Words like “hill tribes”, “opium“, “jungle” and similar might come to your mind – but that`s half the truth.
The region is rich in history and has as very dense concentration of temples and cultural sites.
We started in Chiang Mai and visited the old center hidden behind the ancient walls. On each and every corner you can discover another temple least several hundred years old…
On the back of our Japanese Horse we ride to the other temples located on the west mountain range to the city. From here the city has its origin as a white elephant came there for his final rest where the main Wat Doi Suthep stands today.
But there is more than temples – you can find extend rice fields, bat caves AND what is your first thought on a hot humid summer day? Sure – a dip in a hot spring ;-)
You can take a swim, boil your feet or better cook (your) eggs in the way you like best in the mineral water which can be up to 100deg hot!
These are our last days here in Thailand which we spent close to the Lao border at Chiang Rai.
Here the most precious religious artifact – The Emerald Buddha – was discovered when lighting stroke a temple and cracked the paint of an ordinary looking Buddha statue. The green shining jade lead to the name as the people thought it was made out of emerald. Several years the statue rest here at Wat Phra Keo before a long journey started, accompanied with many wars and lost lives until today’s final rest in Bangkok.
Looking back it was a great start in Southeast Asia and we are looking forward to our next destinations Laos and Vietnam…
Sawat dii Krap
More on:
http://picasaweb.google.at/marco.schoeggl/MythOfTheGoldenTriangle
