November 2018 Chiang Mai has so many temples the mind fairly boggles at their number and the frequency with which one encounters them while going about town.  This plethora is especially true of the Old City, where everybody ends up going but mostly backpackers and old hippies are more likely to stay, it seems.  I usually stay in the Huay Keaw/Nimmanheiman area, a modern area to the west of the Old City.  There are [...]

June 2018 Absolutely the last thing that applies to the dozens of temples in Chiang Mai is the phrase, "If you've seen one you've seen 'em all."  Nothing could be more diametrically opposed to the truth.  Every temple is like a world unto itself with its own character, its own atmosphere, its own aesthetic.  Wat Palad sits on the side of Doi Suthep mountain halfway up to the main mountain temple, the pilgrimage site [...]

June 2018 In 2012 I made my second trip to Chiang Mai and the tourist fever was still strong upon me.  A friend of mine suggested a day trip to Chiang Dao, to which I readily agreed without even looking at the map.  I heard talk of temples and caves and I was in, it didn't matter how far away.  In point of fact, Chiang Dao lies 89 kilometers (55 miles) [...]

June 2018 In this post I want to celebrate the beauties of one of my favorite places in Chiang Mai, the Bhubing Palace Gardens that sit atop Doi Suthep mountain just to the west of the city.   I've been there several times and now that my trips to Chiang Mai are fewer and farther between, I make a point of going up every time I visit.   It's possible to get [...]

Wat Ched Yod is my favorite temple in Chiang Mai, Thailand.   Chiang Mai fairly bristles with stunning temples, as anyone who has visited the city will know.  There are so many you'd need months to see them all.  Ched Yod is my favorite because it combines so many different environments and avenues of experience.  There you can find history, beautiful architecture, lovely gardens, the full experience of Buddhist lay practice, [...]