be a weekly destination for us.
For many more photos, from Boons walk; Haripuchai Peace Day Festival and the Lamphun Walking Street Market please visit our photobucket album here
