Thailand 2023, part 28 (Chiang Mai)
So far, I have mentioned several times the Siamese kingdoms that preceded modern Thailand, and throughout history, there were four of them – Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, Thonburi and Rattanakosin. The last one, headed by the kings from the Chakri dynasty, evolved into modern Thailand. However, today’s Thailand also includes the territory that was once the Lan Na Kingdom (1292-1775).
The Lan Na Kingdom, meaning the “kingdom of a million rice fields,” was founded by King Mangrai (b. 1238-1311). Initially, upon ascending to the throne after his father’s death, he ruled a local kingdom with a smaller territory (1261-1292). However, he skilfully and relatively quickly expanded his kingdom, changed its name and ruled it until his death (1292-1311). At the same time, he relocated his capital, so at the official establishment of the Lan Na Kingdom, the capital was Wiang Khum Kham. Four years later, in 1296, a completely new city founded by the king at the location he personally chose was declared the capital of the Lan Na Kingdom. This city was named Chiang Mai, which appropriately means “New City.”
In any case, until 1558, the Lan Na Kingdom remained independent. However, in that year, it became a tributary state to Burma and this continued until 1775 when Siam took over the capital, Chiang Mai. This marked the end of Burmese rule over this territory and also signalled the end of the Lan Na Kingdom.
Under the rule of the Siamese, initially led by King Taksin the Great and later by King Rama I from the Chakri dynasty, the Lan Na Kingdom was divided into smaller parts. Initially, they were in a vassal position in relation to the Siamese kingdom, but were eventually absorbed over time. There were some administrative reorganisations of the territory in the meantime, but overall, by the beginning of the 20th century, the Lan Na Kingdom formally ceased to exist.
Its former capital, Chiang Mai, is now one of the largest tourist centres in Thailand, primarily due to its beautiful nature, magnificent temples, rich history and very tasty local cuisine. Although all these elements are very much present in the city itself, they can be found throughout northern Thailand and that is precisely what attracts foreign visitors.
Since I was only staying here for two full days, planning to spend one of them on an excursion outside Chiang Mai, I chose a hotel located within the old city. From the very founding of the Lan Na Kingdom’s capital, Chiang Mai got a square-shaped layout and it is surrounded by walls with a moat along them. Today, there are some important parts of the city and structures outside this central core, but the main historical area of Chiang Mai lies within the walls.
After settling into the hotel, I used the electric kettle in the room to make myself some coffee to enjoy on the terrace. The terrace was lovely, but it was still afternoon and it was warm and humid. Nevertheless, both the coffee and the break were enjoyable.
Then I went down to the reception and in order to simplify things for myself and be efficient, I immediately booked a tour for two days later. I simply didn’t want to waste time looking for it at the numerous tourist agencies in the city. I don’t know if there is any price difference, but in my opinion, it would be largely negligible considering the wasted time and energy.
One good thing about the large number of tourists coming to Chiang Mai is that the entire support system is very well developed. In any case, this is how I organised my second full day in Chiang Mai, planning to spend the first day exploring the city itself.
For now, feeling quite hungry, I went out onto the street and entered practically the first restaurant I came across, ordering khao soi – a famous specialty of northern Thailand. It is a curry soup garnished with deep-fried noodles. It wasn’t until they brought the dish that I realised I had stumbled upon a vegan restaurant. However, I must admit that the meal was very tasty, so in the end, I was satisfied, as well as full.
By the time I finished with my meal and previous obligations, the day had already progressed significantly and it was quite late in the afternoon, although the sun had not yet set. I decided to visit an important temple located quite close to my hotel. However, since Chiang Mai is known as a city with over 300 temples, which constitutes a greater concentration than anywhere else in Thailand, along the way I passed by a “secondary” temple, Wat Lam Chang, but I didn’t linger there. Besides, as it was already past 6 in the evening, the temple’s vihara seemed closed.
A couple of hundred meters further, I reached the temple I wanted to visit, Wat Chiang Man. There, I first came across the main vihara, which was also closed. However, this didn’t concern me much because I planned to come back here again.
Wat Chiang Man is the oldest temple in Chiang Mai, founded in 1296 when the city was declared the capital of the Lan Na Kingdom. So, this is the first temple that King Mangrai built in his new capital.
Parallel to the main vihara, there is a smaller one, but it is also very important as it houses a couple of extremely valuable historical artefacts.
To start with, I was impressed with the space and very careful not to create any noise with my movements, as one monk was engrossed in his contemplation, prayer or meditation.
I couldn’t capture very well the two artefacts kept here since the foundation of the temple in 1296. These artefacts include the Crystal Buddha, i.e., a clear quartz Buddha image, believed to have been crafted over 1800 years ago and the Marble Buddha, i.e., a standing Buddha figure made of stone, claimed to be created in India over 2500 years ago (the information available within the temple).
On this occasion, I managed to take a photo of the Crystal Buddha.
Next, I took a short walk around the vihara, paying attention to the depictions of various poses of Buddha, traditionally associated with different days of the week.
I must admit that I don’t know what the fourth posture from the left on the photo below (fifth from the right) symbolises and it is not associated with the days, but the others are, hence there are a total of seven.
Since I was still tired from the exhaustingly long coach ride, after this short visit to the Wat Chiang Man temple, the plan was to retire to my room earlier and I had no desire to explore further the part of the city where I was staying. I did take a short walk before returning to the hotel and came across a small market where I bought some fruits that I left for the next morning.
And that next morning started exactly with me eating those fruits I had bought the previous evening on the balcony.
I will not even try to describe the taste of these little fruits because it makes no sense to me. If someone asked me to describe the taste of, for instance, peaches, I wouldn’t be able to do it, even though I’ve been eating them my whole life. To be more precise, peaches taste like peaches! And that’s more than enough.
Watching various cooking shows on TV, I got an impression that famous TV chefs seem to compete who is going to describe tastes more and mention as frequently as possible – the textures! Once, one of these renowned chefs went so far as to talk about red round chilli peppers and mentioned that they resemble cherries. He even said that the taste of these peppers was actually reminiscent of cherries. That chef has earned millions thanks to his shows and books, but I responsibly claim that he has no clue about hot peppers and cherries.
As for the fruits that can be seen in the photos above, the reason I included their photos here is to record the names and show what they look like and how they open in case I visit areas where this fruit grows again or in the case someone reading this travelogue does the same.
While sitting on the balcony, eating and photographing fruits, I also heard a beautiful bird. Soon, I took a picture of it. It was a red-whiskered bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus).
All in all, I eased into the day very gently and relaxed, especially aware that the next two days would involve early activities. However, as I usually do on my travels, I woke up early, which is not surprising since I also went to bed early. This suits me for various reasons and I also have the impression that by slowly sipping morning coffee in my room (practically, in all the hotels I chose, I had an electric kettle, cups, coffee and powdered milk), I have a moment of rest, as everything else during my travels often turns into a kind of rush.
In the hotel in Chiang Mai, I had a very simple breakfast and it wasn’t bad at all. When I finished, I went to the laundry, which operated right across the street from the hotel where I stayed and there I left a pair of long pants and shorts to be washed. Over time, I started washing my clothes on my travels in order to carry as few things as possible and I find it quite easy to wash T-shirts and even shirts. On the other hand, it’s a bit more challenging for me with pants. This type of service is absolutely worth it. The agreement was that my clothes would be waiting for me later that day. Ideal!
Then I went to the nearby main street, where I was supposed to catch a “rot daang,” the local version of “songthaew.” As I’ve mentioned earlier, it is a type of public transport, often an actual truck or a smaller pickup truck, as is the case here. The part where passengers are transported is adapted in the form of a trailer – you enter from the back and sit on benches arranged along the trailer. Rot daang translates to “red truck” and there are many of these vehicles around Chiang Mai.
The temple I wanted to visit was about 20 km from the city centre and, of course, one could take a taxi, but there is also regular public transport. There were several of these converted trucks in the main street and I didn’t quite understand how they worked, but when I mentioned my destination, everyone understood and then the negotiations began. The issue with paying the regular fare, which is probably 50 baht, is that the driver then waits for the songthaew to fill up and that can take time. Therefore, it is recommended that the visitors open their wallet and agree to a higher price in exchange for more efficient time management and transportation.
In the end, I got quite lucky and I shared the songthaew, which comfortably can accommodate ten people, with a lady from Hua Hin in the south of the country who spoke excellent English. The agreement was for both of us to pay 150 baht each (around 4 euros) to be driven those 20 kilometres and we wouldn’t wait for anyone, so we headed straight to Wat Doi Suthep.
More about this temple soon, but just to mention that the lady and I chatted sweetly because we had plenty of time and we also laughed about how I happened to wear on that day a shirt that perfectly matched the interior decoration of the otherwise red truck.
By the way, there is also a quite popular Monk’s Trail leading to the temple, which is used by those who want to walk to the temple. It starts from the western part of Chiang Mai and then ascends the mountain, leading to two important temples. The visitors can often do this on their own, but there are also guided tours. The first stage of the ascent leads to Wat Pha Lat, a temple I planned to visit later on. I even naively contemplated whether to walk at least a part of the trail, but when, while comfortably riding in the songthaew, I saw what the trail looked like where it intersected with the asphalt road, I immediately gave up on that idea. It’s for younger people, those who are more fit and have more time, so they can walk for longer. The trail is about 7 km long (both ways) with an elevation gain of about 620 m, meaning it’s occasionally quite steep and the estimated time to complete the trail is about an hour and a half (one way).
Therefore, I didn’t do that; instead, I had a nice ride to an elevation of about 1000 m above sea level where the temple I wanted to visit is located.
When we arrived at the destination, my companion and I warmly said our goodbyes and then each of us went our own way. I started by filming the area in front of the stairs leading to the temple. Just a reminder, in Thailand, they drive on the left side of the road, as can be seen here.
Since this is an extremely popular place, there are numerous stalls with various goods, but I wasn’t interested in that on this occasion. On the other hand, the next picture is essential because it shows what a typical rot daang looks like.
And as for the stairs... well, they were impressive, almost vertical and numerous – there are a total of 309 of them, guarded by Nagas, mythical serpents, on both sides.
It wasn’t easy climbing these stairs, but they are truly impressive with various details, making it easy for me to find an excuse to stop and take photos, and sometimes just to catch my breath.
Moreover, the whole time I was climbing, some Buddhist chanting accompanied me from loudspeakers. Later, I saw where it was coming from and recorded it, but first, I reached the entrance to the temple.
Wat Doi Suthep is one of the most important and holiest temples in northern Thailand. It encompasses numerous pavilions for monks, shrines, statues and viharas, including the main ubosot, as well as the central chedi. In addition, there is a meditation centre where both Thais and foreigners can stay and meditate, regardless of whether they are beginners or advanced practitioners.
I first went near the main entrance to see the statue of a white elephant. Namely, there are several versions of the legend about how the temple was founded, but the main one mentions a white elephant that brought to the mountaintop the relics, believed to be a bone from the Buddha’s shoulder. When the elephant reached this place, it trumpeted three times and died, which was considered a clear sign to build a temple here. By the way, in Southeast Asia, white elephants, or rather albino elephants, are considered sacred, as well as symbols of power and good fortune. For this reason, rulers in this part of the world often like to have such elephants in their possession. In the next photo, the statue of the white elephant is visible behind a large breadfruit tree on the right-hand side.
Several smaller shrines encountered immediately upon entering the temple complex, filled with various statues and colourful details, might have confused me, but the believers clearly know the purpose of each one.
Nevertheless, the main structure here is a large chedi located at the centre of the temple. Today, around that chedi, there is a spacious plateau with a large number of statues, primarily of the Buddha.
If it seemed so far that everything was shining with a golden colour, just take a look at the main chedi and everything becomes clear – no expense was spared on the golden colour. I first walked around the main chedi, taking photos of it from various angles.
The first chedi within the temple was erected in 1368 in order to safeguard the very relics the elephant had brought here, but it was changed in 1478, assuming the form it has today. The five-tiered chedi, standing at 20 metres in height, is placed on a square base with gilded pillars at its corners, adorned with also gilded filigree canopies, that were added in the 18th century.
After making a whole circle around the chedi, I focused a little on some other details.
At some point, I did come across Buddha statues that weren’t dazzlingly golden, while the details seen in the background of the next photo lead me to yet another detail.
I have already mentioned that I heard Buddhist chanting when I reached the stairs leading to the temple. It didn’t stop at all and now I could see where it was transmitted from through the loudspeakers. Obviously, it was some kind of ritual, but since I’m not familiar with Buddhism, I could only watch, listen and record.