Day 38: A Blast From The Past

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We had a bit of a lie in and then headed back to our favourite vegan establishment for brunch. After this we were to go to Doi Suthep, a temple at the top of the hill the zoo is situated on. This was to be quite a special experience for me, as during a school trip in year 9 (I know lucky right?) I had been to this temple.



In order to get there we had to negotiate a Song Theaw. This is a form of taxi similar to the vehicles we had used in Koh Phangnan to get us to the full moon party. You sit on the bench provided for ten people to arrive, before being shepherded into the back of a long taxi. It costs 120 baht per person both ways, but they will then take you the full 17km up the hill to the temple, give you an hour and a half and then bring you back.



The temple was nearly exactly how I remembered it. A small market at the bottom with the usual fodder for sale before negotiating a stupendously steep flight of stairs which goes on for a lot longer than you think it does. At the top you pay to enter and gain access to the temple. The temple itself isn’t anything particularly special, with large amounts of buddhas reclining and sitting, golden arches, long murals. The full works. However the reason for this trip wasn’t the temple, but the view.



A majestic viewpoint in the far right corner from entry allows you to see the whole of Chiang Mai. Overlooking the airport, allowing us to watch the planes taking off and landing. That in itself was worth the entry fee. We then walked back down the mountain and had a brief look in the market, before it was time to hop in our vehicle and head back home.



We decided to get street food for dinner, due to finances, and luckily for us Sunday is home to the Old Town Market. The market takes up about a third of the old town, with 2 temples transforming into food courts, and stalls decorating the streets. A large amount of souvenir shopping was done during this time, as well as sourcing curries from the temple food courts for absurd prices. We managed to stay in the market for a few hours, getting repeatedly lost before calling it quits and heading back to the hotel for the final time.

Steps:22,011

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