Silver Temple

The Silver Temple, or Wat Sri Suphan, is not far from us. It’s a place I’ve been meaning to explore for several years and just never got around to it. So one morning this week I set off around 8:00, while it was still cool (in the 70s F). It is a spectacular place, the main temple is completely clad in silver, inside and out. The metalwork is amazing.

A landmark nearby is this statue of a bull. It is located in a very large intersection which becomes part of the walking street market on Saturdays. We usually walk here through back streets to get to the market.

This is the view of the main temple as you enter the compound. There are many buildings, as in most temple complexes.

This is the front of the temple. Notice the signs “Man Only.” There was a woman standing in front of it praying when I arrived. It is not uncommon for these Buddhist temples to prohibit women from entering.

This picture is a little dark, but it shows the Buddha statue inside the temple.

I walked down the side of the temple; there is a pathway all the way around.

A closeup of part of the side wall showing the intricate bas-relief work.

As usual, there are other statues and structures all around. This is Ganesh, a popular Hindu god.

A Buddha statue in front of the temple.

An ancient tree on the grounds.

I am down to the last few days of this stay in Chiang Mai. I fly home on Wednesday, March 1. Thanks for following along!

Wat Daowadung

There are over 300 temples in and around Chiang Mai. We can see spires of three just from our window. On Sunday morning I took a walk around our neighborhood on some streets I had not been on before. Just a block away I saw this wat (temple) and walked in to see. This is not a major temple; it’s not on the tourist list of places you must see. That means it is quiet; there was almost no one around when I was there. The temples here are more than just a building. They often have housing for the monks, multiple structures, and statues.

This is the main temple near the entrance. Notice again the nagas (snakes) along the stairway.

This temple had quite a few interesting statues placed around the area.

Sorry it’s blurry, but I loved this one!

A smaller building further in

A monk chatting while the laundry dries

More Temples

Someone on FaceBook asked if I was back from this trip. Yes! We flew there last Tuesday and returned on Thursday. Everything we saw from the water lilies through the monastery in this post happened on Wednesday. We had a car and driver and drove all around the countryside to get to these places. Yes, it was a long day (about 10+hours), but well worth it!

After Ban Chiang, our next stop was at Wat Pa Dong Rai, a temple built in the shape of a lotus flower. It was lovely, but it was very hot and I didn’t walk all the way over a bridge to see it up close.

There was a goldfish pond alongside the usual group of food and souvenir stalls. For 5 baht (about 12 cents) you could get a small baby bottle filled with tiny balls of fish food. The fish obviously knew what to expect and they rushed to have a turn sucking in the treats. Very weird!

Next up, Kham Chanot Wang Nakhin. From the website:

A small forest monastery on a lake where a mythical large snake, the naga lord Sisotho, is believed to live underground on an island in the lake. From the main Wat, the island is accessed via a 300-meter long elevated walkway that winds through swampland and a forest with huge trees where giant iguanas live. Visitors are required to remove shoes before using the walkway. The island holds a number of shrines and a sacred well. Traditional Thai dances are often performed and offerings made to the spirits in exchange for prayers being offered. Many Thai people come here to pray for the next lottery numbers, which they divine by examining the bark of the giant Chanot trees. Located about 80 km northeast of Udon Thani city center.

As we entered the temple area, we were required to remove our shoes. We had anticipated this, and brought socks to wear, as neither of us is good at going barefoot. The walkway into the woods to the temple had a pebbly surface, and we were glad we had the socks! At the end of the walk was a clearing with several small buildings. People were lined up in front of the tables holding their offerings while a monk spoke for a few minutes. They then put their items on the table and the next group of people came up. 

Here’s a closeup of some of the elaborate arrangements, with leaves woven to look like snakes. We watched for a while and saw some young men behind the tables scooping the arrangements into large garbage bags. It wouldn’t take long until the tables were full again. I can’t imagine what happens to them all. The purpose is to get merit and/or good luck. We also saw people rubbing cash along the snake railing on the walkway, presumably also for good luck.

We stayed there for a while and chatted with a police guard. He was very friendly (tried to get Barbara’s phone number, but not in a sleazy way) and walked with us into the forest. I was eager to see the giant iguanas, but we didn’t see any there. On the way out we did see one climbing up in a tree. It wasn’t possible to get a photo, but at least I did get to see one! (It wasn’t that giant, about the size of a rabbit.)

I stayed away from this plant with many thorns!

After we returned to the main area, we saw this large golden Buddha statue. There were many shops and lots of people. As we drove away, we saw many roadside shops selling the plant/flower arrangements.

We had planned one more stop, but our driver told us it was a market and we decided to head right back into town. It was a long, tiring day. After a rest, we headed back to the mall for dinner again.

Thursday morning we had a wonderful breakfast and took a short walk around our area of town. Around noon we checked out and headed for the airport.

PS for my India people: yes, snakes are called naga here too!

Indigo Dying and Weaving

Still in Ban Chiang, we stopped at a local weaving and dyeing place. It was a large home; the couple running it obviously lived in part of it. There were 6-8 looms, only one being used while we were there. They had many textiles for sale; we each got something — they were impossible to resist!

The woman showed us the indigo pots for dyeing. She was well protected with rubber boots, gloves, and apron.

This is a traditional Thai wrap skirt on display. You might notice the patterns here echo the ancient pottery patterns.

Some tie-dye fabric hanging to dry.

Along the road, we saw many trees planted in rows. They are rubber trees and we could see the small pots hanging on each one. This photo was from the car, so not the best.

Ban Chiang

After leaving the lake, we ate our breakfast in the car on the way to our next stop, the Ban Chiang Museum. We had picked up some cheesy onion rolls and pomelo the night before. They tasted good; we were hungry after our boat ride!

From the Unesco World Heritage website:

Ban Chiang Archaeological Site

Ban Chiang is considered the most important prehistoric settlement so far discovered in South-East Asia. It marks an important stage in human cultural, social and technological evolution. The site presents the earliest evidence of farming in the region and of the manufacture and use of metals.

The museum was our first stop. It displayed comprehensive coverage of everything from prehistoric culture to the visit of the Thai king and queen in 1972. The grounds were beautiful.

Interesting tree just outside museum entrance

Lots of pottery on display

Closeup of typical pot

Infant burial casket on right

Along the road, we saw men building these frameworks. Ong told us they were preparing for a festival and these would be stalls along the road.

After the museum, we stopped at the site of the archaelogical dig, where many remains were found. The site was very well preserved and organized. 

Our last stop related to the Ban Chiang site was at the home of the man who owned the property where the remains were found, first in the late 1950s. He hosted the king and queen during their 1972 visit and later donated his home. It is in the traditional Tai Phuan style. It is well preserved. We walked the grounds, but didn’t go into the house.

Nong Han Lake

Our car and driver met us at 5:45 Wednesday morning to head out to the Red Lotus Sea at Nong Han Lake, about an hour away. Ong turned out to be a wonderful driver and guide. She spoke good English and knew a lot about the places we went.

Although it is called the Red Lotus Sea, the flowers are actually pink tropical water lilies. They are out in the center of the large lake, not visible from the shore. When we arrived, we saw many boats available for hire — larger ones that carry 6-8 people, and small ones for two. We definitely wanted a small one so our view wouldn’t be obstructed.

View of larger boats from arrival area

The small boats turned out to be extremely shallow. It was probably less than 6 inches from the seat to the bottom of the flat hull. It proved somewhat of a challenge for me and a few times I had to lie back down on the seat mat to rest my back. Fortunately, when we returned to the shore, a woman helper hauled me up and out.

My friend Barbara is a professional photographer and travel writer (check out her blog at holeinthedonut.com). Most of the pictures below are from her.

Barbara sat behind me.

Sunrise on the lake

There were many birds on the lake. Small ones that appeared to be swifts flew around us. And we saw lots of these larger birds who flew and walked on the lily pads. They were stunning, with a reddish head and blue-gray body. When we got back to the hotel, the desk clerk was able to look them up and tell us they are gray-headed swamp hens. Our boatman called them eagles, but we were pretty sure they weren’t!

There were many of the larger boats

Lilies, another green growth, and a flying swamp hen

We saw views like this throughout the hour-plus ride

What a stunning way to start our day! And it was only the beginning of our adventure. More tomorrow.

Udon Thani

When Barbara invited me to go on a short trip with her, I knew nothing about this area. Udon Thani is a small city near the border with Laos, not far from its capital, Vientiane. We took a mid-morning flight, just an hour, and got in before noon. It was the first time I had been on a prop plane in many years, but it wasn’t as loud as I’d expected. Our hotel, @Home at Udon, is small and situated right in the center of town. Our simple but comfortable rooms were on the ground floor, which was especially nice since there is no elevator. After getting some lunch at a restaurant across the street, we called a Grab (instead of Uber here) and went to the city museum. It is situated on a large lake with a wooded island containing walking trails. The building is beautifully renovated; this view is from the back.

The museum had a wide variety of exhibits, from archaeological to more recent times. During World War II the Allies had a base here, and during the Vietnam War, the US had a large air base. The effect of all those GIs on a small provincial town was remarkable. After they left, many local people emigrated, some to work in Saudi Arabia, others to areas in Thailand where they could find work. Another thing we learned was that Udon Thani basically means “north town.”

The area was once an inland sea. Salt was a major industry, and on Thursday we saw some places where they were still refining salt. These pots containing salt were on display. The crystals were very large.

There was a display of ancient artifacts found near here and I especially liked this stone carving.

At the back of the museum on the shore of the lake, we could look across to the island. This large pot seems to be a symbol of the area; it is based on ancient pottery found in archaeological digs.

A short walk away we visited a temple, Wat Pothisomphon. As in many, the stairs and walkways are bordered by a long snake body. This is the head of one.

We saw this very strange tree with round growths on tentacles coming out of the trunk. They ranged from very tiny to as big as a cantaloupe. When we prodded one on the ground, it was very heavy and solid. We haven’t been able to identify what it is.

This temple building was the site of a funeral. A nearby building had an open ground floor and many people were seated inside. These traditional Thai dancers were performing. While we stood behind some cars and watched, a woman came up and spoke to us. She said it was her mother’s funeral, but she took the time to speak nicely with us.

Looking over toward another temple building. You can see the snake bodies in this one.

After a return to the hotel and some rest time, we walked to a nearby mall to find some supper. They had the largest food court I’ve ever seen. But we ended up having salads at a pizza restaurant in another part of the mall.

This is only about a third of the food court!

We had a big day on Thursday, with much to see. Coming soon!