Wat That Doi Suthep

Wat That Doi Suthep
Wat That Doi Suthep is a major temple overlooking Chiang Mai part way up the
mountain of Doi Suthep. I decided to visit it on the morning of my last day in Chiang
Mai. After arranging to checkout late, I headed out from the hotel on foot towards the
taxi stand on the northern gate of the old city. Unexpectedly, I found Wat Chai Si Phum,
with a fine glittering gold chedi and a friendly monk. When I reached the eastern edge of
the old city, I decided to hire a tuk-tuk to take me further. The driver told me that he
wasn’t allowed to drive up the mountain road to Doi Suthep, and so he took me to the
taxi stand where I could hire one of the communal taxis known as Song Taos (basically
a pickup truck with
benches in back).
These are shared
taxis, and so I had
to wait for a
woman and her
daughter to return
from the market
before the driver
left
for
the
mountain.
The
cost was about 10
baht.
Central
temple
compound
at
Doi
Suthep. Prayer bells
line the walls.
I was one of the first tourists to arrive for
the day. The temple compound is reached by
climbing 300 steps up a staircase flanked by two
huge nagas (magical snakes). Initially I walked
around the outside of the central cloister. In fact,
I had missed seeing the entrance. But this
allowed me to enjoy the view and find a place to
snack on breakfast. As I did so, a Velvet-fronted
Nuthatch appeared. I was delighted. Even on
“non-birding” days, something good is likely to
happen. It was the nuthatch that we didn’t find at
Doi Inthanon.
Garden Buddha overlooking a formal garde.
As I snacked on breakfast, a Velvet-fronted Nuthatch
appeared and became the “bird of the day.”
(Preceeding page: (top) various Buddhas and a glided
monk in the inner sanctuary. (bottom) Golden detail on
the chedi.)
The golden chedi and a golden parasol in the
central precinct
A golden
Buddha in the
central precinct
I proceeded into the temple and
was impressed by the gold. Golden
buddhas, statues and murals are a
common theme to Thai temples, in
contrast to the temples that I’ve recently
seen in Korea, Japan and Bali. I drifted
around absorbing the scene – tourists,
worshippers and working monks.
I
approached the monk in the chapel and he blessed me and tied a string around my
wrist. I offered a donation.
A Working
Monk blessing
visitors in the
sanctuary.
Stack of
Buddhas in the
Sanctuary
Green Buddha
Collection Buddhas
The image of the King is displayed below the Seated
Buddhas. Monks sit on platforms raised above visitors.
Women are not allowed to touch monks. Everybody has to
remove their shoes to enter a temple.
Jeff Nystuen exploring the inner precinct of Wat
That Doi Suthep.
A Golden Buddha in the cloister of the central
compound
Other tourists enjoying the
ambiance of the central
compound. Various Buddhas
and murals lined the central
precinct.
Mohawk Monk studying a book in the central compound
But finally it was time to go. I figured that it would be easy to find a ride back to
town. There were tens of Song Taos waiting at the base of the steps. But nobody
seemed interested. I was directed towards one and told to wait. The driver seemed
indifferent. Apparently the driver was waiting for more riders, or maybe there was a
schedule. I didn’t know the system. But I had some extra time and so I waited. Finally,
he had another couple and we were off. The driver careened down the hill, eventually
arriving at the taxi stand at the north gate to the old city. From there, I walked back to
the hotel. And from the hotel, I took a tuk-tuk to the airport, where I had lunch and
waited for my 3 pm flight to Bangkok.