The temple on the hill

Wat Doi Suthep is a special temple and pilgrimage site for Buddhists. It is located at the top of a mountain a few miles outside of Chiang Mai. We rode up to the temple in the back of a red pickup truck, holding bandanas over our nose and mouth due to the extreme amount of exhaust fumes coming from this truck. Honestly, my eyes were burning! Sadly, we ended up on the same truck along with seven other unfortunate individuals on the way down. It was a curvy road going up, but it was more like a roller coaster ride coming down. Only because of her extreme mind control abilities did Barb manage to avoid gifting all nine of us crammed in the back of the truck with the contents of her stomach. It was a minor miracle!
Thai people practice a type of Buddhism known as theraveda Buddhism . This combines elements of Hinduism and Buddhism. This temple had a plethora of Buddha of every kind. This green one was the prettiest in my opinion.


Before going into the temple you must take off your shoes.


This golden chedi is almost blinding!,


On every side people were praying. Many held a flower to their forehead as they prayed.


The guy in the blue shirt below is holding a flower.


This lady is putting money in a stick which goes onto a vase that you can see above her head. There were lots of bills already there?


These people were using ladles to add oil from the vat below into the raised bowls, each of which had a flame burning. I have no idea of the significance.


You'll notice a slender can of what looks like chopsticks sitting on the red carpet below. A person holds the can and shakes it up and down until one stick falls out.


Each stick has a number which corresponds to a little paper with your "fortune" on it. Barb tried it, but I can't bend my knees like that so I guess I'll never know my fortune. Hmmm.


You know how people put locks on bridges? Well here you buy a bell and write your sweetie'qqs name on the ringer and hang it up at the temple.





See all the bells everywhere?








In this area apparently you burn a candle and then use the wax to affix coins to this board.


There were elaborate wood carvings,


And statues,






And dragons named mom?


As well as super life-like statues of monks. This guy was not real but he sure could have fooled me.


Now in this little temple there was a real monk who was sprinkling people with water and giving them a white piece of yarn to tie around their wrist. I just did not think it was respectful to take his picture.


There was a lookout point where you can see Chiang Mai, which is the second largest city in Thailand.


Cool little gardens



And this weird tree sprouting some kind of strange fruit out of its trunk


Since the entrance to the temple has 309 steps, we rode the tram up and down. My knees were thankful.





This is a row of bells that anyone could ring. Gosh they were really loud!


After visiting this temple from hundreds of years ago, we stopped at a shopping mall and ate subway salads topped off by DQ ice cream. Yes they have Dairy Queen here. It was good!

Location:Chiang Mai