After the rather long time in a big city like Hanoi, we wanted to spend some time in nature today and for this reason we rented a scooter to go to a nearby national park. At first, we were not sure if we should dare to ride the scooter here in Thailand, as there is left-hand traffic and we could not find out if we are allowed to drive here with our international driver's license. However, since the national park was too steep and we wouldn't have seen much on foot or by bike, we decided to go for the convenient scooter and Andra started as the driver. It only took five minutes until we were pulled over by a police control... Fortunately, it turned out that our international driver's license is valid, but I am apparently not allowed to drive here, as I don't have a motorcycle driver's license, even though in Germany you are allowed to ride scooters up to 50 km/h with a regular driver's license.
Arriving at the national park, we first stopped at a waterfall and then hiked through the jungle in 30 degrees (!) to another one.
The path through the jungle The waterfalls
Many colorful butterflies accompanied us on the way, flying around us, sitting on the ground, or perching on plants and rocks.
Butterflies in the national parkAfter the hike, we went to a small temple complex called Wat Pha Lat. Many of the small statues were covered in moss and showed clear signs of their considerable age.The entrance to the temple After this rather hidden gem, we went to its exact opposite: Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep. This splendid temple is the landmark of Chiang Mai and was accordingly crowded. To get there, we had to climb over 300 steps that originated at the foot of the mountain, where large Buddha statues were already waiting. It was definitely worth it, because the centerpiece of the complex was a massively golden pagoda surrounded by beautiful smaller prayer niches. Around it, there were more precious decorated temples from which one had a fantastic view of the city of Chiang Mai, which stretched out on the flat plateau below.Welcomed by two oversized Buddhas Doi SuthepView of Chiang MaiLovely action: a long cloth that will later be stretched around the temple, was allowed to be marked with the names of all visitors. Lastly, we drove further up the mountains until we reached a viewpoint that faced west towards the untouched mountains surrounding Chiang Mai. Even in daylight, this created an impressive image with a special atmosphere, as it was a bit hazy, causing the mountains in the back to slowly disappear in the mist, making everything look a bit otherworldly. This was further enhanced by the red and orange tones of the setting sun, and we witnessed a breathtaking sunset. Sunset in three steps Once it was dark, it quickly became cold on the mountain without the sun, which was intensified by the wind while riding the scooter, so we were glad to be back in the warmer city in our short clothes. This is now my 40th blog post, a round birthday, and fitting for the start of the last section of the journey in Thailand. I am still happy that my little travel report still reaches people who continue to read it and enjoy it after 40 posts and 44 days on the road. Thank you very much for that!
