What's a Wat?

Wats, or temples, are everywhere in Thailand. Many of them are incredibly ornate, covered in golden domes, rows of bells, red and green dragons, and colorful tile mosaics.

Buddhism is an essential part of Thai culture, and it’s hard to understand Thailand without learning at least a little about the Buddhist beliefs held by almost ninety-five percent of Thai people.

Buddhist monks, with their simple bright orange robes and shaved heads, are omnipresent in the streets of Chiang Mai, and the Buddhist temples throughout the city are a sight to be seen.

The city houses over 300 wats, some of which we will pass on regular trips to the market. Students will have the chance to visit a number of the more important temples of Northern Thailand during our trip. We even pass a few ancient wats buried in the jungle around Chiang Mai on our hikes.

The two most famous temples in the city are Wat Doi Suthep, high in the mountains but just a hike from Spicy Thai, and Wat Chiang Man, which was built in the 1400s. Wat Doi Suthep offers amazing views of the city.

Tails of insense rise out the ornately carved windows from the alters all over the temple and waft up through the frangipani trees. Sweet smelling pink and yellow blossoms rain down in the strong mountain breeze, and tall evergreen trees peak over the edges of the mountaintop. You can easily tell why this is treated as a holy place.

We will have the opportunity to visit with monks from a local temple and learn about the cultural significance of Buddhism in their lives. Buddhism is a belief system that can be practised in tandem with other religions. Buddhists believe that you can be Catholic, Jewish, or any other religion and also be a practising Buddhist.

Our visits with the monks will be more cultural than religious in nature. The closing ceremonies of one of our programs include a Buddhist blessing for students from local monks.

They will take us on a tour of a Chiang Mai temple, where we will be led in a meditation exercise.