Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

Beautiful girls, originally uploaded by Sheila's Flickr photos.

SATURDAY 31 JULY 2010

After a leisurely breakfast I decided to go to Wat Phra That Doi Suthap. The great thing about Chiang Mai is that you can decide what you want to do at the last minute. I walked to Chiang Puak Gate to catch the bus. There were a couple of people waiting and the bus goes when there are 10 people and it costs 50 baht (£1) each way. In the end there were five of us so he charged us 130 baht return, and he would wait for us, to save waiting to fill the bus.

I know there are a lot of temples around Chiang Mai, all of which are stunningly beautiful, but Wat Phra That Doi Suthap was amazing! No wonder it is one of the north’s most sacred temples. The temple is at 1625 meters above sea level and the views of Chiang Mai are incredible. Part of the temple is being renovated at the moment, but that didn’t detract from its beauty. Even the scaffolding is in gold! I caught the bus back to Chiang Mai and a Frenchman also came with us. He had walked all the way from Chiang Mai – it had taken him four and a half hours!

I stopped in the Western end of Chiang Mai to look at some of the shops there and made my way back to Gap’s House for a siesta. I then visited the Saturday market, which was similar to the Sunday market – a hive of activity, colour and sounds.