The Chiang Mai Escapade | MIR

Fun Facts

The things I know that you didn't know. Hahaha. Just kidding! The lies I wrote were at the bottom.

Didn't  you know:

Chiang Mai has over 300 Buddhist temples ("wat" in Thai). These include:

Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, the city's most famous temple, stands on Doi Suthep, a hill to the north-west of the city. The temple dates from 1383.

Wat Chiang Man, the oldest temple in Chiang Mai, dating from the 13th century. King Mengrai lived here during the construction of the city. This temple houses two important and venerated Buddha figures, the marble Phra Sila and the crystal Phra Satang Man.

Wat Phra Singh is within the city walls, dates from 1345, and offers an example of classic Northern Thai-style architecture. It houses the Phra Singh Buddha, a highly venerated figure brought here many years ago from Chiang Rai.

Wat Chedi Luang was founded in 1401 and is dominated by a large Lanna style chedi, which took many years to finish. An earthquake damaged the chedi in the 16th century and only two-thirds of it remains.

Wat Ku Tao in the city's Chang Phuak District dates from (at least) the 13th century and is distinguished by an unusual alms-bowl-shaped stupa thought to contain the ashes of King Nawratha Minsaw, Chiang Mai's first Burmese ruler.

Wat Chet Yot is on the outskirts of the city. Built in 1455, the temple hosted the Eighth World Buddhist Council in 1977.
Wiang Kum Kam is at the site of an old city on the southern outskirts of Chiang Mai. King Mengrai lived there for ten years before the founding of Chiang Mai. The site includes many ruined temples.

Wat Umong is a forest and cave wat in the foothills west of the city, near Chiang Mai University. Wat U-Mong is known for its "fasting Buddha", representing the Buddha at the end of his long and fruitless fast prior to gaining enlightenment.

Wat RamPoeng (Tapotaram), near Wat U-Mong, is known for its meditation center (Northern Insight Meditation Center). The temple teaches the traditional vipassana technique and students stay from 10 days to more than a month as they try to meditate at least 10 hours a day.

Wat RamPoeng houses the largest collection of Tipitaka, the complete Theravada canon, in several Northern dialects.[31]
Wat Suan Dok is a 14th-century temple just west of the old city wall. It was built by the king for a revered monk visiting from Sukhothai for a rainy season retreat. The temple is also the site of Mahachulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya Buddhist University, where monks pursue their studies.[32

There are a total of 40,717 Buddhist temples (Thai: Wat) in Thailand as of 31 December 2004, of which 33,902 are in current use, according to the Office of National Buddhism. Of the 33,902 active temples, 31,890 are of the Maha Nikaya and 1,987 are of the Dhammayuttika Nikaya orders of the Theravada school, while 12 are of the Chinese Nikaya and 13 are of the Anam Nikaya orders of the Mahayana school. Two hundred and seventy-two temples, 217 of the Maha Nikaya order and 55 of the Dhammayut order, hold the status of royal temple. Royal wisungkhamasima (Pali: visuṃ gāmasīmā), official recognition of a temple's legitimacy, has been granted to 20,281 temples.

***Above information are from Wikipedia.org.***

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Did you know:

This book was written due to yhanna06 and HieuDanielBui 's request.

1. There was no Lotus Pod Inn in Chiang Mai.

2. Getting tickets for train to Chiang Mai are usually booked a week or even month earlier.

3. Roftai Alley is real, the location of our imaginary Lotus Pod Inn.

4. I did not really know what time will you reach Khun Tan Tunnel by train. But Dr. wiki made it clear that it is the longest tunnel on your way to Chiang Mai.

5. I have no idea what time train departs from Bangkok. If the timetable I set was correct, congrats to me, I am good at guessing.

6. Chiang Mai means 'new city' in English.

7. I have no idea if Chiang Mai Travel and Tours existed. If it does, the owner isn't named p' Kram.

8. Booking of tickets should be done 60 days earlier. Trains are always fully booked. Be warned.

9. I will update this Fun Facts if I learn something new. Promise!