Wat Umong Suan Phutthatham - Chiang Mai

Wat Umong Suan Phutthatham is

 somewhere we visited when we took one of our trips to Chiang Mai.

It is also referred to as 'The Tunnel Temple' because of the tunnel set towards the back of the building.

Then there is the adjacent forest.

A wonderful and interesting place to visit.

Trips to Chiang Mai

 1. Chiang Mai 2016  

 2. Chiang Mai 2018

Wat Chiang Man - Chiang Mai

On a trip to Chiang Mai we visited Wat Chiang Man - the oldest Wat in Chiang Mai so there is a lot of history attached to it.

The elephant chedi which is surrounded by 15 stone elephants.

The larger Lanna style Viharn - 

"The larger of the two viharns is an impressive building with a three tiered roof. The front of the Lanna style viharn is decorated with wood carvings in gold and ochre colors.

The building was renovated in the 1920’s by the famous monk Khru Ba Srivichai. This viharn houses the oldest Buddha image in Chiang Mai. The image is a standing Buddha holding an alms bowl, the inscription on its base dates it to 1465." 

- information from renown travel.

Then there are the smaller buildings which have a smaller green Buddha (Phra Sae Tang Khamani). And it withstood the destruction of much of the temple by King Mengrai so now is believed to have special powers.

Then there is the Phra Sala in bas relief steel which I believe originally came from Sri Lanka and places an important part in the Songkran Festival each year in Chiang Mai.

Other Wats we have visited in Chiang Mai are Wat Inthawarat, Wat Sri Suphan and Wat Phra Singha.

Baan Tong Luang Hill Tribe Village - Chiang Mai

Baan Tong Luang Village was certainly a different place to visit for me and I was left in confusion (still am) over the meeting of the long-neck karen - who have been refugees in Thailand since 1985 - from the Kayah State in Burma / Myanmar.

A full description of the tribes can be read here.

I could not come to the conclusion what sort of attraction this was - should we celebrate this OR should we avoid this. I am not able to tell you what to do BUT here is a review which describes ethical travel and the worst attraction.



I read that the neck rings are added from when the girl is 5 year olds - one a year - until they are 21.

Then I read this

"When the Thai government officials saw these women on their doorstep, they felt it was going to be a great business opportunity for Thailand. They gave Karen visas and work permits, they leased them some land and took pretty photos of the women standing outside of their bamboo huts. Then, they used these photos in shiny, colourful brochures, advertising the northern region of Thailand and told the women to smile to tourists, who were willing to pay money to see something different and exotic. Long Necks’ villages became an attraction, a human zoo, where for 300 Baht you can take a photo with women dressed in colourful outfits, with a neck so long that her head looks almost like a poppy flower."

I read more and am still left with incomplete understanding. Whether you visit or not is your choice - there is lots more here than simply the long neck tribe.

There is a Christian Church.

There are other Tribes scattered throughout and it is quite lovely.

And of course lots of children.

Trips to Chiang Mai

 1) 2016

 2) 2018 

Wat Chedi Luang Varavihara - Chiang Mai

Wat Chedi Luang Varavihara is somewhere we visited when we were on 
a trip to Chiang Mai.

A wonderful example of a Wat - and certainly well looked after.

If have to admit taking this information from a website - https://www.thai2siam.com/business/chiang-mai/attractions/temple/wat-chedi-luang-varavihara 

Wat Chedi Luang Varavihara, meaning the temple of the large stupa in northern dialect, is a Buddhist temple in the heart of old walled Chiang Mai, not too far from Wat Phra Singh. As the name suggests, the temple is home to Chiang Mai’s largest Buddhist chedi featuring 98 meters tall and 54 meters in diameter, in ancient time it was the largest building of all Lanna Kingdom. The current temple ground was originally made up of three temples, namely Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Ho Tham and Wat Sukmin. 

The construction of chedi started in the 14th century, when King Saen Muang Ma planned to bury the ashes of his father there, but, due to different suspensions of works for stability problems, it was completed only in 1461 by King Tilokaraj. In 1468, the revered Phra Kaew Morakot, more known as Emerald Buddha, was installed in the eastern niche. In 1545, the upper 30 m of the structure collapsed after an earthquake, and in 1551 the Emerald Buddha was moved to Luang Prabang. In the early 1990s the chedi was completely renovated by Princess Sirindhorn, with works financed by UNESCO and the Japanese government. 

However the result is somewhat controversial, as since there is no document certifying the exact shape and size of the original, some historians argue that the new chedi is built in the central Thai style, not Lanna style. For the 600th anniversary of the chedi in 1995, a copy of the Emerald Buddha made from black jade was placed in the reconstructed eastern niche. The icon is named official Phra Phut Chaloem Sirirat, but is commonly known as Phra Yok. The ordination hall located in the front of chedi is also an example of beautiful Lanna architecture with its serpents is probably one of the most remembered elements.

I have found more places which do not allow women - am I seeing an increase in this?

 

Mon Cham Viewpoint - Chiang Mai

We have taken various trips to Chiang Mai and this one in 2016 and 2019 we enjoyed going here both times.

The last time that we stopped here we had scones, jam and cream - not the most Thai dish but it was a pleasure to be here again.

Watching the clouds come close was wonderful.

The girls took a ride on the go-karts nearby and we parked halfway up the hill - I have to admit to being a little worried about a couple of the dogs following me though.

Certainly a place to go if you want to take photographs - Jemma was happy that we found some butterflies here. Here's a video.

You could go camping nearby if you wanted to.

  

A trip to Chiang Mai

So where did we go in Chiang Mai this time?

We went to a Cafe when we arrived - Box Dog Cafe - https://goo.gl/maps/a9Qx6kESVFw - not for everyone and I am a little skeptical but my daughter loves them... Then time to get a bus and drove through Chiang Mai getting glimpses of what was there.

As soon as it was ready we visited the Wualai Saturday Market - https://goo.gl/maps/Bbbi2PpcBi52.

 Then it was time to visit a Wat and Wat Sri Suphan was close to the market - a wonderful collection of buildings - the Silver Temple (with access only for men) - https://goo.gl/maps/YdkRWJKBSsn. Then our first night was at Hug Nimman Hotel - simple and clean - popping across the road to the Fairy Tales Branch - https://goo.gl/maps/ZGpbEYgH28N2 - a shop for lots of fairy thing jewelry.

An early start the next day took us to Ton Payom Market - to meet the monks in the morning and pay respects.

Then it was time to drive out a bit - stopping at Wat Intharawat (Wat Ton Kwen) - https://goo.gl/maps/8mbavJKkbbP2 - a wonderful old Wat. Then it was time to enter Doi Inthanon National Park where we visited the Phra Maha Dhatu Nabhapol Bhunisiri - https://goo.gl/maps/yn9yBNbW6sK2 - another wonderful and scenic place to visit. 

After this we went to King Inthanon Memorial Shrine (กู่พระเจ้าอินทวิชยานนท์) and had a coffee at Doi Inthanon Summit Coffee.

Then the Wachirathan Waterfalls - https://goo.gl/maps/B2GU6So1eYm - and then some very nice lunch at ป้าแก้ววชิรธาร - very nice.

It was then time for the Grand Canyon - Phar Chor (Mae Weng National Park) https://goo.gl/maps/wZ87jhvqBsk - quite impressive but not very big!

On the way back to the Chiang Mai we stopped at Wat Pa Charoen Tham (วัดป่าเจริญธรรม) which was an enormous Wat and impressive - https://goo.gl/maps/4mP96oRi25s.

The evening took us to Chiang Mai Walking Street which was extremely busy, so busy in fact it was almost impossible to take photographs - https://goo.gl/maps/RVGGfjEfYYT2.

Stopping off at a favorite of ours - Guu Fusion Roti + Tea - delicious - https://goo.gl/maps/6SRPzVuvNRL2 - a great place to grab something to eat. Then it was time to lay our heads at Imm Hotel Thaphae - a clean place to lay our heads - https://goo.gl/maps/3FvW2XpfihT2. 

Up early the next day and our first stop was river rafting on the Mae Taeng River - very low level this time of year.

Then it was time for some zipline...

Followed by lunch at the Jungle De Cafe - https://goo.gl/maps/oFF3vPkBTUw - a scenic place for lunch. Interestingly the cafe was bigger and over the waterfall but they were ordered to take it down...

We then visited Wat Ban Den - https://goo.gl/maps/iQhjmRmWd3y - a very impressive example of a Wat, certainly worth visiting! Sometimes known as Wat Den Salee Sri Muang Gan.

Then to the top of the mountain - Mon Cham - https://goo.gl/maps/KVAbTRsttCS2 - some fresh air and lots of flowers.

Then Wat Pa Dara Phirom (วัดป่าดาราภิรมย์ พระอารามหลวง) - https://goo.gl/maps/rEE1qD61HrG2 - a special Wat - ornate and  complex temple featuring stone lions and a gilded chedi amid tropical greenery. Certainly worth stopping.

On the way back to the airport we stopped at the Elephant Parade for an elephant to paint...