Out of Norm Travels

For those up for a trip up north of Thailand, the most famous, largest and connected of its cities will be Chiangmai or Chiang Mai or Chieng mai . It is also regarded as  the unofficial capital of Northern Thailand, second in importance only to Bangkok.   A must see temple when you are on your first trip to this location will be  Wat Phra That Doi Suthep  (Thai:  วัดพระธาตุดอยสุ เทพ ). Easily accessible by car or van around 15km from the city centre, you have a choice of taking the cable car or climbing some 300 steps to reach the temple grounds which is a Theravada Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. The temple dates from 1383 and is located at  Doi Suthep  mountain which is a sacred site to many  Thai s. During important festivals like Loy Kratong, you will see many Thais making a pilgrimage to this temple to release thousands of paper lanterns into the sky in the month of November to celebrate From the temple, you can take on impressive views of Chiang Mai.