Chiang Mai Things to Do Tips by imstress

Reclining Buddha - Wat Chedi Luang Wat Chedi Luang - Buddhist Temple Review

Reclining Buddha or Pha Buddhasaiyat is an old Buddha statue. It is believed to have been built during the reign of Phra Muang Kaeo, the 11th monarch of Mang Rai Dynasty.

The head reclines toward the south and faces the Grand Pagoda. It measures 1.93 m high and 8.7 m long, enshrined in a new pavilion built in 1955 when Ven. Phra Buddisophon was the abbot.

The recling buddha statue can be found at the back of Wat Chedi Luang along with few other statue and architectures.

The Lord Buddha always reclines mindfully on his right side and only one hour each night for the entire 45 years of his teachings.

At the age of 80, before entering into parinirvana, the Lord Buddha compassionately warns the monks -- and also all of us

"Brethren, it is natural for all conditioned things to decay and cease. Be diligent in working for your own deliverance."

Address: Prapokklao Road

Pong Num Ron Market Excursions Review

Pong Num Ron Market is a very touristy place.

There are many shops where you could purchase the tribal handmade arts and craft or souvenirs. Buy some oranges, sweet, snacks, fruits as the day journey will be long.

Try the freshly brewed Arabic coffee and BBQ Chicken thighs which are very good breakfast.

A speciality is the local whisky. There are many animals that are killed and used to soak into the whisky. If you have the guts and dont mind being tipsy give the local whisky a try.

Karen Long Neck Women Long Neck Women Review

We travelled all the way from Mai Sai to Pa Dong to visit the Karen Long Neck Women. Our tour guide said that this is a real Long Neck Women Village. There were 2 other tribes residing in the same area.

The brass ring on the neck is not individual accumulated rings on the neck but a brass spiral coil that goes around the neck. The coil on the neck can be taken out and the life of the women will not be die immediately once they remove the coil.

Two ladies have their coil remove and examined and x-ray by doctors and they did not die and has proven the myth wrong.

The brass coil are indeed very heavy. I had them on for a min and will not choose to wear it for the rest of my life.

Address: Pa Dong, Mae Hong Son

Mae Sai

After lunch, we head for Mae Sai which is the border town between Thailand and Burma (Myanmar).

Mae Sai is situated at the north most district of Thailand with the Sai River as a border to Ta Chi Lek, Burma (Myanmar). There is a short friendship bridge which connect the 2 countries together. You will have to clear the custom to get over to the other country.

This place is famous for the produce brought over from Burma and China. You could actually spend half the day here shopping. Jewellery, jade, silk, clothings, Electronics made in China, Chinese medicine, liquor, cigarettes, dry food stuff, tibits can all be found along 2 side of the street.

A lot of foreigners do their visa run over here as it is the cheapest border to get your visa extended for UDS10.

Address: Mae Sai

Lunch at Golden Iyara Resort Excursions Review

We head to Golden Iyara Resort for our lunch. It was more of a buffet place for the tourist.

I had my first western meal over here. The spaghetti is handmade by the chef and you can help yourself with the sauce. You could have the noodles with soup and meat balls or with spaghetti sauce.

Pineapple is my favorite fruit in Thailand. I had a big helping of those delicious and juicy pineapples.

Golden Triangle - Thai Border Excursions Review

The Golden Triangle is in Chiang Rai province, in the far north of Thailand. It is the meeting point of three countries: Laos, Burma (Myanmar) and Thailand.

There is a huge golden Buddha statue on a large boat-shaped structure facing the converging point on Thailand’s land.

At the jetty, there is a very nice little cafe that serves very nice Arabic coffee. You could also buy some local oranges which makes very good fruit juices.

Take a boat ride across to a small island belonging to Laos. No passport or visa for Laos is required to make this trip. Technically you are in Laos and you can claimed to have visited the country but you are not allowed to enter into the rest of Laos from the island without a visa.

Address: Golden Triangle

Mekong River - Golden Triangle Excursions Review

We stop at Chiang Saen which is on the river bank of Mekong River.

Here we paid THB400 for an optional one hour boat ride to visit the Golden Triangle which is the point where the 3 countries of Thailand, Laos and Burma converge.

The motor boat made a brief stop on an island at Laos where we could purchase some souvenirs made by the locals.

A brief stop was made at the Burma border to the Casino built in partnership with the Chinese Thai businessmen and Burma businessmen.

Address: Golden Triangle

Wat Chedi Luang - Chiang Saen Wat Chedi Luang - Buddhist Temple Review

We went to visit Wat Chedi Luang in Chiang Saen. There are a lot of old teak trees and in particular one where people came to worship and say their prayers.

According to the chronicles, three years after the completion of the city wall of Chiang Saen, King Saen-Phu ordered the construction of Wat Chedi Luang in 1291.

The principal chedi has an octagonal base with superimposed platforms up to bell part, in the lanna art style of construction. It is known to be the largest and the highest chedi in Chiang Saen.

Within the temple complex area, there are also remains of a viharn, a few minor chedis and an entrance gate with an arch structure overhead.

Address: Chiagn Saen

Natural Hot Spring Excursions Review

Pong Num Ron Hot Spring - There are about 3 wells at this Hot Spa area. There is a small stream where you can dip your feet into. The water is hot so becareful not to scald yourself.

"According to village elders, the former virgin forest was first popular with animals which regularly came to feed on the mineral salts found on the ground surface in parts of the forest.

Later, the location offered a good overnight camping ground for travellers and traders passing along the hillside between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. A village sprung up as people began to settle in permanently. There are three natural hot springs in the area, with an average temperature of 90 deg celsius."

Pong Num Ron Hot Spring The Golden Triangle Review

We were picked up at 7.30 am from Julie Guesthouse by our guide where we get to transfer to our mini van for our Golden Triangle, Chiang Rai and Long Neck Tour for the day.

Our first stop was to Pong Num Ron Hot Spring. Here you will see lots of tribal people with baskets of eggs. You could either purchase your our basket of eggs and cook it yourself or have those already cooked and just fish out from the hot spring well.

This is a natural hot spring and you could head down to the stream and touch the hot spring water. Some even went for a dip in the hot spring.