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Dan Sai & Around

Sights in Dan Sai & Around

  1. Phra That Si Songrak

    The most highly revered stupa in Loei Province, this whitewashed Lao-style chedi stands 20m high and was built in 1560–63 on what was then the Thai–Lao border as a gesture of unity between the Lao kingdom of Wiang Chan (Vientiane) and the Thai kingdom of Ayuthaya in their resistance against the Burmese. A pavilion in front of it contains a very old chest that supposedly contains an even older carved stone Buddha about 76cm long. Despite use of the name Phra That, there are no Buddha relics here. You can't wear shoes, hats or the colour red, or carry food or open umbrellas if you climb up to the chedi. Down below is a modest museum with random artefacts donated by…

    reviewed

  2. Wat Neramit Wiphatsana

    Built on a wooded hill overlooking Phra That Si Songrak, this gorgeous (it almost looks like a Buddhist-themed resort) meditation wát features buildings made of unplastered laterite blocks. Famous Thai temple muralist Pramote Sriphrom spent years painting images of jataka tales on the interior walls of the massive bòht, which also hosts a copy of the Chinnarat Buddha in Phitsanulok's Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat. The wát is dedicated to the memory of the late Luang Pu Mahaphan, a much-revered local monk.

    reviewed

  3. Dan Sai Folk Museum

    The Dan Sai Folk Museum has a collection of costumes worn during the celebrations at the Phi Ta Khon Festival, a ­demonstration of how the masks are made and a 20-minute video from the festival.

    reviewed

  4. Phi Ta Kon Museum

    Wat Phon Chai, the temple behind the big white gate, plays a major role in the Phi Ta Khon festivities, so it's an appropriate home for this museum. It has a collection of costumes worn during the celebrations, a display showing how the masks are made and video from the festival.

    reviewed