Thailand - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 745

National Museum
Chiang Mai's branch of the National
Museum (Wed-Sun 9am-4pm; B100),
on the northwestern outskirts of town,
doesn't tell its story as well as the City
Arts and Cultural Centre, but has a much
more interesting array of artefacts,
including a wealth of Buddha images and
a fine collection of ceramics.

northwest end of hanon Huai Kaeo, in
front of the zoo and the university, for
the 16km trip up the mountain (B40-50
each way per person). he road, although
steep in places, is paved all the way and
well suited for motorbikes.

Elephant Nature Park
About an hour north of Chiang Mai, the
Elephant Nature Park ( T 053 818754,
W

10

Wat Suan Dork
Midway along hanon Suthep, the
brilliantly whitewashed chedi of Wat Suan
Dork sits next to a garden of smaller,
equally dazzling chedis that contain the
ashes of the old Chiang Mai royal family
- framed by Doi Suthep to the west, this
makes a photogenic sight, especially at
sunset. You can meet and talk to the
monks in English at “Monk Chat” (Mon,
Wed & Fri 5-7pm).

elephantnaturepark.org) is essentially a
hospital for sick elephants, but hands-on
pre-arranged educational - and
recreational - visits by the public are
encouraged. Either opt for a full-day trip
(B2500, including pick-up from Chiang
Mai), or sign up as a paying volunteer for
up to two weeks. Ensure that you book in
advance as the park is quite often
oversubscribed for weeks.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
On arrival at the train station or one of the bus stations,
you can either flag down a red songthaew on the road or
charter a tuk-tuk or songthaew (see opposite) to get to
the centre.
By plane The airport, 3km southwest of the centre, has
currency exchange booths, ATMs, cafés, a post o ce and
taxis (from B120 to the city centre); tuk-tuks and chartered
songthaews can bring departing passengers to the airport,
but are not allowed to pick up. The airport's busiest route,
Bangkok, is served by all the main carriers, among which
only Thai, Thai Smile and Bangkok Airways use Suvarna-
bhumi Airport. Kan Airlines ( W kanairlines.com) has a
constantly changing schedule of local routes. International
destinations include Luang Prabang (Lao Airlines), Yangon
(Air Bagan) and Kuala Lumpur (Air Asia).
Destinations

Wat Umong
More of a park than a temple, Wat
Umong was built in the 1380s for a
brilliant monk who was prone to
wandering off into the forest to meditate.
To try to keep him in one place, the
tunnels ( umong ) beneath the chedi were
painted with trees, flowers and birds to
simulate his favourite environment, and
some can still be explored. Above them,
by the overgrown chedi, stands a
grotesque black statue of the fasting
Buddha, all ribs and veins. To get to the
wat, head west along hanon Suthep for
2km, turn left after Wang Nam Gan and
follow the signs for about 1km.

Bangkok (30 daily; 1hr); Krabi (1 daily; 2hr);
Mae Hong Son (3 daily; 35min); Mae Sot (1 daily; 50min);
Phuket (3 daily; 2hr); Samui (1 daily; 1hr 50min).
By bus The long-distance Arcade bus station on Th Kaeo
Nawarat is 3km northeast of the centre. The main Chiang
Mai bus company, Green Bus ( W greenbusthailand.com),
maintains a ticket o ce in the centre of town, on
Th Inthrawarorot just northeast of Wat Phra Singh. Tha Ton
buses use the much more central Chang Puak bus station,
just off Th Chotana on the north side of the old town.
Destinations Bangkok (30 daily; 9-11hr); Chiang Khong
(2 daily; 5-6hr); Chiang Rai (20 daily; 3hr); Chiang Saen (2
daily; 4hr); Khon Kaen (10 daily; 12hr); Khorat (12 daily;
12hr); Lampang (roughly hourly; 2hr); Mae Hong Son (7
daily; 8hr); Mae Sai (8-11 daily; 4hr); Mae Sot (2 daily; 6hr
30min); Nan (9-11 daily; 6hr); Pai (at least hourly; 3-4hr);
Phitsanulok (40 daily; 5-6hr); Sukhothai (up to 22 daily;

Doi Suthep
A jaunt up Doi Suthep , the mountain
that rises steeply at Chiang Mai's western
edge, is the best short outing you can
make from the city, chiefly on account of
beautiful Wat Phra That Doi Suthep ,
which gives fine views of the city, and
which, because of a magic relic of the
Buddha enshrined in its chedi, is the
north's holiest shrine. Its upper terrace is
a breathtaking combination of carved
wood, filigree and gleaming metal,
whose altars and ceremonial umbrellas
surround the dazzling gold-plated chedi.
Songthaews leave when full from the