Chiang Mai

The ‘city of a thousand temples’ has outgrown its ancient city walls and now offers avantgarde art and cuisine alongside ancient wats

WORDS JEREMY TREDINNICK

1 WAT UMONG Take a THB200 (US$5) taxi ride west from Chiang Mai's centre to this unique forest temple, built in the 13th century by a monk who taught the king meditation. The main chedi is surrounded by six hectares of woodland, but uniquely it stands on a broad knoll beneath which are a series of tunnels, supposedly built by the king with walls painted with jungle scenes, and Buddha statues at various dead ends. The murals have mostly faded away, but it's an atmospheric place. The local cityfolk come often to meditate in the peaceful grounds, feed the many catfish and turtles in its lake, and wander the grounds where many old and broken sculptures lie. Curiously there's also a replica of an ancient Ashok pillar from India, showing the…

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Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Edition (Digital) - 1 Issue, October - December 2022

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