A National Park & A Garden – November 2019
On two different days we explored the outdoor beauty of Doi Inthanon National Park and Royal Flora Ratchaphruek Garden, both in the Chiang Mai vicinity.
Doi Inthanon National Park – Known as “the roof of Thailand,” the national park covers about 480 square kilometers and includes the tallest mountain in the country, with a summit of 2,565 meters. It’s a great place to visit when the temperatures are quite warm in the city because the mountain top is usually about 15 °C cooler.
Susan, Camille, & Chris at Thailand’s highest point 
Shrine at 2,565 meters 
Some of the many elephants at the shrine
Our favorite part of Doi Inthanon was visiting the royal pagodas, built by the Royal Thai Air Force in honor of the former king and queen’s 60th birthdays. The Thai people greatly loved and respected King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) and Queen Sirikit. He passed away in 2016 at age 88. The pagodas and surrounding gardens include so many beautiful and colorful details.
King pagoda 
Interior of king pagoda 
Tile mural on balcony of king pagoda 
Roof-covered escalator up to king pagoda was added after our 2012 visit 
Queen pagoda 
Interior of queen pagoda 
Queen pagoda surrounded by many beautiful flowerbeds
On our way down the mountain we stopped for a quick look at the 40-meter tall Wachirathan Waterfall, which was spraying lots of mist towards the viewing platform.
Susan found a spot out of the mist.
Royal Flora Ratchaphruek Garden – The royal garden, named after Thailand’s yellow national flower rathchaphruek, opened in 2006 with an international flower festival to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Rama IX’s ascension to the throne. We walked through most of the park’s well-manicured, very colorful grounds, which include thematic botanical gardens and exhibits, as well as a royal pavilion. One of the somewhat ironic features of our visit was hearing US pop-style music on the park-wide PA system. We recognized an instrumental version of Richard and Karen Carpenter’s “Close to You.”
The park entrance features a large photograph of the former king and queen. 
Closeup in the statue garden 
Another display in the statue garden 
The vibrant Morocco exhibit was one of our favorite parts of the royal garden.
The impressive, very detailed Ho Kham Royal Pavilion stands at the center of the 80-acre park. It showcases traditional Lanna Kingdom architecture of teak construction and a multi-tiered roof with gold decorative details. The interior of Ho Kham, meaning “gilded hall,” features intricate murals of Rama IX along the four walls and gold-covered columns.
Balcony railing 
The flowers we associate most with Thailand are orchids. And the orchid pavilion, with other 300 species, did not disappoint us. It was difficult to not go overboard with taking photos of the many colors and sizes.
