Thailand Adventures - Day Six: Temple Hopping and a Little Zen!

Today we decided it was time for a little more exploring, so we jumped aboard a Songthaew and headed off to visit some of Chiang Mai's beautiful temples.

And in true tourist fashion, the entire family wore their elephant pants today! Nothing says we've embraced Thailand quite like a family matching elephant-pant outing. 

Our first stop was Wat Chedi Luang, one of Chiang Mai's most famous and historically significant temples.

We paid our entry fees (50 baht for adults and 20 baht for each child) and headed inside to explore.

(Cue some fun facts courtesy of the internets help 🤣):

The temple is home to an enormous ancient chedi (stupa), which was originally built in the 14th century and later became one of the most impressive structures in the Lanna Kingdom. It once stood approximately 80 metres tall and was considered one of the tallest structures in the region.

The chedi was completed in 1481 and was significantly damaged by an earthquake in 1545, leaving behind the impressive structure we can still see today. It also once housed the highly revered Emerald Buddha before it eventually made its way to Bangkok.

What made today's visit particularly special was that this is still a very active place of worship. We saw locals praying, making offerings and receiving blessings. It was lovely to witness the temple being used for its intended purpose rather than simply being somewhere for tourists to visit.

There was also quite a large military and official presence around the temple grounds today. We weren't entirely sure what was happening, but later a local gentleman explained that they were there for a religious celebration involving young men preparing to become monks.

He explained that the young men would be staying within the temple grounds for the next three months as part of their religious commitment.

It was lovely to learn a little more about what was happening rather than simply wondering why there were so many official-looking people around!

Kailey, however, wasn't quite as enthusiastic about the experience. The monks' chanting wasn't exactly her cup of tea, and she wasn't particularly impressed with that part of the visit. 😂

After exploring, we made a quick stop at 7-Eleven to grab some much-needed cold drinks before heading to our next temple.

Our next stop was Wat Chet Lin, a much quieter and more peaceful temple tucked away in Chiang Mai's Old City - just down the road from Wat Chedi Luang.

(Cue some fun facts courtesy of the internets help........... again 🤣):

Wat Chet Lin is believed to date back to before 1517 and has an interesting connection to the history of the Lanna Kingdom. According to local history, the pond here was used in royal bathing ceremonies associated with the kings of the Mangrai dynasty.

The temple has traditional Lanna-style architecture, a beautiful pond and a lovely wooden bridge and walkway area.

We spent some time exploring and, of course, discovered the very hungry residents of the pond – some rather enormous catfish!

Naturally, we couldn't leave without feeding them. They certainly weren't shy about coming up to the surface for food, and there was plenty of excitement watching them compete for their lunch.

We also found a beautiful bell wind chime to bring home. It was such a lovely souvenir, and the gentleman running the little shop was absolutely delightful. He gave each of the kids a big hug, which was another reminder of just how warm and welcoming the people we've met in Thailand have been.

By this stage, the heat was really starting to catch up with us, so we jumped back into a Songthaew and headed back to the hotel.

It was definitely time to cool down and retreat to the pool!

We enjoyed passionfruit, watermelon and strawberry smoothies, while I opted for a delicious Lychee Mojito. A little poolside refreshment was exactly what we needed after a morning of temple exploring.

While we were enjoying some downtime, Rory decided it was time for a haircut!

He found himself a rather dapper-looking barber shop and came out looking very smart. Another little holiday experience ticked off the list.

Meanwhile, Frankie, Kailey and I decided to indulge in a little more relaxation and headed off for massages.

We all enjoyed lovely foot, back and shoulder massages, with Frankie and I even getting a few satisfying back cracks thrown into the experience!

We finished up with sweet tea and biscuits, feeling thoroughly pampered and very Zen.

Honestly, between the massages, the food and the beautiful surroundings, we're getting rather accustomed to this Thai lifestyle. I could definitely get used to it!

Once we were back at the hotel, Aaron decided he was heading out for the evening with Now, our wonderful guide from the elephant sanctuary.

The two of them were off to experience some local eats and enjoy a night out exploring the food scene in Chiang Mai.

Meanwhile, the kids and I had decided that after a day of temples, fish feeding, swimming, haircuts and massages, we'd had quite enough adventure for one day.

We opted to stay tucked away in the hotel on this rather drizzly evening and ordered ourselves a combination of Indian food and pizza for dinner.

Sometimes you just need a quiet night, some takeaway and a comfortable hotel room!

Another lovely day of exploring, learning a little more about Thai culture, meeting friendly locals and collecting special little memories along the way.

And of course, another day in which we managed to squeeze in a massage! I think we're definitely getting the hang of this holiday business!