Thailand Holiday – Bangkok to Chiang Mai

The ancient city of Phimai is located in the current Phimai town, situated at Nai Muang sub-district, Phimai district. It is the place of Prasat Hin Phimai, one of the most important Mahayana Buddhist temple in Thailand, dating back 1,000 years. The old town wall measures 565 by 1,030 metres and is rectangular in shape, surrounded by a moat with Mun River in the north and east, Khem Stream in the south and Chakarat Stream passes on the western and enters the Mun River in the north. Phimai is probably derived from Vimaya which appears in the inscription at the door frame of the entrance of the southern gallery.

Sala Kaew Ku in Nong Khai ought to be one of the priority attractions when visiting the Udon Thani region, as it is one of the most impressive places in north eastern Thailand. Keeping it simple, Sala Kaew Ku is a site full of statues, of a spiritual nature of course. The park is actually quite bizarre, as it does not appear to have been ‘planned’ with large sculptures placed here and there. The park is a mixture of Buddhism and Hindu ideologies, multi-armed goddesses, Buddhas, Naga Snakes and human-animal hybrids dominating. Lunch at local restaurant, continue to visit Phu Phra Bat is located in the western region of the Phu Phan Mountains between Udon Thani and Nong Khai, some 65 kilometers from either city. This park has an area of about 4.9 square kilometers, and is entirely within the Phu Phra Bat Bua Bok Forest Park. The unusual rock formations in the park include spires, balanced rocks, and massive boulders which form the backdrop for the prehistoric art and religious shrines created here. The geological origins of these rocks are believed to be from under-sea erosion that occurred some 15 million years ago.

Wat Pha Sorn Kaew, also known as Wat Phra Thart Pha Kaew, is a Buddhist monastery and temple in Khao Kor, Phetchabun. The main pagoda and surrounding buildings are adorned with over 5 million colorful mosaic tiles and pottery items and is set in a mountain location. 5 sitting Buddha statues were already finished. There is a stained glass gazebo and a smaller pagoda in the gardens. Then continue to Nam Nao National Park, designated as national park in 1972, Nam Nao covers 966 km² in the mountainous forests of Phetchabun and Chaiyapum provinces in Northeast Thailand. It is the best national park in the area and one of best in the country with good wildlife viewing, birdwatching and hiking possibilities, supporting a range of IUCN red listed animals and birds.
The flora consists mainly of dry dipterocarp, mixed deciduous, hill evergreen, vast bamboo groves, pine forests and some grassland areas.

Khao Kho National Park, is a very popular holiday destination among local and foreigner tourists. The park is popular for it’s cooler weather, morning mist covering surrounding valleys, impressive viewpoints, a huge wind farm, temples, various type of gardens, waterfalls and number of other attractions. The main mountain Khao Khao where the national park is named after is 1,143 meters asl. The surrounding other national parks are Thung Salaeng Luang National Park to the west and Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park a bit burther north.

Sukhothai Historical Park is Thailand’s historical heritage which could date back to the dawn of the Kingdom. Listed as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites, the ancient town of Sukhothai was the former capital of the Thai Kingdom and praised for its prosperity. Known as a center of administration, religion, and economic, Sukhothai Historical Park consists of these notable places. Continue to Mahathat Temple – Located in the center of the town, Mahathat Temple is the big and significant temple of Sukhothai. The compound consists of the central lotus-bud shaped chedi (Phum Kao Bin), considered an original art form of Sukhothai. It is surrounded by 8 chedis on the same foundation with 4 of them made of laterite on the 4 directions, and stupa-like chedis made of bricks influenced by Lan Na style.

Si Satchanalai Historical Park, Ruins of one of Sukhothai’s vassal towns. Si Satchanalai Historical Park contains the ruins of the ancient town of Si Satchanalai, an important town in the Sukhothai Kingdom in the 13th and 14th century. The 45 km2 little visited park on the Yom river is set in a natural, forested area. Dozens of sites inside and outside of the old city walls have been excavated. A number of temples have been restored to their original glory.

Wat Phra Bat Phu Pha Daeng, is a temple in Chae Hom County. The most outstanding part is the white pagodas sitting on the top of mountains. That’s a beautiful sight. You will want to get up there, looking the beautiful scenery around you, taking some nice photos.

Elephant Conservation Center at Lampang is a great place to stimulate people’s love of elephant. Those elephants at the center are taken care perfectly. There are both healthy elephants and ill elephants. The scenery is totally natural, which is good for both elephants and people. There are many interesting activities waiting for you there, all of which are good for people of all ages. You can have a great time with your family and friends for sure.

Chae Son National Park, is a popular destination for its natural beauties. The main attractions of the park are the misty and picturesque hot springs and waterfalls. The most popular activity of the park is having a bath in the hot waters of the hot springs, either outdoors in one of the ponds or indoors in one of the huts available for rent for a smaller fee. There are also a number of trails in the park, some relatively short to nearby waterfalls, others a bit longer that require a guide or ranger for guidance.

Wat Phra Kaew Chiang Rai was once named as Wat Pha Eia, or Pha Phai. But the origin of the name ’Wat Phra Kaew’ started long time ago. In the year 1434, the chedi of the temple had been stricken by a thunder and a beautiful, glorious, sparkling emerald Buddha statue appeared. Therefore villagers has called the temple ‘Wat Phra Kaew’ ever since. On top of that, Wat Phra Kaew in Chiang Rai is very unique. It was built in Lanna style. That make it looks so fabulous and valuable. You should see old artworks, for examples, murals, carvings, and architectures all over the place

Oub Kham Museum’s exhibition is all about Lanna history. It was established by Julasak Suriyachai, who’ve always wanted to preserve the valuable stories of Lanna. The museum is small but fabulous, marvellous, and incredible! If arrive at it, you will see that it appears as glorious, colorful Lanna-contemporary architectures, being decorated with beautful gardens and fountains. And Continue to Naval City Pillar, the Sadu Meuang (Navel City Pillar) of Chiang Rai is unusual because instead of being just one pillar it is made up of 109 separate pillars. It was constructed in 1987 to mark the occasion of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s sixtieth birthday and the 725th anniversary of the City. The monument was designed and built using the Khmer style in accordance with traditional Lanna beliefs, which reflects a combination of Buddhist and Hindu theology.

Chiang Mai and en-route stop to visit Wat Rongkhun (The White Temple), the most famous and unique temple in Chiang Rai. It is decorated by the design of the celebrated Thai artist Arjan Chalermchai.

Wat Phra Singh; the lovely Lai Kam chapel houses the revered Phra Sing Buddha image. Visit Wat Chedi Luang, the site of a formerly massive pagoda that was unfortunately destroyed in the great earthquake of 1545 and continuous to visit Wat Suan Dok, Wat Umong and Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, the sacred temple with challenging flight of steps which are flanked by Naga Serpents.

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