Travel and Adventure
Angel’s Secret is located in the old town area near the Tha Phae Gate. The restaurant is an open air style right at the corner of a narrow intersection, the type that are so frequent in Old Town. I arrived at 7am when they opened. I was seated by a not so friendly waitress. They have a nice selection of breakfast options. I chose the Banana and Nutella Crepe. Again, the waitress was rather rude and as I said thank you, before I can finish, she just turned her back and walked away.
The breakfast was average. Plenty of banana but seriously lacking in Nutella. I didn’t see a reason why I would return to Angel’s Secret in the future.
Address: Mun Mueang Rd, Tambon Si Phum, Amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai, Chang Wat Chiang Mai, Thailand
Hours: 7:00am t0 4:00pm every day
This temple took about two decades to build, from 1630 to 1650. The name bestowed on the temple, Wat Chaiwatthanaram means “Monastery of the Victorious and Prosperous Temple.” In 1991, Chaiwatthanaram was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site is well maintained and easy to access. The layout is of a square outer wall and inner wall platform. There is a walkway through the chedi that surround the main chedi. It offers beautiful scenery and photo opportunities. Along the outer wall is some plants that were blooming when I was there. Just next to the square platform of the chedi, there is a raised rectangular platform with two seated Buddhas.
Along the outer most wall of Wat Chaiwatthanaram is a number of Lan Thom (Plumeria) shrubs that happened to be blooming during my visit. It was a very nice setting. I’ve heard these flowers are also called Leelawadee. Beautiful name. However Thai people believe this flower should not be planted near your home as the word Lan Thom sounds a lot like the word for despair or sorrow.
Still a beautiful flower.
There is a 50 Baht entrance fee for foreigners.
Directions: Located on the bank of Chao Phraya off route 3469.
This is a modern, active temple with many people visiting to worship the Buddha inside the Viharn. The Buddha is known as Phra Mongkhon Bophit and is 17 meters high, which include a 4.5 meter base. The Buddha is made of Bronze however, in 1990 the Mongkhonbophit Foundation in Ayutthaya wanted to cover the image with gold leaf. This was approved by the Fine Arts Department and the work was completed two years later.
The is a very long walkway to get to Wat Mongkhon Bophit. It is directly next to Wat Si Sanphet and it is very easy to visit both. Locals visit Phra Mongkhon Bophit more and quite a few people were there when I visited.
Directions: Next to Wat Si Sanphet.