Wednesday - Doi Suthep with my guide Moh

Sonya and I had a nice Sushi dinner on Tuesday evening and then we said our goodbyes as she went back to her hotel and I went to my new B&B.

At 8:30 in the morning, Moh came and picked me up and took me to Doi Suthep, where the largest Wat in Chiang Mai is perched on the highest mountain overlooking the city.

Again, Moh was full of information about not only the temple but the different aspects of Buddhism that it represented.

The legend is that back in the 14th century, King Ku Na sent a white elephant out in search of a place for a holy temple and the elephant climbed to the top of Doi Suthep, trumpeted three times and knelt down. Obviously, the site had been chosen.

Not only tourists go to the temple - many Buddhists go to pay their respects and to make an offering. Some visit a monk to get a blessing (in one grouping, I couldn't help noticing that the monk's assistant had ear buds and an iPod).



One of the ways of making your presence known is by buying a bell, putting your name on it and hanging it somewhere by the temple. As Moh explained it to me, that way whenever there was a breeze, your bell would ring and you were "present" at the temple - thereby gaining another "merit". Well, it seemed like such an easy way to get some merit myself, so I bought a bell. I wonder if it's still there ringin' in the wind....

There was a parade of people who bought flowers or candles and paraded around the temple three times, praying all the while. Some brought their children, no doubt hoping to bring them good fortune.







One of the more memorable features is the long serpent - Naga - who guards the stairway up to the temple.

After touring me around Doi Suthep, Moh took me to a hilltribe village. There are several hilltribes around Chiang Mai. Although they used to make their income principally from the sale of opium, the government has put a program in place that helps them earn money from other agriculture. Ironically, one of the preferred crops is tobacco. Flowers are also a big part of Thailand's economy and the gardens here were beautiful.

They also make money from tourism, of course, and the focal point of every village is the market filled with products they've supposedly made. Moh was able to tell me which were legit and which were not. One of the popular things the Thai tourists do in this village is rent out the traditional costumes of the tribe and have their picture taken.

Moh also took me beyond "the shopping mall" to the real village. Along the way he told me that some of the villages themselves are frauds - the government has actually moved the tribe out of their real habitat and created villages that tourists then go an visit, believing they're seeing the true habitat of these hill people. Apparently this village was real, but you have to wonder when you see the satellite dish on the roof...





When Moh dropped me off, I asked him which other Wats I should see in Chiang Mai.

He recommended the Chedi Luang, which I went to that afternoon. It really is quite remarkable, dating back to 1411. It was damaged in the 1500s by a huge earthquake and was never rebuilt, but it still has a grand presence. And the grounds around it had a peaceful aura.

While I was wandering the grounds, three young Thai students approached me, and were delighted when I said I spoke English and agreed to be interviewed by one of them for a class project. We had a lovely talk, and I was happy I could help her out just by speaking my native tongue!