You should also visit Chiang Rai's Wat Phra Kaew, which is a short distance from the Meng Rai statue. Here you can trace the roots of the Emerald Buddha, which now resides in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok. The Emerald Buddha is recognised in Thailand as the most sacred of all Buddha images.

In order to prove their honesty, some Thais like to dare one another to swear in front of the Emerald Buddha that they are telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Some months ago in fact, caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, while holding a rally at Sanam Luang, also turned to face the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (just nearby) and swore that he did not have an ill plot towards the country.

According to legend, the Emerald Buddha was kept in Chiang Rai for 45 years between 1391 and 1436. In 1434, lightning struck a pagoda at Wat Pa-yeah or Wat Pa-ya, revealing the Emerald Buddha inside. The name of the temple was subsequently changed to Wat Phra Kaew Morakot, in honour of the Emerald Buddha.

However, before that time, the Emerald Buddha travelled several thousand miles, starting from Sri Lanka, moving on to Kampuchea, Angkor Wat, Si Ayutthaya, Lop Buri and Kamphaeng Phet, before finally arriving in Chiang Rai. After its stop in Chiang Rai, the Emerald Buddha was then brought to Lampang, Chiang Mai, Vientiane and Thon Buri, before reaching Bangkok, where it remains to this day.

The ancient Greeks, who remained after Alexander the Great's conquest of Asia, instructed locals in statue-carving techniques. This created a tradition of carving statues of the Lord Buddha. The Emerald Buddha looks beautiful, having the face of an Aryan.

A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Vientiane. I was struck by discovering that the genesis of Bangkok could be traced back to Vientiane. King Chaichettha-thiraj I of the Lan Chang Kingdom brought the Emerald Buddha from Chiang Mai to Vientiane, the capital he founded in 1559 on the banks of the Mekong River. He placed the Emerald Buddha inside Ho Phra Kaew, which was a temple for the royal family within the palace walls.

In front of Ho Phra Kaew, a sign board written in awkward English reads: "Now the Emerald Buddha was in the foreign abroad since 1779 AD." During the Thon Buri period, Chao Phaya Chakri, who later became King Rama I, led a Siamese army to subdue Vientiane. After ravaging the city, Chao Phaya Chakri brought the Emerald Buddha back to Thon Buri as a tribute to King Taksin. King Taksin then housed the Emerald Buddha in the Temple of the Dawn in Thon Buri.

When Chao Phaya Chakri became King Rama I of the Chakri Dynasty in 1782, he moved the capital from Thon Buri to Bangkok. King Rama I could not resist modelling his Royal Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha after King Chaichetthathiraj's Royal Palace and Ho Phra Kaew in Vientiane.

Back in Chiang Rai, Wat Phra Kaew now keeps a replica of the Emerald Buddha for local people to worship. You can still feel the air of the real Emerald Buddha, sacred with supernatural powers.

A boat trip along the Mae Kok River is a truly pleasant experience. A 45-minute trip on a long-tailed speedboat will bring you to Moo Ban Ruammit, a local hill-tribe village. There you can have your picture taken with a python or ride on an elephant. The half-hour trip on elephant back will test your stamina and give you an idea of what it must have been like to be part of Hannibal's army. A little further from Moo Ban Ruammit lies a hot spring, where you can take a nice bath. It's a natural spa with private pools, where you can bath in the nude, and a large public pool, where you can share the experience with others. Bathing in natural spas is healthy because your body is able to absorb the minerals. The best bath usually takes 20 to 30 minutes.

Once you've had your bath, you can head back into the city of Chiang Rai to enjoy northern cuisine. You have to try khao soi (a curry noodle dish), larb moo kua (northern style larb salad), sai ua (dried sausage) and naem kuk (pickled sausage), with sticky rice.

You can travel the next day to Mae Sai, Siam's northern-most point. There you can get a one-day visa to cross the border into Burma. All sorts of cheap goods are for sale there including fake DVDs, watches and garments, mostly manufactured in China. Border trade is quite hectic.

In Chiang Rai, you can still enjoy the natural beauty and a way of life that is in tempo with a holiday. It is a place where you scarcely differentiate the past from the present.

Thanong Khanthong

The Nation