Wat Prathat Doi Suthep

Our final day in Chiang Mai: a trip up the mountain above the city to see the temple complex begun in the 1300s.  Additionally, it should be a fabulous view, but of course it was too smoggy... But the trip was worth it.  First you drive up and up and up the switchback highway

 

Then you walk through rows and rows of cafes and souvenir/tourist shops (where you can buy hand-crocheted angry bird hats):

And then climb 300 steps to the temple complex:

Where you are rewarded with a feast of sights and sounds 

Before us was an array of gold, glitter, colors and devotion.  An abundance of Buddhas and bells surrounded by incense, flowers and prayers.  Behind the main building was a museum filled with antique devotional items. Take a look!

The complex held hundreds of Buddhas of every material and pose:

Some people make offerings of gold leaf which they apply onto a statue:

Outside the main door was one of my favorite statues; not a Buddha, but a guardian with an attitude!

Before our flight home, we visited a village of woodcarvers,searching for my own "little" souvenir.  I wanted a gong stand and this is what I found:

Till next time!