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.

This temple was constructed on the premises of the royal palace. The site was dedicated for the construction of the temple in 1448. The temple is known for it’s three large stupas. The stupas are dedicated to King Boroma-Tri-Loka-Not, King Boroma Ratchithirat III and King Ramathibodi II. Ashes of the Kings are stored in these stupas.

The stupas are very impressive and there were not many visitors when I was here. The grounds have other minor chedi made of brick. The three main stupas are on a raised platform which seems to be different from others I have seen.

Hours are from 8:00am to 6:00pm and there is a 50 Baht entrance fee for foreigners.
Directions: Located between Khlong Tho Road and Rama Public Park.

This small temple is located between Wat Matathat and Rama Public Park entrance. There is an ordination hall and chedi At the alter and entrance of the chedi are the remains of three seated Buddhas. Probably destroyed during the Burmese destruction in the 1700’s. The temple does sit outside the walls of Wat Matathat but you can hardly tell do to it’s close proximity. Several trees are on the left of the temple and provide good relief from the sun to take are rest after touring Wat Matathat.  The chedi is leaning backward substantially as you can see in the photos. I could not detect any attempts to assure this does not fall over.

Directions: Along the entrance to Rama Public Park at Wat Matathat.