Chiang Mai: Wats

We decided to take a plane from Phuket to Chiang Mai (a bus would have taken over 24 hours). The first thing I noticed when we arrived was that the prices in Chiang Mai are far lower than in Phuket. Also Chiang Mai caters more to backpackers than tourists.

Chiang Mai is the mountainous and forested north of Thailand. The city has a rich Buddhist heritage which is evident in the many wats (buddhist temples) that dot the city. There are over thirty wats within the city walls. 

OUR LOCAL WAT

Here are pictures of our neighborhood wat. Just a run of the mill temple, nothing spectacular here.

A side entrance of the wat

Buddha statues on the wat's alter

One of the many paintings on the walls

You cant have a wat without a few dragons

DOI SUTHEP WAT

The most impressive wat is the Doi Suthep Wat which sits on a hilltop overlooking the city. It is ranked by the lonely planet as the number one attraction in Thailand. Thus far I would agree.

The central tower in the wat complex

EVERYTHING here is gold

THE WHITE TEMPLE

When we left Chiang Mai for Laos, we stopped in neighboring Chiang Rai to see the White Temple. Construction of this wat began in 1997 and is slated to continue until 2070. Although it is far from complete, it was very impressive.

So white...bring your sunglasses

The bridge to the main building, but what's that under the bridge...

...oh, just countless hands reaching up at you, some holding heads...

Buddha

so white

more buddha

more...heads?