Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Doi Suthep; museum 10B)
Near the summit of Doi Pui are two Hmong villages.
Ban Doi Pui
is off
of the main road and is basically a tourist market at altitude. A more interesting stop is
Ban
Kun Chang Kian
, 500m down a dirt track just past the Doi Pui campground. It is best to park
at the campground's visitor centre and walk from there. The village runs a coffee house,
surrounded by coffee plants that are harvested in January.
THE LONG WALK
At the start of every academic year in July, the freshman class from Chiang Mai University makes the annual pil-
grimage on foot to Wat Suthep. It is a long-time tradition that fills the winding mountain road with close to
10,000 exuberant students and faculty members. The purpose of the trek is to introduce the new students to the
spirit of the city, believed to reside in the mountain, and to make merit to the revered Buddha relic at Wat Suthep.
But it is also a chance for the students to introduce themselves to each other and make friendships that can last a
lifetime.
