Chiang Mai (Thailand Part 13)

First, we drove to Doi Suthep Mountain, 16 km west of Chiang Mai. There, we visited Wat Phratat Doi Suthep, which was built in 1384 and is said to be the most sacred temple in northern Thailand.

It was definitely very crowded: first, we had trouble finding a parking spot, and then we stood in line with many Asian tourists for the cable car to the temple.

Once we arrived at the temple, the tourists crowded the area with the golden stupa.

According to legend, this place was chosen by a white elephant for the temple of a Buddha relic. White elephants are considered sacred and belong to the king. The more white elephants a king owns, the higher his reputation.

The elephant of legend chose a place with a beautiful view, which unfortunately we could not enjoy. Due to fog or smog, the visibility was rather poor. We were advised by locals to always wear a face mask in the city. Perhaps that also explains the apparently consistently poor visibility...

We continued our journey to the next temple: Wat Jed Yot, which was built in 1455.

The special feature of this temple is a stupa with seven towers.

In Wat Suan Dok, which we visited next, there are two huge Buddha statues, one sitting and one standing, facing away from each other.

Next to them are the graves of the royal family. Their ashes are placed in white mausoleums.

Lastly, we visited Wat Phra Sing and then had enough of temple visits for today.

We walked around the old town of Chiang Mai, but it seemed very unspectacular to us.