Journey 05 · Thailand · December 2024
Daibutsu
A day ride south from Chiang Mai to the great teal Buddha at Doi Phra Chan in Lampang — the kitsune, the golden gate and the valley below.
Open the atlas- Distance
- 236 km
- Days
- 1
- Season
- December 2024
- Bike
- Yamaha QBIX
South out of Chiang Mai on the superhighway, with the city still half asleep and the sky the colour of old paper. Lamphun went past, then the long straight through Mae Tha, and after two hours the hill with the white chedi on top.
The Daibutsu sits above the trees: fourteen metres of oxidised copper, the same green as a temple roof after rain, modelled on the Great Buddha at Kamakura. Around it are the Japanese fittings — a golden gate framing the valley, red torii on the path, and rows of white kitsune with red bibs, each one left by someone who came before us.
We stayed on the terrace until the cloud began to lift, then rode back up the superhighway with the light going. One day, 236 kilometres, and a statue that does not look like it belongs in Lampang — which is exactly the point.
The Daibutsu Wat Phra That Doi Phra Chan, Lampang 
A thousand foxes Wat Phra That Doi Phra Chan, Lampang 
The kitsune wall Wat Phra That Doi Phra Chan, Lampang 
Looking up Wat Phra That Doi Phra Chan, Lampang 
Above the trees Wat Phra That Doi Phra Chan, Lampang 
The golden gate Wat Phra That Doi Phra Chan, Lampang - Daibutsu, Lampang Province, Thailand: 236 kilometres over 1 day, 3 stops.
The route
- 01 Chiang Mai Out of the city before the morning traffic, south on the superhighway.
- 02 Wat Phra That Doi Phra Chan The Daibutsu above the trees, the kitsune and the golden gate.
- 03 Chiang Mai Back up the superhighway before dark.