Road trip to Chiang Rai and the Thai / Myanmar (Burma) / Laos border

April 27, 2017 · by Dano · in Thailand

As part of our touring plan for Thailand, we booked a guide to take us north to the mountain tribes and border towns. There are three main tribes, the Akah, Yao and Karen Longneck tribe that live in the remote mountain area of northern Thailand. We will be visiting a village where all three tribes live and have set up a market to sell their handmade goods. But first we need to visit Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep.

According to legend, this temple was constructed on the site where a white elephant carrying a piece of a “relic” (bone) died. The story goes that a monk named Sumanathera had a dream about a relic. Sumanathera ventured off and found a bone (the relic) that contained mystical properties, it could vanish and reappear, it could move, and it glowed. He took this relic to the King who didn’t witness any magical demonstrations so he told Sumanathera to keep it.

Moving on, Sumanathera took the relic to another King and when he arrived, it broke into two pieces. The larger piece was tied to the white elephant who wandered up Doi Suthep. Once at the top, the elephant either circled three times or trumpeted three times depending on which version you read, then laid down and died. The temple was built on this spot. Probably more than you wanted to know but understand, this is real to these people. It’s not just some folklore or passing fad, this is their history just as much as Washington crossing the Delaware is to us.

Anyway, we’re here. The temple can be reached by either walking up the 309 steps or take the cable car. We took the cable car. Once at the top, the temple was truly beautiful. Lots of gold, even solid gold above the chedi, mosaics, and paintings all done with intricate designs and incredible detail.

Up the gondola line

Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep

Cannonball Tree

Tourists

Yeah, tourists again!

Gold chedi with solid gold adornments

On a clear day, you can see the entire Chiang Mai valley. Unfortunately, the day we were there was during the burning season (Feb-Apr for rice burning) so there was considerable smoke and haze.