Today, on 26th June, we are celebrating the birthday of one of Thailand’s greatest poets: Sunthorn Phu. Although he was born in the late 18th Century, his work is still influential even today. I have already talked a number of times about his work. (I will give you some links to these blogs in a moment.) Today I want to introduce a story that he wrote together with King Rama II, King Rama II and other great poets of the time. It is called “The Story of Khun Chang Khun

no comments

If you have ever visited a Thai temple, you would have notice that there is always a fine blend between Buddhism and supersition. At many popular temples you will often find fortune tellers or people rubbing trees in order to find clues about the winning numbers for the next lottery. (BTW, please stop sending us so many letters each week for the Thailand Lottery. We no longer tell people our prediciton for the last three numbers. Unless of course you promise to share with us the prize!)  There are also a

no comments

I have told you a number of times that I like exploring areas of Thailand by using Google Earth. In particular I like exploring my home province in order to find new tourist attractions. There has been one place I spotted a while back now that got me really curious. You can see it in the above screenshot. At the bottom of the picture is the pier at Bang Pu. The road going from left to right is Sukhumwit Road. What is curious is the large green patch of land

no comments

One year ago I visited the Elephant Nature Park north of Chiang Mai. The camp was created by Sangduen Chailert (Lek) who has been working to protect Thai elephants throughout her life. Many elephant camps around Thailand exploit elephants to make a profit. Lek's camp was created as a sanctuary for elephants. Her aim is to purchase mistreated elephants and allow them to retire at her camp which is located in some beautiful misty, green mountains in Northern Thailand. Lek's story sounds like the making of a Hollywood movie. She was

no comments

Phra That Si Chom Thong, Chomthong, Chiang Mai Province Year of the Rat: About 59 kms south of Chiang Mai, on the same road for Doi Inthanon, you will reach Phra That Si Chom Thong. This is one of the most important shrines in Chiang Mai Province as it houses a holy Buddha relic. Normally, relics are buried inside a chedi, however, here it is enshrined inside a container in the main hall. This relic is believed to part of the right side of the Buddha’s head. According to legend, the

no comments

Phra That Lampang Luang, Ko Kha, Lampang Province Year of the Ox: One of my favourite temples in Northern Thailand is Phra That Lampang Luang. If you are driving to Chiang Mai from Bangkok then this is an easy temple to visit. The temple is about 20 kms southwest of Lampang and off Highway 1. The main feature is, of course, the chedi which contains relics of the Lord Buddha. This is a major pilgrimage site for people born in the Year of the Ox. However, the exquisite three-tiered wooden temple buildings

no comments

Phra That Choe Hae, Phrae Year of the Tiger: If you are exploring Northern Thailand then the city of Phrae is worth a visit. The old city, surrounded by a wall and moat, still retains many of its original buildings and temples. However, the highlight of any trip to Phrae is Phra That Choe Hae. This temple is about 9 kms southeast of the town. This Lanna style temple was built during the Sukhothai period. The relics in this chedi are believed to be the left elbow and strands of hair of

no comments

Phra That Chae Haeng, Phu Phiang, Nan Province Year of the Rabbit: The province of Nan is just one of those places that don’t and won’t get many visitors. Mainly because it is tucked away along the border with Laos but also because it isn’t on the route to anywhere. We had driven down from Chiang Rai to Phayao on highway 1 which is a good road. We then had to cut across country to Nan which seemingly took forever as there were many hills and sharp corners. We were actually in

no comments

Wat Phra Singh, Chiang Mai Year of the Dragon: Probably the most visited temple in Chiang Mai is Wat Phra Singh. When I was there earlier in the year it was under renovation. The outside of the beautiful Lanna style Wihan Lai Kham had already been completed as you can see in this photograph. But, there was scaffolding blocking the entrance so I couldn’t enter. I believe all renovations are now over. This 14th Century temple is famous for the Buddha image Phra Singh which is revered by all people from

no comments

Wat Phra Borommathat, Ban Tak, Tak Province Year of the Horse: If you were born during this year, then your pilgrimage site should be the famous Shwedagon Pagoda in Burma. However, for Thai people, there is a replica, though a somewhat smaller version, at Wat Phra Borommathat in Tak. According to legend, the Lord Buddha once visited Tak and gave a strand of his hair to his followers there. The hair is now enshrined at the temple. The Shan style stupa is 23 metres high and was built over a much

no comments