Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

It seems that the rainy season is coming to an end.  We have had a couple of weeks of blue sky and sunshine here in Chiangmai.  I have been waiting for the skies to totally clear before I headed up the mountain nearby to visit the famous Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, commonly known as the Doi Suthep temple. Doi Suthep is actually the name of the mountain.

The base of Doi Suthep is literally a couple of blocks away from our house. We can look up, way up, at the temple from the end of our driveway. From there the road winds steeply through forested countryside for about 13 kilometers to the top of the mountain, where the temple is located.  Driving up the mountainside also takes you through parts of Doi Suthep-Pui National Park which abounds with walking trails, waterfalls and an abundance of exotic trees and plants.

My nifty little Honda PCX had no problem climbing up the road.  Along the way I passed people walking and cycling…good on them!  I was quite happy having my scooter do the work. It is a long, steep road with many switchbacks.  The drivers here have a bad habit of crossing the centerline at every turn so it is really important to stay over to the side of the road as much as possible!  It seems that the path of least resistance is the norm, cutting off all the corners.

The first temple was built at the site at the beginning of the 14^th century and has expanded greatly since that time. The road up the mountain was constructed in 1935. I have to say that I am not really a big temple connoisseur and you tend to get a little “templed out” living in Chiangmai. But this one really is quite spectacular, especially with the incredible panoramic views of Chiangmai from the mountain top.

The two things that struck me immediately were the vast amount of gold colored architecture and the vast number of Chinese tourists!  By the end of this year, almost 4 million Chinese will have visited the country. And this almost a 100% increase over last year.  Anyway, I digress, back to the temple…

I arrived at the top and parked my scooter in the first place I could find. From there, it was a walk through a gauntlet of vendors selling all the typical tourist stuff you can imagine. As always, tucked in between the masses of trinkets was some really nice stuff. Once you make it past the sellers, it is a steep walk up 135 stairs to the temple entrance.  Where there is a mountain in Asia, you will always find hundreds of stairs. They seem to go hand in hand. So far, China has been the worst! The double standard for ticketing is alive and well in Thailand…Thais enter for free, foreigners pay 30 baht for a ticket.

Heading up on a weekend was probably not the smartest idea but there was still enough space to get away from the crowds when I needed to.  How the monks go about their daily business in the middle of these crowds is anybody’s guess.  It must drive them crazy to have people ringing the dozens of “do not touch” bells on a constant basis. Somehow, they manage to carry on with their rituals with little attention paid to the masses around them.  However, I did find it amusing to see a visiting monk taking pictures with his iPad!

Shoes must be removed before entering the temple and appropriate dress is required. No shorts or short skirts. Most tourists have little respect for these simple rules and barge on in without a moment’s hesitation. In most places where these rules are in place, saris are made available to wear.

I spent about an hour wandering around the grounds before heading back down the mountainside. On the way back, I stopped of at the  waterfalls, a 3km drive off the main road along a very narrow, old road. It was worth the small trip to see another scenic area with more unusual vegetation and trees. My trusty new Thai driving license shaved 80 baht off the entrance fee since I was considered a local.  The regular fee is about 140 baht.

You can get to the temple and the park by renting a car or scooter.  The local red songthaews also make regular trips up the mountainside.  If you have lots of time and are feeling energetic, you can walk up!  All these sites are very close to the city and well worth visiting.