We have complained about downtown Chiang Mai's lack of parks before but there is a stretch of grass and trees that we inconsiderately overlooked, a very long stretch in fact -- nearly eight kilometres long -- which makes for an interesting and attractive hike without ever having to leave the city centre. We're talking of course about the strip of tree-lined parkland that borders the moat and frames the old town area.

The north moat looking south towards Prathu Chang Puak.

The old city walls don't quite make a square, being two kilometres each on the east and west sides and 1.8 kilometres on the other two sides, and they do of course have a busy three-lane road on either side. But there are at least 30 0r 40 metres of grass, trees and water between the two. (Indeed the most difficult part of our proposed walk is crossing the busy highway to actually get into the median strip.)

The inner moat road takes the following names on its east, south, west and north sides: Moonmuang, Bumrung Buri, Arak and Sri Phum respectively, and circulates in a anti-clockwise direction. The outer moat ring road is clockwise only and, again from east to north, has the names: Chaiyaphum, Rat Chiang Saen, Bunrueang and Manee Noparat. (Transliterations vary considerably.)

The reconstructed northwest bastion.

Regular causeways across the moat form two-way U-turns -- usually three or four on each side -- and there's a total of five old entrance gates (plus two footbridges): Tha Paeon the east, Chiang Mai and Suan Prung on the south side; the west has Suan Dok and the north side Chiang Puak.

The reason for a later addition of the fifth gate was apparently to allow the Queen Mother a convenient access into the city while she was busy supervising the construction of Wat Chedi Luang. The same gate, Suan Prung, was then later used for funeral processions so to this day is still considered an inauspicious gate by certain locals.

Much of the old wall and corner bastions were pulled down some time ago to provide bricks for the construction of the city but  extensive renovation including original bricks was carried out in the 1960s and again in the 1990s. Now most of the five gates and the four corner bastions are in reasonable condition and several stretches of wall still exist.

Now this could be done as a single hike but eight kilometres in this heat might be a bit much and you'd miss out the numerous interesting sites to be seen. We would propose to do one side at a time; perhaps say clockwise down and anti back for instance since there are plenty of sites to be seen. Apart from a proliferation of temples, you'll find markets, interesting shops, some spectacular trees, with luck some inner city bird-life, plenty of Chiang Mai's great cafes and bars and lots of general bustling street life.

Spectacular golden rain tree, on the north side.

Few people seem to have thought of this hike and the people I have dragged along have been more than pleasantly surprised; so coming up over the next few posts we'll be describing no less than four excellent inner city hikes. Stay tuned!

Tags: hiking, markets, Moonmuang, Tha Pae, walks

Doi means mountain in the northern Thai dialect (see our earlier geographical names post), so Doi Suthep of course means Suthep Mountain. Doi Suthep's most famous feature is its temple, Wat Doi Suthep, and is part of Doi Suthep-Pui National Park. Finally, Suthep is the name of the western district of Chiang Mai city abutting said mountain and home to CMU, Chiang Mai Zoo and the fashionable Nimmanhemin Road area.

Suthep seen from Huay Tung Tao.

We'll come to Suthep district in our Chiang Mai area by area posts, and the national park is a wide subject, so for this post we'll stick to the mountain itself. At around 1,600m in height, and being within walking distance of downtown, Suthep certainly towers over the city and though we would like to say it's clearly visible from wherever you are in Chiang Mai you'd better read our last post first!

Also usually clearly visible -- even at night as it's lit up -- is the temple just below the summit: Wat Doi Suthep or to give it its full name, Wat Phra Boromathat Doi Suthep Worawihan. Now if you hear people repeating the local saying that, "You haven't visited Chiang Mai unless you've visited Doi Suthep," they really mean unless you've gone up the mountain and had your photo taken in the temple with a view of the city in the background.

Chiang Mai city seen from Doi Suthep.

The temple is thought to date from the 14th century and is considered one of the most sacred sites in the region. It's certainly both an elaborate affair and spectacularly situated, as well as being hugely popular with local tourists. (You can find a good selection of photos of the temple at this link.)

From Chiang Mai Zoo at the foot of the mountain and at the end of Huay Kaew Road, a good road winds its way up Doi Suthep for 15 kilometres before reaching the car park and cafe area at the temple entrance. From here there's either 309 steps or a 30 baht tram fare to negotiate before you reach the temple proper. The road gets very steep so if you're going up there on a motorbike please take care!

Forest on the road up Doi Suthep.

On the way up Doi Suthep the road passes through dry dipterocarp, mixed deciduous and montane forest, emerging into pine once you reach Doi Pui, so it covers a wide range of flora and fauna and is particularly reputed for bird-life. There are also numerous viewpoints and several waterfalls, some more spectacular than others and all more picturesque during the rainy season. We've already posted a couple of waterfall hikes on Doi Suthep which you can find here.

Jungle trail on Suthep.

Note if you enter the national park headquarters or visit any of the more popular falls you will have to pay the 200 baht park entry fee -- if you just go to the temple you won't. The national park HQ buildings, botanical gardens and royal palace are all located above Wat Doi Suthep as the road continues to wind its way up to Doi Pui. It's all very scenic but again, take care here if you're on a motorbike -- the road gets even steeper and even experienced riders may have problems. Most guesthouses and travel agents can organise inexpensive tours to Doi Suthep and Doi Pui.

Tags: Chiang Mai zoo, Doi Pui, Doi Suthep-Pui National park, Nimmanhemin, Suthep

Greater Chiang Mai weighs in these days with a good million inhabitants (the exact figure varies according to where one draws cut-off points), and it has most of the attributes a modern city aspires to have. It has whopping shopping malls and chic boutiques, a Chinatown,  a professional football team (albeit an embarrassingly bad one), historic monuments, university, famous zoo, vibrant cafe/bar/restaurant scene but there's something missing: for a city of its size and pretensions there are just no decent parks!

Quiet time.

There are pleasant parklands and green spaces out in the suburbs, but they belong to the zoo, university or city arboretum -- Huay Tung Tao Lake as another example is army owned. Yes, the excellent and lush Doi Pui/Doi Suthep National Park is a mere 20-minute drive from the centre of Chiang Mai, but the city itself completely lacks a proper municipal park in its downtown area.

Until relatively recently Chiang Mai was a small and green city and surrounded by plenty of open spaces so parks, we guess, weren't really an issue. But with its rapid urbanisation, many gardens have been lost to condo construction and surrounding green areas have been snatched for new highway projects. Parks, it seems, have been forgotten about amid the concrete onslaught.

Looks green enough seen from Doi Suthep, but the leafy suburbs are disappearing.

Tiny Suan Buak Hat, located in the southwest corner of the old town at the corner of Bumrung Buri and Bunreuang moat roads, is in fact the only offering Chiang Mai municipality has seen fit to make to its public. (You can just make out a tiny green triangle on our city map here.) It's better than nothing and it is a cute enough park, though a very small one.

Oh look -- a park!

We've put it in our hikes and walks category though a walk in this park isn't going to last very long. There's a series of small ponds and bridges interspersed with lawns, a basic playground for kids at one end and the usual snack and drinks stalls, but even if you walked really slowly you could still do the entire park in less than 10 minutes -- Lumpini it is not!

Cultivate your melanomas ...

It's a pleasant enough place to hang out: you can feed the pigeons, feed the catfish, have a drink by the pond, sit under a tree and read a book. If you sit on the far side of the park you can almost not hear the traffic though be warned at weekends it can get pretty full and noisy with picnicking families.

It's a pigeon party, and you're invited.

Warning: if you don't like our feathered friends, then this probably isn't  a good place for you since feeding these feathered rats/charming little birdies (delete as applicable) is a popular local pastime in the absence of ducks. (Hyde Park this is not!)

Rather a lot of pigeons.

They're also rather tame and will even eat out of your hand if you like that sort of thing.

Ten baht will have them eating out of your hand.

Suan Buak Hat is open daily during daylight hours -- enjoy!

Tags: Doi Suthep, Huay Tung Tao, Lumpini, parks, pigeons, Suan Buak Hat

Mae Fah Luang Botanical Gardens are located in Chiang Rai's Doi Tung district, close to the Burmese border town of Mae Sai. Now some 20 years old, the superb gardens were created in the early 1990s when the particularly troublesome Akha village of Pa Kluay was relocated by the royal-backed Doi Tung Development Project. The village was, in those days, a major opium transporting hub, though government agencies also point out that Pa Kluay, wedged into a narrow gorge, was insalubrious and cramped, so relocation to a site some 500m distant with a sealed road and electricity was judged the best solution.

Welcome to the orchid house.

Apparently the Queen Mother herself took a particular interest in the area and as well as having a nearby country palace constructed she had the idea of creating some mountain-top gardens to allow local people to see at firsthand temperate climate plants.  Today the extensive and impeccably maintained gardens incorporate tropical, temperate and even desert plants, (with their cactus house). Rock gardens, a night garden and a fern house can be found among, what for Thais, are exotic species: roses, tulips and chrysanthemums.

More orchids, plus myriad begonia species.

There's also a nice balance between the formal, manicured areas and some wilder, more 'jungly' sections ...

The central feature is formally laid-out, European-style gardens.

... with the formal European-style flowerbeds being popular among local visitors and the more tropical sections favourites with Western tourists.

Misty, jungly bit.

Just getting up the mountain is almost worth the trip with some fantastic views back down into the valley and towards Mae Sai.

Looking east from Doi Tung.

If you're travelling under your own steam look out for a well signposted route on your left just short of Mae Sai on the main Chiang Rai highway -- otherwise all Chiang Rai guesthouses or travel agents will be able to organise tours up there. Allow a couple of hours to visit the gardens and there's the nearby palace, formerly naughty Akha village, an arboretum and coffee plantations to visit. (The now opium-less Doi Tung is famous for the excellent locally brewed substitution crop, coffee.)

We'll leave you with another orchid.

Mae Fah Luang Botanical Gardens
Entrance fee 80 baht
Open daily 06:30 to 18:00

Tags: Akhas, Chiang Rai, coffee, Doi Tung, Mae Sai, opium

Pronounced jedee not jedi, so if you're after a Star Wars-related post you're going to be disappointed! Walking or riding around Chiang Mai you can't help but notice these isolated, old brick stupas -- or chedis as they call them in these parts -- liberally scattered around town. They're found in the old city, around the edge of the moat and throughout Chiang Mai's suburbs. Some are quite prominent, (some are even on roundabouts), a few are more or less maintained and we even found one with a name plaque, but most are seemingly ignored and forgotten about.

Wat Pan Sat?

Tucked in the back of a car park; crumbling away on a piece of wasteland; squeezed between a couple of tin shacks; hidden away behind a condo block: many of these historic buildings don't even have names. The above Wat Pan Sat is one of the rare sites to possess a plaque, though it states, "... no information relating to the background of this temple has been found ..."  Even the name's a recent addition because no-one knows the real one, and it's identified as 14th century based merely on the archaeological style. Some of these brick towers are maybe only a few hundred  years old but many are 14th or 15th century -- what in Europe would be termed late medieval -- so,  if you want to see abandoned, ruined temples clad in vines and roots, you don't need to go all the way to Cambodia.

No-name chedi on Suriwongse Road.

The brick towers -- some still covered with stucco -- come in either the rounded Sri Lanka style or the square, indented Khmer influenced form. Some indicate the former presence of a now lost temple complex, such as Pan Sat above, whereas others have been detached from their original wat by urban growth. For instance the chedi below, now located on wasteland -- a virtual refuse dump -- on the slopes of Doi Suthep used to be part of the nearby Wat Umong and became isolated from the main temple as it lost land to encroaching urbanization.

Formerly part of Wat Umong, now known as Wat Pha Daeng.

Quite possibly 14th century with an interesting design and some stucco decoration remaining, you now have to wade through piles of rubbish and fight off stray dogs to visit it.

Detail from Wat Pha Daeng.

The pretty ruined example below we found down a narrow alley jammed between Central Department store and Chiang Mai Ram Hospital. Once we'd dealt with soi dogs and the comments from the shacks' residents who thought we were lost, we were informed it was called Wat Umo and was originally a part of an old wat that occupied this area. (Wouldn't be going to far to suggest I was one of the first foreigners to visit it.)

What's left of Wat Umo.

While it might be a pile of rubble to some, we kind of liked the evocative old brick ruin and the difficulty in finding it certainly added to the fun.

Detail from the 'pile of rubble'.

Interesting to note the spirit shrine placed at the chedi. You'll see many more unusual and odd trinkets displayed in front of similar chedis, though the intention is not the same as with a regular temple offering. Whatever the locals claim, these are not offerings to Buddha as such but more along the lines of the "spirit" offerings you can find beneath certain trees, rocks or by streams; a san phra phum in Thai or neak ta in Cambodia. These are no longer parts of consecrated temples -- they are the abode of spirits and ghosts that need to be appeased and this is an example of the animist beliefs that still persist in Thailand and many Southeast Asian countries.

Thai and Chinese spirit houses at Chedi Nom Long, Chaiyaphum Soi 1.

Miscellaneous offerings to the apparently numerous spirits of Chedi Nom Long include candles, model gods, goddesses, dancers and elephants, flower garlands and food and drink items.

Spirit offerings, not a bric-a-brac sale.

Check them out, before they disappear completely -- and if you find any other good ones, let us know!

Tags: animism, Central Department Store, Chiang Mai temples, Chiang Mia Ram, neak ta, san phar phum, spirit houses, Wat Umong

Any self-respecting country laying claim to 'wilderness areas' has to have them! Reports of large ape-like creatures emanate from remote mountain and forest areas of every continent bar Antarctica: the Sasquatch or Bigfoot of Canada and the United States, the yetis of Siberia, yowies of Australia and abominable snowmen of Tibet -- and Southeast Asia, with its stretches of dense and often little-known jungle, is not immune.

What lies beneath?

(This post actually comes with a soundtrack, so at this point you may wish to click this link.)

Malaysia in particular has persistent reports of creatures at home in Endau Rompin national park, or check out this report from Setapak forest. Laos and Vietnam have sightings of 'hairy wild-men' from the Truong Son mountains along the remote border area (see here) and Cambodia, the Kulen yeti.

With an estimated 15% forest cover, Thailand is not traditionally a yeti hotspot, but we uncovered similar legends on a visit to Nan province's Mae Charim national park. Mae Charim lies in a mountainous region of eastern Nan, backing onto the Lao border, and contains extensive forest area and very few inhabitants.

Rom Khlao Village

In fact part of eastern Nan is even known as the 'empty quarter' and in Mae Charim there is just one village: the Hmong settlement of Rom Klao. We began our trip in Rom Klao where we met up with our old friend, former communist guerrilla, ex-hunter and now local guide Pha.

Pha, resident of Mae Charim.

As we hiked through the forest I asked Pha what wildlife was found in the area; I knew elephants crisscrossed the border between Nan and Xainyaburi in Laos and tigers had been confirmed in the area but ...

Unsuspecting trekkers in Mae Charim.

"Well plenty of deer, boar, leopards and wild cat species, macaques, some gibbons in remoter areas and then the big hairy black things," he said.

We've known Pha for years and he's a pretty down to earth sort of chap. He's spent his whole life in these forests so our curiosity was piqued.

"You see them most on that mountain over there," continued Pha, pointing to a steep, jagged limestone outcrop we could just make out some way off through the canopy. "Daytime's not a problem. They're nearly always only seen at night but after dark no one in the village would come down here, that's for sure!"

They walk upright, are around six-foot tall, covered in dark hair, and potentially aggressive -- villagers report attacks and even fatalities. Fanciful legend, distant folk memories of when Neanderthals still shared the earth, a result of eating the wrong kind of mushrooms or are they really out there in the forests of northern Thailand just waiting to be discovered?

Whatever your opinion, Mae Charim is a beautiful part of the country and there's great trekking and rafting on the park's Nam Wa. If you wish to do either -- or search for yetis -- then Fhu Travel in Nan are probably your best contacts. Oh and please send us a photo for our blog if you do come across a dark hairy stranger!

A great national park for trekking ... and yeti spotting.

Tags: big foot, Endau Rompin, Phnom Kulen, sasquatch, Setapak, Truong Son, Xainyaburi, yowies

An easy but very scenic short hike near Chiang Mai that's practical to do on your own is this trail from Doi Suthep's ranger sub-station at Huay Tung Tao to the nearby waterfall of the same name. At present our route is about an hour there and an hour back by the same route, though we are looking at some additional trails with a view to mapping a possible round trip.

Cold one by the lake after your hike?

It is picturesque though, going through some excellent untouched forest, and is very good for bird-life, so it's well worth considering if you're looking for an afternoon's pleasant ramble. This hike also has the advantage of finishing at Huay Tung Tao, so you can wrap up your afternoon with a beer & some great Thai food too.

First you'll need to find the aforementioned ranger station, which is neither signposted nor well known so here goes: Head to Huay Tung Tao Lake, and turn left at the lakeside T-junction after the entrance booth. Follow the road over the dam; round the lake, past the Buddha statue and past the new The Peak activities centre and you'll see an area of paddy fields on your left. Turn left down the track that forms a line between the far side of the fields and the trees and a kilometre or so will bring you to the tiny ranger station.

The ranger sub-station

In the pic above the track leading straight on heads up to a Hmong village on Doi Pui. You will need to turn immediately left from the point the pic was taken, so you don't actually officially enter the park and shouldn't be liable for the entrance fee. Cross the stream and head into the forest on the far side. There's a fork after a few yards; ignore the left trail and keep straight on. That track winds up through dry dipterocarp forest to meet the stream again. Keep to the left bank and follow the trail through some bamboo thickets.

A kilometre or so further on the trail crosses the stream and you'll find yourself in lusher forest. Bird life is abundant in this area and the hike is very scenic with the brook bubbling along on to the left and huge trees all around. Ignore a bamboo bridge crossing the stream and keep straight for 30-40 minutes, which will bring you to the foot of the spectacular falls. Shear cliffs covered in creepers form a backdrop and the falls cascade over two levels from a height of some 50 metres. The fortunate near total absence of litter shows almost no-one visits these falls which are, to our mind, some of the most spectacular on Doi Suthep/Doi Pui, and there's even a small pool suitable for swimming. (There used to be bamboo ladders leading to the top but these are long rotted so do NOT attempt this now.)

Huay Tung Tao Falls

From here it's an hour or so downhill to get back to the ranger station from where you could walk another kilometre or so round to the lakeside cafes (by turning left on the sealed lakeside road). if you're doing this by bicycle or motorbike then leave them at the ranger station. If you're renting a tuk tuk or songthaew, then maybe ask the driver to drop you off at the substation and pick  you up in the Huay Tung Tao car park (but make sure you've agreed on an approximate time and precise place).

Huay Tung Tao Falls 2

This is a very pleasant hike suitable in all but the heaviest rains, and we'll be checking out the bamboo bridge trail soon ...  so watch this space!

Tags: Doi Suthep, Huay Tung Tao

The Mon Thaa Than Falls Nature trail near Chiang Mai is an easy-to-moderate hike of two to three hours that you can do on your own, though it does get trickier during the rainy season. The entire route is in the forest, with the first half or so being flat and the second downhill. It's good for spotting bird life and a pleasant waterfall lies at the end.

Giant strangler-fig tree

You’ll need to get a lift (songthaew hire should be around 600 baht return) to the National Park HQ buildings on Doi Suthep, where the walk begins. Ask your driver to pick you up at the falls in around two hours. (A right turn off the main road just after Wat Doi Suthep takes you to HQ.) There is sometimes a park warden at the entrance, so you may have to pay a 200 baht entrance fee. There is also a small shop and café, so you can stock up on water and snacks -- there's a great viewpoint overlooking Chiang Mai city below.

Fungi, Doi Suthep

Walk past the park chalets on your right and before the road bears left, take the small path at the side of the last chalet. If you see a sign saying ‘path closed for maintenance’, ignore it (they've forgotten to take it down), but you'll know you're on the right path. The narrow, shaded path winds around two sides of a small, forested valley for about a kilometre. Look out for the huge strangler fig tree and if you’re lucky Sapria flowers – a relative of Rafflesia. Birdlife is abundant, including; greater racket-tailed drongos, white-crested laughing thrushes, black-crested bulbuls and scarlet minivets.

Sapria flowers on Doi Suthep

The path emerges onto a wider dirt track. Turn right for 200m or so, looking out for a small sign on the right to the waterfall.  The path leads downhill following a stream. It's a bit more overgrown and can get steep in places, so it may be a bit challenging right after rains. After a while, the path crosses the stream by some stepping stones and continues along the left bank with good views over cascades and pools. Some two kilometres later you'll be at the top of Mon Thaa Than Falls.

White-crested laughingthrush chick, Suthep

Follow the track to the left, cross the stream at the foot of the falls, and you’ll find yourself in the car park. The falls are good for bathing, though do take care in the wet season. If your lift is not waiting there, you’ll have to walk the additional two kilometres or so along a sealed road to reach the main road going down Suthep, and then thumb a lift.

Tags: Doi Suthep, hiking, Rafflesia, Thai birds, waterfalls