Every tuk-tuk and songthaew driver in Chiang Mai will offer to take you on the trip up the winding mountain road to Doi Suthep. When you arrive there are big red taxis everywhere, we ended up being driven up a dirt track and the driver just parked on a uneven bank where he kindly stayed and waited for us to return.

Once your at the base there are loads of shop stalls around all selling trinkets, food and water. It’s a little more expensive than you would pay in the city, but that’s to be expected. Look around and you’ll see a staircase with intricately carved mythical Naga Serpents on either side.  This is the entrance to the temple, a nice casual walk up the 306 steps, though there is a lift to the right if you didn’t want to take the steps.

On reaching the top you are greeted with the sight of the golden pagoda which decorates the centre of the mountain top temple, but first you have to pay the entrance fee which is 30 THB. You’ll need to remove your shoes before entering the temple, and with the amount of people that visit its good idea to leave them in a memorable place, as no doubt it’ll be a bigger pile of shoes when you return and they’ll likely be buried.

Once inside the bright colours are quite striking especially on a sunny day as the rays hit and gleam off the golden pagoda. The architecture, statues, murals and shrines here are nothing short of breathtaking. There are a few things to see and do as you wander around. You’ll notice people walking around the centre pagoda, they do this to pay their respects by walking around 3 times in a clockwise direction while reciting words written on a laminated card which can be found on any of the four corner entrances.

Inside the small Wiharn we found a monk sat by himself cutting and tying bits of string. These are more widely known as blessed bracelets or Sai Sin threads. You can walk over and kneel down in front of the monk. When he’s ready the monk may reach to a bowl next to him, dip a brush inside, and gently spray you with of water. He didn’t spray everyone though, for some he just holds up the string asking for an arm and ties the bracelet.

The bracelet is made of sacred white thread, it plays an important role in Buddhism and Thai culture. It has been blessed by monks for good karma and fortune. Before the Sai Sin thread is cut into smaller pieces to be used as bracelets, it partakes in a special blessing ceremony. During this ritual, the rope is wrapped around the Buddha statue, passes through the hands of the chanting monks, and even wraps around the heads and hands of those that are present to pray. As you can imagine, the original string can be quite long. After the blessing ceremony, the string is then cut into portions and eventually makes its way to people from all over. Sai Sin threads are also tied during major life events such as the celebration of a new home, marriage, or even as a gesture of goodwill from an elder.

The monk tied mine around my left wrist. It is believed that when the rope is tied into a circle, the powers of protection become stronger without a beginning or an end. Upon receiving a Sai Sin bracelet, you should keep it on for at least three days to receive the full protective powers of the thread. Many people don’t remove it and wait for it to naturally fall off. If you do want to take it off then it should be untied and stored for safekeeping instead of being cut (cutting would cut away its protective purpose).  You do not have to be Buddhist to receive a Sai Sin thread– it can be thought of as a symbol of luck & compassion. Never refuse sai sin if it is offered, to do so would be disrespectful to the person offering.

Surrounding the temple is a wide walkway where you’ll find the white elephant shrine, a large viewing terrace with amazing views looking out over Chiang Mai and just past the viewing terrace is one of the worlds largest gongs, which makes an earthly rich sound when struck. Give it a try, it is allowed.