Doi Suthep (Day 65 of the world trip)

08/11/2019

Today was our last day here in Chiang Mai :O But actually, that's okay because there wasn't too much for us to see here. Of course, you can do various tours (elephant camp, bungee jumping, ziplining, etc.), but none of them appealed to us or were simply too expensive and too touristy^^

So we decided to use our last day to go up to Doi Suthep. That's the hill where we started going up during the bike tour, and at the top, there's a temple that is considered THE highlight of Chiang Mai ;-)

Originally, before Jonas had his back problems, we wanted to walk up there. By car, it's a proud 18km because of all the curves, but there's the so-called 'Monk's Trail,' where you can walk up in a good pace in 2 hours (about 6km or so).

For various reasons and not completely agreeing, we made the compromise to drive up with a red truck and then walk the Monk's Trail as the way back :D From yesterday, we still knew how easy it is to wave down these shared taxis, and actually, the first one stopped right away. He told us a price of 150 baht per person (about 5€), and since we hadn't researched it well enough and after the driver hesitated without changing the price, we simply agreed.

A few minutes later, we were punished for our 'laziness in negotiating' when another couple boarded the truck and negotiated the fare for 100 baht per person, even though they were going to the exact same point as us... Well, we only had ourselves to blame ;-)

Probably, we could have just paid the lower price at the end of the ride, but we stuck to the agreed 300 baht and yep^^

Arriving at the top, Jonas felt a bit nauseous at first (curves and sideways driving are a nasty combination ;-) ) but then we went straight up the steps to the temple. Admission there is technically free, but in a small office, they politely ask you to buy a ticket for 30 baht (about 1€) per person, which we did ;-)

The temple itself wasn't too spectacular actually. The view from up there was more interesting :p We could see Chiang Mai airport and so we could observe planes taking off from above, which was quite funny. But since it was slightly cloudy today, the view wasn't as great as it might be on other days... But never mind. It was still quite nice :)

Just before the exit, we passed by a statue that can be found all over the temple grounds. Coincidentally, we ran into a tour group at that moment, which had a German-speaking guide, and we found out that this figure dips her long braid into water and then wrings it out over the fields. This supposedly ensures a particularly good harvest. Unfortunately, we couldn't hear who the figure is anymore^^

To strengthen ourselves for the return journey, we got a waffle on a stick!!! <3 I love them ever since I had one for the first time in Dortmund at the main train station (I don't think they have them there anymore?^^)! With the waffle, you got a plastic bag with chocolate sauce inside, so you could dip your waffle into it. Really delicious!

For conscience and health reasons, we also got a cup of fresh fruits, which we shared. At least ;-)

Armed with our phones and Maps.me, we set off. We first went up an inconspicuous entrance, which turned into a small street with very simple houses along the road. But at some point, we had to turn around because the path didn't exist... We tried another entrance that seemed roughly correct according to the map, but then a barking dog came running towards us, so we turned around :D

We went back to the main road and walked about 100m down until we found the actual end of the Monk's Trail :) There was a sign warning that it's prohibited to pass, but since we saw another couple coming from there, we ignored the sign ;-)

Going down from the top was not the smartest move. Since it's very steep, we had to concentrate all the time, especially at the beginning, and we couldn't look around much to the right and left :D Because the ground was mostly slippery soil or slippery leaves or slippery stones^^

Although this Monk's Trail is considered a 'secret tip' again, we came across quite a few people regularly - all tourists ;-) Probably, it's only a matter of time until the path is mentioned as an official hiking trail outside the internet and then gets overexploited for tourism :( But since we were the only ones walking from top to bottom, we had mostly our peace and quiet :)

Since the path was so 'raw' (at times), Jonas loved it, and I was also glad that we had made this compromise - although I have to say that in hindsight, I would rather walk the path from bottom to top and then take the way back, for example, with the red truck. Even though it's more tiring to walk uphill, it can be more uncomfortable in some places when walking downhill on such steep stretches ^^

Well. My personal 'highlights' were a spot where we had to walk over sandbags, water pipes, car tires, tree trunks, and stones within two or three steps, a small waterfall where we were all alone, and a slope that looked like a landslide, and at first, I was afraid that this was the way :D (I could already imagine sliding down on my butt again :p).

At the halfway point of the trail, we came to a temple in the middle of the forest, next to a small waterfall. It consists of several buildings, a staircase with dragons as a railing, and small pavilions for meditation. Compared to Doi Suthep itself (and also the temples in the Old City), I found this one to be the most beautiful <3

Unfortunately, the charm was slightly diminished by the fact that there is now a parking lot just a few meters away, so tourists can be driven up there. And when we arrived, there were actually some people there, mostly looking for the perfect selfie ;-) In the descriptions of the Monk's Trail, this temple also sounds like a secret tip. It's supposed to be pretty and untouched, and you can only reach it on foot.

Well, that was a few years ago already :D

The path from the temple to the end of the trail was then not very exciting. Most of the time, it's relatively flat, and you just walk through a forest that could theoretically look like this anywhere in the world. When you think of tropical forests or rainforests, you often visualize green trees with lots of colorful flowers or other plants. You think of colorful birds and various insects, but yeah. What can I say? There were green trees and insects, but none of it was somehow 'exotic' ;-)

Maybe this idyll still exists somewhere in the world, but probably not where tourists walk along :D Well, let's see if we might find such a spot somewhere else in the world :) Rishikesh, when we 'got lost,' was somewhat closer to that^^

When we reached the end of the trail, two girls were just dropped off by a red truck. Perfect! Normally, you still have to walk about 15 minutes from this point to the road, but since the red truck had just driven up there, it took us with it directly :)

We were a bit surprised by the route of the return journey (we usually always drove around the Old City, but today we went straight through it). As we noticed when we got off, the opposite street was closed, and everything was full of police and military :O Maybe a special guest is expected there today? We haven't found out yet^^

Even though it was only 4:30 pm, we treated ourselves to dinner at one of the small food stalls, and it was delicious! For a total of 110 baht (less than 4€), we had two large main dishes and water - unbeatable ;-) And the fact that it was also delicious made it perfect.

[Of course, that doesn't mean that we didn't buy cookies at 7-Eleven :p We now set ourselves a 'budget' when we enter the supermarket (everyone has 20 baht available), and that's how we finance dessert :D :D :D]

It's now 6:00 pm. Jonas is finishing his book (he might actually make it!!!), and I'm here on the computer, and later we want to go out. There's a small party scene around the corner, with open establishments playing loud music, and you can probably dance there too :)

Now we just need to stay awake long enough to make it :D :D

Tomorrow we can check out relaxed, and around noon, we'll go to the bus station, so everything is very relaxed :)