yesterday we rode the scooter up the mountain doi suthep to wat phrathat doi suthep. the wat is just under 10 miles (15km) from chiang mai. it is said to have been built in 1383, and the first road to it was built in 1935.

you have to climb 309 steps to reach the pagoda and temple grounds:

the railing is these fantastically tiled dragons:

the pagoda (you can see some mountains through the pagoda but you can’t see them in this picture because of the light difference):

you have to take off your shoes and be appropriately dressed (long sleeves, no short shorts, etc) to enter. everything’s all gold and red:

there’s a ton of buddha statues everywhere:

there’s also bells all along the edges of the roofs:

and lots of pedestals and things:

outside of the temple, on the temple grounds, there are lots of other buildings. i think this is the temple museum (we got there later in the day and it was closed):

the front part of the temple grounds, to the right after you enter through the pagoda:

around the back of the temple is a really awesome patio-type area with a balcony that looks out over chiang mai city:

there’s bells of all shapes and sizes everywhere:

walking back down the (what feels like) million-steps staircase:

the dragon heads spitting out small dragon heads at the bottom of the stairs:

a quick little video from one of the interior corners of the temple:

Filed under: buddhas, chiang mai, temples, thailand, wat doi suthep by Administrator