Out of the City - Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai

One of the most beautiful days of our trip was the day we hired a taxi and went off up the nearest mountain, Doi Suthep, to visit the famous temple at the top and a hilltribe village.

The temple, Doi Suthep, was established by King Keu Naone to enshrine a piece of what was said to be the historical Buddha's shoulder bone - carried up into the mountain by a sacred white elephant. The temple was founded on the spot where the elephant died and consists of several beautiful and ornate buildings, again I have to confess my ignorance of the Buddhist religion.

I loved all of the pretty pink blossoming trees that surround the various buildings and statues, they were so pretty. Being nearly on the top of the mountain I imagine that you can also see some pretty incredible views, however when we visited it was sadly very misty. Still, a different kind of beauty.

There were so many ornate and stunning statues around, including the most beautiful Emerald Buddhas. It's highly disrespectful to have the Buddha as decoration outside of temples and sacred buildings where they are worshipped - there are signs everywhere warning against buying Buddha statues etc. 

This statue really made me chuckle, and wonder what they had against mothers!! My Mum saw the funny side when I sent her a picture :)