Thursday we went to Doi Suthep. The wat on the Western side of Chiang Mai up in the mountains. According to Buddhist believes, one of Buddha's shoulder bones in berried beneath the wat giving the location extra special meaning for those who practice Buddhism. It takes about 30 minutes to ride up a very winding road to get to the top, so motion sickness can be an issue for people. In general though the drivers seemed to do a much better job than I thought they would.
About 309 steps to get to the top, according to the guide book.
At the top, outside of the main inner temple area.
More of the bells which can be rung for blessings and praise to Buddha.
View from the back of the complex, looking back down on Chiang Mai. The entire area is surrounded by trees and greenery.
The inner area where most of the praying and meditating is done. Very elaborate!
We went as our first official visit for our project, so a lot of the pictures I took are of the ramps and bathrooms. It was surprisingly accessible compared to the many other places I have been so far in Thailand. Friday we spent working on finalizing the plans for our final project.
We have also started to get a taste of the rainy season here. The past three days it has rained, but its much different here than rainy days in the US. Here it gets a little cooler before it rains and you can look up and see the dark clouds heading towards you. So you have a pretty good idea when it is going to rain. It rains REALLY hard for about 30 minutes and then it is done till later in the day or the next day. In Chiang Mai the people just seem to wait for the rain to stop and then go about their lives again. The people that are caught outside in the rain (especially driving their motor bikes) just pull over and put on a poncho and then keep driving. I've even seen some really talented drivers holding umbrellas while driving.
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