Chiang Mai, January 8th 2026

Rise and shine! Pickup at 04:45 to take a transport up to the Doi Suthep Temple to see the sunrise.

We were the first group up there.

View back down towards Chiang Mai.

Annhpur before sunrise, and still black sky framing the temple complex.

Young monks on their way to morning prayer.

A huge set of beautiful statues adorned the main pagoda of the temple.

As the sunrise neared, the backdrop changed.

Ceremonial bells as silhouettes in front og the pale morning sky.

The first warm rays of the morning sun.

Time to descend the stairs, as additional tourists were on their way up.

We also got the honour of giving alms to one of the older monks.

Out vehicle was one of the famous red trucks of Chiang Mai – they are everywhere, but most suited for shorter trips…

Our second stop was the Wat Pha Temple, which had a different feel to it – much more in harmony with nature.

The trip ended with a walk down the monks trail, where our red trucks waited tl take us back down to the town.