Visiting Chiang Mai

by: Debbie Salcedo

Cool. If there was one word that could best describe Chiang Mai, “Cool” would be it. Friendly weather favors walking trips round streets lined with book shops and the region’s unique cultural heritage as vibrant as the colorful textiles being sold at the shops.

To culture buffs, Chiang Mai may just seem like a candy shop with short classes in Thai language, cooking, meditation, and even hill-tribe trekking available for tourists.

The old city of Chiang Mai is a neat square surrounded by moats and remnants of an ancient medieval wall erected about 700 years ago as a defense against Burmese invaders.

While traffic pretty much has the run of the old city, narrow streets give way to avenues filled with fruit tree gardens, slow pushcarts and smiling children on their way to school or playing games at front yards.

City Sights

Temples (Wats)

Believe it or not, Chiang Mai has over 300 temples, almost the same as Bangkok which is a far larger city. Intricate wood carvings and colorful murals characteristic of the Lanna period (13th and 14th centuries.) Three-tiered umbrellas topping the tips of the temples, Singha lions guarding the entrances and high-base chedi are all Burmese influences imported by wealthy teak traders.

1. Wat Phra Singh

Considered to be the city’s most perfect example of Lanna architecture. Built in 1345, the wat is home to several murals depicting Lanna customs and dress as well as a scripture repository. The wat is also the focal point for Songkran (Water Festival) activities in mid-April.

 

2. Wat Chiang Man

Erected by King Mengrai, Chiang Mai’s founder in 1296, Wat Chiang Man is the oldest wat within the city. It is also homw to two famous Buddha images, the Buddha Sila and the Crystal Buddha.

3. Wat Chedi Luang

This wat contains the ruins of a huge chedi that collapsed during an earthquake in 1545. It also was once occupied by the venerable Emerald Buddha which is now housed in Bangkok’s Wat Phra Kaew.


4. Wat Jet Yot

Modelled after the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya, India. The seven spires represent the seven weeks that Buddha was said to have spent in Bodhgaya after his enlightenment.

5. Wat Suan Dok

The wat contains a 500-year old bronze Buddha image and a collection of corful Jataka murals showing scenes from Buddha’s past lives. Avid photographers are in for a treat with the superb view of scenic sunsets from the Wat. “Monk Chats” at 5pm to 7pm every Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are hosted, free of charge, for foreigners to meet and chat with novice monks studying at the monastic university.
 

6. Wat U Mong

This forest temple dating back from the Mengrai’s rule hosts a very beautiful image of the fasting Buddha. Brick lined tunnels in a large, flat-topped hill were supposedly built by a clairvoyant monk, some of which are still open for exploration. Resident foreign monks give talks in English on Sunday afternoons at 3pm by the lake.


Chiang Mai National Museum and Tribal Museum

Fascinating exhibits of Lanna history and art may be found at the Chiang Mai museum. Buddha images, handicraft and pottery from Northern Thailand may also be found decorating the halls.

For a feel of the hill-tribe villages without having to actually head to the hills, the Tribal Museum houses a large collection of artifacts and other exhibits on various cultural features and backgrounds of the various Thai hill tribes.


Chiang Mai Night Bazaar

One of Chiang Mai’s biggest attractions is that legacy from the original Yunnanese trading caravans that stopped here along the ancient trade route between China and Myanmar. Today, commerce is very much alive and well covering a multi-block area stretching from Th Chang Khlan, Th Tha, Phae, and Th Si Donchai. Glass fronted shops and street hawkers offer a huge variety of Thai and Northern Thai goods.

Some buys include Thai hand-woven fabrics, Phrae-style cotton shirts, and hill-tribe crafts.