Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tok Wang Bua Bahn
is free, and full of frolicking locals, although it is more of a series of rap-
ids than falls.
For off-road mountain biking, the park has technical single-track trails that were old
hunting and transport routes used by hill-tribe villagers. The routes are never crowded and
provide hours of downhill. Because the trails aren't well marked it is advisable to join a
guided mountain-biking tour.
Wat Phra That Doi
Suthep
(Th Huay Kaew, Doi Suthep; admission 30B; 6am-6pm)
Overlooking the city from its mountain
throne, Wat Suthep is one of the north's most sacred temples.
The temple was established in 1383 under King Keu Naone and enjoys a mystical birth
story. A visiting Sukhothai monk instructed the Lanna king to establish a temple with the
twin of a miraculous Buddha relic (enshrined at Wat Suan Dok). The relic was mounted
on a white elephant, which wandered the mountain until it died at this spot, interpreted as
the 'chosen' location.
The temple is reached by a strenuous, 306-step staircase, the climb is intended as an act
of meditation. (For the less fit, there's a tram for 20B.)
The 1st-floor terrace documents this history of the temple with a shrine to Sudeva, the
hermit who lived on the mountain, and a statue of the white elephant which carried the
Buddha relic up the mountain. On the 2nd-floor terrace is the picturesque golden
chedi
that enshrines the relic; it is topped by a five-tiered umbrella in honour of the city's inde-
pendence from Myanmar and its union with Thailand
Within the monastery compound, the International Buddhism Center conducts a variety
of religious outreach programs for visitors.
BUDDHIST TEMPLE
Phra Tamnak Bhu Bhing
(Bhu Bhing Palace; Th Huay Kaew, Doi Suthep; admission 50B; 8.30-11.30am & 1-3.30pm)
The grounds of
the royal family's winter palace are open to the public (when the royals aren't visiting).
Thanks to Doi Suthep's cool climate, the gardens specialise in exotic species such as
roses. More interesting is the
water reservoir
brought to life by dancing fountains and the
king's musical compositions. Though not a must, 'nature sightseers' might like the paved
footpaths.
GARDENS
Hmong Villages
VILLAGE
