Situated beside the entrance to the Mae Fah Luang Garden, the Hall of Inspiration is a recently built concrete hall containing an exhibition that displays the achievements of the Princess Mother and other members of the royal family, including King Bhumibol, Rama IX.
There are seven rooms in the hall, which each takes a different theme. The first room gives an overview of the Mahidol family, then the second provides an illustrated biography of the Princess Mother. The third room describes her family’s return from Switzerland after the end of absolute monarchy in 1932, and explains how they adapted to their new role, then the fourth room describes the dire conditions of hilltribe people living in this region in the 1980s when opium cultivation ruled their lives.
Room 5 shows how King Bhumibol addressed these problems and set about solving them with his ‘one step at a time’ approach. Room 6 details the Princess Mother’s role in her son’s plans, establishing a base here and encouraging locals to transform their lives, and finally room 7, the room of inspiration, encourages all who see the benefits of the royal projects to make a difference in their friends’ lives, by using the analogy of a ‘ripple’ effect caused by a single drop of water moving outwards from the center.
Getting There
By car, take Highway 110 from Chiang Rai towards Mae Sai, then turn left on to Highway 1149 at Ban Huay Khrai, following the signs to Doi Tung. Highway 1149 winds to the summit of Doi Tung for a further 30 minutes.
Need to Know
- What is it? An exhibition hall detailing the inspirrational achievements of the Princess Mother and her family.
- Opening hours: 08:00-17:00 daily.
- Entrance fee: 50B, or 190B including admission to the Royal Villa and Mae Fah Luang Gardens.
- Website: www.doitung.org
- Where: next to the Mae Fah Luang Garden.