Dragon Mountain hike

In what seems to be an eternity ago (in reality exactly two weeks), a bunch of us hiked Dragon Mountain aka Thien Long Song in Milpitas. We never knew about this place till some recent facebook posts. It is not a tough hike or a long hike, but an amazing hike. All said and done we walked or hiked 2+ miles from a parking lot at the base of the hill instead of driving up all the way.

It was peak allergy season and I had a 102 fever the previous day and had actually come home from work early to lie down after taking Tylenol. I was sold on “prayer” on a mountain. When we got to the base and started walking (mask on) I was not exactly sure what the prayer was for.. my cold to pass or for me to pass on to the next world with the Buddha.

The sunset did not disappoint though. After huffing and puffing through the mask, somehow I felt better on the way back. It was either that or the maggi noodles I made to cheer myself up after reaching home. Maybe it was my wife and her happy smiling face. Either way, a win-win.

Here are the pictures. San was very happy that I did not protest too much and went with the flow.

More photos..

A very short video highlights reel

Definitely recommend this place for a sunset view.. It is not that far away. So if you expect a lot of clouds and a glorious sunset, drive up and start hiking..

The king and queen pagodas of Doi Inthanon

The previous post in this series is here..

After going on the Ang Ka trail to the highest point in Thailand we came down that mountain and went up to another mountain within the park that overlooked Chiang Mai. Forty years ago the royal family commissioned two pagodas in memory of the previous king and queen with a beautiful park on top of this mountain as a tourist attraction.

The place is amazing. First you have to wait for a Hummer looking vehicle to take you to the top. Once up, there were escalators you could use to go up. We did use them where they worked. We walked around the pagodas and soaked up the views. Took some pictures. Then we had to wait in a station for a return vehicle. Joy managed to squeeze us in, given we were only two people and not part of a large group!

This was our last stop in the park. The next two hours was a ride back towards our hotel.. so we could rest.

The one pano shots I took from the top…

San dozed off while I watched the landscape change from mountain to traffic!

Here is a video highlights reel..

We finally made it back to the city center after a long day of travel and constant hiking..

Wat Phra Singh Waramahavihan - getting used to long Thai names

The previous post in this series about the Dai Suthep temple is here..

We drove down from the hill top past many recent temples in Chiang Mai city and finally reached Wat Phra Singh. SIngh is same as Singham (Lion) said our guide Joy. We didn’t get the lion connection to the temple.

The temple predates Doi Suthep temple. This one was built in the year 1345.

It is beautiful !

We ended up in the shrine when they had just finished a special ceremony. It was interesting. They tied three bamboos together to make a tent and at the base of each tent they made offerings for the steeds or vahanas of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.. a swan, an eagle (Garuda) and a Nandi (bull) respectively.. some symbolism to take a person to god you need these three vehicles that the gods use. It was interesting to see the intersection and intermixing of Buddhist tradition with Hindu tradition.

We also got blessed as part of the group when they were all leaving which was a plus. We took our time soaking in the architecture and decorations. The place was getting crowded. Do not miss visiting this temple when in Chiang Mai.

A video highlights reel..

This was our last stop for the day. After this Joy told us that he would drop us off in the area with all the hotels and restaurants and night market. From there we take a Tuk Tuk to go to our hotel. He would meet us again the next day at 6:45 AM.