winterson.com: around chiang mai

a few months back i flew over to chiang mai for a long weekend. i've always liked chiang mai as it has a very different flavor to the rest of thailand- more of a relaxed atmosphere and the locals tend to be even more laid back than their bangkok colleagues. i rented a car and drove into the mountains- above is a road very close to the highest point in thailand, doi inthanon.

back closer to chiang mai is doi suthep, a mountain that overlooks the city and has a number of interesting places to visit including the temple wat phrathat doi suthep. on the steps leading up the temple sat two young kids in akha clothing eating shrimp crackers.

to reach the temple one has to climb 309 steps or for the less agile there's now a tram ride that takes one to the top.

this scary-looking fellow is a n?ga, a multi-headed temple guardian whose body extends the length of the steps leading to the temple.

inside the temple, standing buddhas with a temple viharn in the background.

offerings of candles, incense, and flowers.

an elderly monk gives out blessings in the form of strings tied to one's wrist. it's supposed to be good luck to wear the strings but i've never been told exactly how long to keep them on- some say removal after three days is ok and others say they should be worn until they fall off (!) which, considering that it is usually fairly sturdy string, could take quite some time.