Chiang Mai is commonly referred to as the "city of a thousand temples" and all you have to do to realize this is true is get on a bicycle and move around just about anywhere.... because you will find a temple just anywhere.
I wasn't able to go inside of the main parts of this temple because the doors were closed and I am not going to run up on a religious building trying to open doors and what not. However, this time I did bring a "polite" shirt in my backpack so I felt comfortable entering the grounds to take some photos.
One of the main things I enjoy about every temple that I have been to is that they tend to be very peaceful and they always have a nice aroma of the incense the is constantly burning. I am not a religious person but if i was forced to choose a religion i think Buddhism would be a likely candidate just because of the ambiance of temple grounds.
) I really should learn more about what is going on with these statues, because its all very intriguing to me wit the snake creatures and what not.
One thing I do know is that you shouldn't just run around ringing the bells or gongs or whatever this thing is called (I didn't.) They are a part of some sort of ritual and not simply there for your amusement.
The reason why I am writing this is to detail that this wonderful structure isn't a high-profile temple and it has almost zero tourism associated with it. It is, for the most part, in the middle of nowhere yet is still a very impressive structure. Some complete stranger offered me a cold water in the parking lot. I think that if you are Buddhist perhaps being at a temple makes that already friendly Thai people even friendlier. It was a nice gesture even though I had two bottles of cold water in my bag anyway. I accepted the gift anyway :)