Entrance to Wat Suan Dok. A monk ordination ceremony is being held today and these monks are on their way to it. These monks have been previously ordained as they are wearaing orange robes.

The sermon hall, built in 1932, and the golden chedi (stupa) in back of it.

The front of the sermon hall. The cutouts of the entrance looks like four medieval men.

A golden Buddha inside the sermon hall with the cutouts from the entrance reflected behind it.

Actually, there are two large Buddhas here. The one in the rear is facing west toward the chedi and the one seated in facing east. The smaller Buddha in center front dates back to the 14th century.

Close-up.

A wider view.

The Buddha on the left.

The Buddha on the right.

More Buddhas.

Inside the Sermon Hall.

Offerings for each of the 12 animal signs of the Zodiac.

These are for the rooster and the dog.

The roof of the Sermon Hall.

The cutouts of the temple front.

One of the gates to the temple.

More monks arriving. This monk might be from Myanmar as seen from his reddish robe.

Two more monks.

People are invited to the ordination ceremony and bring food for the monks.

The golden chedi. Wat Suan Dok was founded by King Kue Na of Lanna for a monk named Sumana Thera in the year 1370 to house a Buddha relic that the monk discovered after having a vision. The smaller white chedi (stupas) are mausoleums that contain the ashes of members of the royal family of Chiang Mai.

Another temple gate.

We next drove up a mountain to Wat Phrathad Doi Suthep. This temple is connected to Wat Suan Dok by a legend that says that the day when the Buddha relic was to be placed in the new temple at Wat Suan Dok it miraculously duplicated itself. The second relic was put on the back of an elephant which then climbed up the Doi Suthep Mountain, trumpted three times, then died. The Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep was built on that spot to house the second relic.

There was both a stairway of 309 steps and a cable car to reach the temple at the top of the mountain from the parking lot. I chose the cable car. See movie in Thailand, Days 15-16 album.

Our group met at the top. I thought the orchids hanging from these trees were beautiful and took photos of them.

It wasn't until I tried to smell them that I realized they were all fake.

But the displays of artificial flowers were very attractive.

Shoes off and no shorts or short skirts allowed.

The golden stupa housing the Buddha relic. This temple is the most sacred one in Northern Thailand. It was very crowded here today as it was Chinese New Year's Day. Many Chinese had come to the temple (there were many at our hotel).

Another view.

Another view.

Close-up.

There were many Buddhas here in all positions and likenesses.

More Buddhas.

More Buddhas.

More Buddhas.

Reclining Buddha.

An unusual one.

Another Buddha.

More Buddhas.

More Buddhas.

Ganesha, a Hindi god which also appears in Buddhism.

One of the temples.

Inside the temple.

The monk is giving his blessing.

A monk in another temple.

Paintings in the temple.

A bell.

A whole line of bells.

Little bell ringers.

Another little bell ringer.

Dragons on the sides of steps.

Close-up.

The "Mom" guardian statues.

A fearsome looking Mom. The "Mom" referrs to the mythical beast "Dtuwamaun," a Lanna garden beast. Its name is abbreviated as "Mom.".

A definitely fearsome Mom.

But the other Mom has her mouth closed.

People at the temple. Gladioli have been brought as an offering.

Sisters of the Cross visiting a Buddhist temple on Chinese New Year's Day.

Two Red Sox fans.

One bathroom here for men and one for monks.

Picture at the bottom of the cable car going back down.