Day trip out from Chiang Mai to Wat Phra That Doi Sutep, Mon Cham and Bua Tong Sticky Waterfall.

11 January 2018

 There are many interesting places to visit outside of Chiang Mai city and the best way to explore these places without joining a group tour is to hire a car with a driver cum guide to bring us to these places.

Our plan for the day is to visit Wat Phra That Doi Sutep (also known as Doi Suthep Temple) in the morning, have lunch at Mon Cham (or Mon Jam as it is sometimes known), relax and enjoy the views and fresh air at Mon Cham, then spend some time at the Bua Thong “Sticky” Waterfall in the afternoon before returning to Chiang Mai. 

Our guide Jack (his full name is Nattawut Areepunth) came to pick us promptly at 7.30 AM from the Movenpick Suriwongse Hotel. It is good to start early to avoid the traffic going up to Doi Suthep (Mount Suthep) and crowds of tour groups that typically swamp this extremely popular temple later in the morning.

We travelled up Doi Suthep in a spacious Toyota Commuter van with driver that Jack hired for the five of us.  For smaller groups , e.g. solo traveller or couple, Jack would drive his own car instead and save us some cost.

Wat Phra That Doi Sutep

Wat Phra That Doi Sutep is a temple built near the top of the Doi Suthep, about 15 kilometers from the city of Chiang Mai. For those who fancy a hike, there is a challenging hiking trail that leads to the temple. To make things easier for pilgrims to visit the temple, a monk named Kruba Siwichai collected funds and built a road to the temple back in 1552. A shrine dedicated to Kruba Siwichai is built at the foot of the mountain.

After the drive up the winding road to the temple’s vicinity, there is still 306 steps up a Naga (serpent) staircase before arriving at the temple.

Alternatively, visitors could take a cable car up, for a small fee.

A group photo before walking the 306 steps up to Wat Phra That Doi Sutep.

The cool but slightly misty morning weather was perfect for a morning workout, so we chose to walk up the steps.

The staircase is flanked by intricately carved mythical Nagas (Serpents) emerging from the mouth of a Makara. Did you see a cobra at the front of the multi-headed Nagas.

After paying the entrance fee of 30 THB per person, we entered the temple. The first place to go is the inner terrace which houses the beautiful golden chedi (pagoda) enshrining the relic of Buddha.

Steps leading to the Inner Terrace.

This part of the temple will get very crowded later in the morning. We had to remove our shoes before entering the inner terrace.

Beautiful golden Chedi (pagoda) enshrining the relic of Buddha.

 

This place is amazing. In addition to the impressive golden chedi, there are many images of Buddha in different poses, which depict significant moments in the Buddha’s life. There were also many religious happenings to observe. 

It is customary for people to walk three times around the golden chedi in the clockwise direction while chanting prayers and holding a flower. One round for Buddha, one round for Buddha’s teachings and one round for the monks.

 

Images of Reclining Buddha. A devotee could be seen in the background, doing the customary walk around the golden chedi.

Jack showed us the Buddha images corresponding to the seven days of the week. Certain events in the life of the Buddha are thought to have occurred on certain days and hence there are images of Buddha in various poses representing these events, and associated with the days on which they occurred.

Buddha images corresponding to the seven days of the week. There are two for Wednesday, one for morning and one for evening.

 

More Buddha images corresponding to the seven days of the week.

Thais believe that their day of birth reflects their lives and they would pay respect to the Buddha images that corresponds to that day.

The Thais also have their lucky colours based on the day of the birth. Red for Sunday, Yellow for Monday, Pink for Tuesday, Green for Wednesday, Orange for Thursday, Blue for Friday, and Purple for Saturday.

After visiting the Inner Terrace, we put on our shoes again and explored the rest of the temple.

There is a large mural, carved from teak wood, depicting the legend of how the temple was built on Doi Suthep and a statue of a white elephant.

Mural carved from teak wood depicting the legend of how the temple was built on Doi Suthep.

Statue of a white elephant.

There are a few versions of the legend on how the temple was built. A popular version is that a monk was carrying the shoulder bone of Buddha to the Lanna Kingdom when it broke into two pieces. One piece was placed in a temple called Wat Suan Dok, and the other piece was attached to a white elephant. The elephant was allowed to roam as it pleased. The elephant was walking on Doi Suthep when it suddenly trumpeted 3 times and died peacefully. Wat Phra That Doi Sutep was then built at the spot where the white elephant died.

Goddess of the Earth squeezing water from her hair to protect the Buddha. Scene from a Buddhist mythology.

Our guide Jack providing lot of interesting explanations of Buddhism and local cultures.

Although we could have visited Wat Phra That Doi Sutep on our own, I was glad we engaged Jack to be our guide as he provided us with lots of interesting insights into local cultures and Buddhism.

There is a lookout point from the temple but it was misty so we did not get to see the views of Chiang Mai city from the temple.

Misty morning at Doi Suthep temple.

I also could not help noticing the many dogs at Wat Phra That Doi Sutep. Here are some of the doggy photos.

Mon Cham (also known as Mon Jam)

Mon means “hill” in Thai and Mon Cham is a hill ridge located about an hour’s drive northwards from Chiang Mai, in the Mae Rim district.

The Nong Hoi Royal Project has transformed the rural hill top area into farms with flowers, vegetables and fruits. It is off the beaten track and few tour groups know or come to this place. However, this place is popular with locals, including those from Bangkok.

While we passed by strawberry farms and a few cafes offering “food and drinks with a view” on the steep narrow road up, our planned lunch stop is a restaurant located on the top of the ridge with freshest air and best panoramic views. 

This restaurant does not take reservations, so it was important to arrive early in order to secure sittings in one of the few wooden huts overlooking the valley.

It was about 11 AM when we arrived at the already crowded carpark surrounded by stalls selling local produce. Jack led us on a brisk walk uphill to the restaurant as he was concerned that we may not get a hut with a nice view. It would be sickening to drive all the way here for “a lunch with a view” and get no views.

We were the first to arrive and had the pick of the row of empty huts! Shortly afterwards, most of the huts were occupied.

Lunch at one of the huts with views of the mountains and valley below.

Deciding what’s for lunch. English menu is available and includes some western items like pasta and omelette. We obviously chose to eat the Thai food, followed by coffee and cheese cakes.

Mon Cham is an excellent place to come with family or friends, to have a nice casual meal, relax, chit chat and enjoy the cool surroundings. 

Seating on bare wooden planks in the hut was not too comfortable but the views and air at the mountain top more than made up for it.

After lunch, there was still plenty of time to smell the flowers. Literally.  Mon Cham weather was nice, bright and cool. Perfect for flowers.

Shutterbugs and those who like flowers would enjoy Mon Cham. See the flying bee with pollen?

Cherry blossoms in Thailand in January.

 

Visiting monks to Chiang Mai enjoying an outing to Mon Cham.

We paid 10 THB each to enter a strawberry farm. What was really interesting was the giant yellow sunflowers at the each ends of the rows of strawberries. The bright yellow sunflowers are to attract insects away from the strawberry fruits.

Look at the size of that sunflower!

We were more fascinated by the giant sunflowers than the strawberries.

Farms with terraces for planting cut into the slopes.

This place has strawberry farms only during winter. In summer, the crop would be cabbage which is in huge demand for the mookata (Thai barbeque steamboat).

For those planning to stay in Mon Cham, camping in tents seemed to be the only option at present. Jack showed us a recent photo of Mon Cham on the eve of the New Year. Rows and rows of tents on the mountain side. “Refugee camp” as he called it. He then chuckled as he told us “there is only a few toilets for those thousands of people. Most of them were from Bangkok”.

Camping ground at Mon Cham, with rows of tents on the opposite hill. 

Car park with red and yellow songthaews (taxis adapted from pickup trucks) that brought locals to Mon Cham.

Other activities in Mon Cham includes downhill racing in a hill-tribe go-kart.

Prior to leaving Mon Cham, we bought some fried chicken from a food stall next to the car park for a picnic at our next destination. Our next destination was Bua Thong Waterfall with picnic facilities and the “sticky” waterfall.

Bua Tong “Sticky” Waterfall

When I first heard of the “sticky waterfall” and the fact that we could safely walk or climb up this waterfall, it became one of the “must-go, must-see and must-shoot” place to include in my itinerary. I have always associate waterfalls with slippery and dangerous rocks. It would be cool to climb up a natural waterfall.

Bua Thong Waterfall has been nicknamed 'the sticky waterfall' because the calcium rich water that fed the waterfall had coated the rocks with limestone deposits. It is these deposits that made the rock surfaces not slippery. Hence, it should be very easy to climb up the waterfall. We had to see it, try it to believe it.

Located about 70 km north of Chiang Mai (an hour and a half by car), the national park with Bua Thong Waterfall is mostly unknown to tourists and there’s no public transport going there from Chiang Mai. The best way to go is to arrange for private transport or charter a songthaew. Nevertheless, this place is popular with locals during the weekends and, like us, more and more independent travellers are adding this place to their itinerary. 

From Mon Cham, it took us slightly over an hour to get to the park. There are large fields of green lawn with picnic benches shaded by tall trees that made this place ideal for a picnic.  The picnic had to wait as we were here for the unique waterfall.

The waterfall has 3 or more tiers. The entrance to the park is at the highest tier so we had to walk down a rocky trail with stairs in order to climb the waterfall. We did not go all the way to the bottom, so we only saw the highest 2 tiers of the waterfall.

 

Standing at the edge of a waterfall. Don’t try this with a normal waterfall!

The safest way to climb the waterfall is with bare feet, so we could feel the friction on the rocks. Although most parts of creamy white limestone covered rocks felt tacky, like walking on rough concrete, there were small bluish green patches covered with algae that were slippery.  And with the water gushing down on our ankles, one could still slip and be hurt real bad.   

Photo shot by our guide Jack as the five of us climbed the top tier of the waterfall.

Some of the steeper parts had safety ropes attached to provide handholds.

I never thought that I would climb up a natural waterfall, but I did. It was good fun and we felt like teenagers again.

Cool off by just sitting under the running water. It is a good idea to bring a towel, swimsuit or extra clothing.

We ended the day with a picnic at the park till almost closing time (5 PM). Then an hour and a half drive back to Chiang Mai.

Travel planning tips:

The best way to visit the remote places like Mon Cham or Bua Thong Waterfall is with private transport. Better still, engage a private tour guide like Jack. He is polite, respectful, knowledgeable about Buddhism (good for temple tours) and caring.

Jack’s email: 

privatetourthailand2015@gmail.com

It is easy and inexpensive to travel to the popular Doi Suthep Temple from Chiang Mai via public transport (songthaew). So it is easy to visit to this temple on your own. However, going with a guide who is knowledgeable in Buddhism and could explain the sights and religious practices made our visit much more enlightening.

Go early to beat the crowds and go on a clear day if you want to see the views of Chiang Mai from the temple.

The best and perfect time to visit Mon Cham is from October to February, preferably on a weekday.

Bua Thong is popular with locals. Go on a weekday, preferably early morning or late afternoon, when there would be less people. Bring a towel, change of clothes or swimwear, and sandals.

For visitors to Chiang Mai, it is good to plan a day trip out of the city to see the attractions that is off the beaten track. These are a few  attractions or activities that could replaced any one of the above places in the itinerary.

1. Beautiful and impressive Wat Ban Den temple is near to Bua Thong Waterfall. Trip report of my visit to Wat Ban Den.

2.  Zip-lining, elephant sanctuary in the Mae Thaeng area. Trip report of my visit to Lanna Kingdom Elephant Sanctuary.

3. River rafting and visit to Karen Long Neck village.