Sights in Thailand
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Wat Na Phra Mehn
North of the old royal palace (wang lŏo·ang) grounds is a bridge to Wat Na Phra Mehn. This temple is notable because it escaped destruction when the Burmese overran and sacked the city in 1767. The main bòht was built in 1546 and features fortress-like walls and pillars. The bòht interior contains an impressive carved wooden ceiling and a splendid 6m-high sitting Buddha in royal attire. Inside a smaller wí·hăhn behind the bòht is a green-stone, European-pose (sitting in a chair) Buddha from Ceylon, said to be 1300 years old. The walls of the wí·hăhn show traces of 18th- or 19th-century murals.
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Siam Ocean World
Southeast Asia’s largest oceanarium is also one of its most impressive. More than 400 species of fish, crustaceans and even penguins populate this vast underground facility. The main tank is the highlight, with an acrylic tunnel allowing you to walk beneath sharks, rays and all manner of fish. Diving with sharks (for a fee) is also an option if you have your diving licence, though you’ll have almost as much fun timing your trip to coincide with the shark and penguin feedings; the former are usually at 1pm and 4pm, the latter at 12.30pm and 4.30pm; check the website for details.
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Sao Ching-Cha
It is easy to forget the powers of the Brahmans in Thai Buddhism, unless you happen upon the giant red poles of Sao Ching-Cha (the Giant Swing). During the second lunar month (usually in January), Brahman beliefs dictate that Shiva comes down to earth for a 10-day residence and should be welcomed by great ceremonies and, in the past, great degrees of daring. So each year the acrobatic and desperate braved the Giant Swing. The ceremony saw these men swing in ever-higher arcs in an effort to reach a bag of gold suspended from a 15m bamboo pole. Whoever grabbed the gold could keep it. But that was no mean feat, and deaths were as common as successes. A black-and-white photo…
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Khao Laem Ya/Mu Ko Samet National Park
Ko Man Klang, Ko Kudee and Ko Man Nok, along with Ko Man Nai to the west, are part of Khao Laem Ya/Mu Ko Samet National Park. This official status hasn’t kept away all development, only moderated it. Ko Kudee has a small, pretty sandy stretch, clear water for decent snorkelling and a nice little hiking trail. Ko Man Nai is home to the Rayong Turtle Conservation Centre ([tel] 0 3861 6096; [hrs] 9am-4pm), which is a breeding place for endangered sea turtles and has a small visitor centre. The best way to visit is to join a boat tour from Ko Samet.
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Chiang Mai University
The city's principal public university was established in 1964. The main campus occupies a 2.9 sq km wedge of land about 2km west of the city centre that has preserved much of its original forest character. Architecturally the campus buildings are soot-stained boxes, but the verdant environment achieves a distinctively Thai version of an idyllic collegiate setting. The best way for visitors to enjoy the campus is to ride a bicycle through it – there are bike lanes throughout, and cafes to stop at for a refreshment break.
There are two main entrances into the campus on Th Suthep and Th Huay Kaew. When giving directions, Thais often refer to the university area on Th…
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Wat Phra That Rueang Rong
Wat Phra That Rueang Rong is another unusual temple. A previous abbot, lamenting the loss of the old ways, built the bòht to look like an oxcart being pulled by two giant bulls. He also created a museum housing old tools, musical instruments and the like from the province's four cultures: Lao, Khmer, Suai and Yer. Concrete statues of people and oversized animals around the grounds offer life lessons. The wát is 7km north of town; take sŏrng·tăa·ou 2 (10B, 20 minutes) from in front of the train station.
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Phu Phan National Park
Swathed in forest and tumbling over the pretty Phu Phan mountains, Phu Phan National Park remains relatively undeveloped and isolated. It’s no surprise that the area once provided cover for the renowned Seri Thai resistance fighters in WWII and People’s Liberation Army of Thailand (PLAT) guerrillas in the 1970s. The former used Tham Seri Thai as an arsenal and mess hall during WWII. As well as being a stomping ground for barking deer, monitor lizards, slow loris and monkeys, the 664-sq-km park also hosts a few elephants.
Accommodation options include a campsite and five four-person bungalows.
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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…
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Chiang Mai City Arts & Cultural Centre
The Chiang Mai City Arts & Cultural Centre offers a fine primer on Chiang Mai history. Be warned that when you enter you are ushered into a room for the obligatory promotional film on the history of Chiang Mai, before you can wander around. The 1st floor has engaging displays on religious and cultural elements of northern Thailand. The 2nd floor rooms have been converted into historic settings: there's an early Lanna village, a temple and a train display. From the 2nd floor you can see more of the beauty of this postcolonial building, Chiang Mai's former Provincial Hall, originally built in 1924. It was awarded a Royal Society of Siamese Architects award in 1999 for its…
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Lingam Shrine
Every village-neighbourhood has a local shrine, either a sacred banyan tree tied up with coloured scarves or a spirit house. But it isn’t every day you see a phallus garden like this lingam shrine, tucked back behind the staff quarters of the Swissôtel Nai Lert Park. Clusters of carved stone and wooden shafts surround a spirit house and shrine built by millionaire businessman Nai Loet to honour Jao Mae Thap Thim, a female deity thought to reside in the old banyan tree on the site. Someone who made an offering shortly after the shrine was built had a baby, and the shrine has received a steady stream of worshippers – mostly young women seeking fertility – ever since.
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National Gallery
Housed in a weathered colonial building that was the Royal Mint during the reign of Rama V, the National Gallery’s permanent exhibition is admittedly a rather dusty and dated affair. Secular art is a relatively new concept in Thailand and most of the country’s best examples of fine art reside in the temples for which they were created – much as historic Western art is often found in European cathedrals. As such, most of the permanent collection here documents Thailand’s homage to modern styles. More interesting are the rotating exhibits held in the spacious rear galleries; take a look at the posters out front to see what’s on.
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Portuguese Settlement
Due south of the island is the historical district of the kingdom's former diplomatic entourages, many of whom arrived during the reign of King Narai. Japanese, Chinese, Dutch, Portuguese and other foreign representatives came to the Ayuthaya court to encourage trade, serve as advisors or assist in defending the city. One of the eeriest remnants of the foreigners' footprint is the cemetery at the Portuguese Settlement.
An open pit displays the petrified skeletons of Portuguese residents, many of whom died of small pox. The traditional Thai spirit house on the grounds contains figures of St Joseph and St Paul.
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Sa Morakot
Southeast of Prachinburi via Rtes 319 and 3070, in the village of Ban Sa Khoi (between Khok Pip and Sa Maha Pho on Rte 3070), is the Angkor-period Sa Morakot. This was an important Khmer reservoir during the reign of Angkor’s Jayavarman VII. Original laterite-block sluices, along with assorted săir·mah (boundary stones), naga (a mythical serpentlike being with magical powers) sculptures, pedestals and a sandstone lingam can still be seen here. Water from this reservoir is considered sacred and has been used in Thai coronation ceremonies. You’ll need private transport to get here.
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Wat Pa Ban Tad
Luang Ta Maha Bua, a former disciple of Luang Pu Man now in his 90s, is one of Thailand’s most revered monks. Though he earned his reverence as a meditation master, he gained universal celebrity after the 1997 economic crisis by collecting over 10,000kg of gold (people turned in jewellery to be melted down) and US$10 million in baht to help pay the country’s international debts. Over 250 monks and mâa chee (nuns), all taking ascetic vows in addition to the regular 227 precepts, live and meditate at Wat Pa Ban Tad, a humble forest wát 16km south of Udon, including about a dozen Westerners.
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Tham Erawan
High up the side of a beautiful limestone mountain, Tham Erawan is a large cave shrine, featuring a giant seated Buddha. Gazing out over the mountain-studded plains below, the Buddha is visible from several kilometres away and can be reached by a winding staircase of 600 steps. The views are superb, especially at sunset. More stairs and a line of lights lead you through the massive chamber and out the other side of the mountain. Be sure to get out of the cave before they turn the lights out.
The temple is along Rte 210, just across the Nong Bualamphu Province line. Buses from Loei (25B to 35B, 1¼ hours, every half-hour) to Udon Thani will drop you 2.5km away. A motorcycle…
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Ubon Ratchathani National Museum
Occupying the former city hall, this is a very informative museum with plenty on show, from Dvaravati-era Buddhist ordination-precinct stones and a 2500-year-old Dong Son bronze drum to Ubon textiles and betel-nut sets. The museum's most prized possession is a 9th-century Ardhanarisvara, a composite statue combining Shiva and his consort Uma into one being; one of just two ever found in Thailand.
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Taksin Maharat National Park
Taksin Maharat National Park covers 149 sq km; the entrance is 2km from the Km26 marker on Rte 105. The most outstanding features here are the 30m, nine-tiered waterfall Nam Tok Mae Ya Pa and a record-holding đà·bàhk, a dipterocarp that is 50m tall, 16m in circumference and 700 years old. Birdwatching is said to be particularly good here; known resident and migratory species include tiger shrikes, forest wagtails and Chinese pond herons. This park offers utilitarian rooms that sleep between four and 10 people and a camping ground. Food service can be arranged here.
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Tham Morakot
Good snorkelling opportunities lie offshore and one of the island's star attractions, Tham Morakot, hides at the northern end of the island. This cave is a beautiful limestone tunnel that leads 80m to a sea lagoon. You have to swim through here at high tide, part of the way in pitch blackness, to a small concealed white-sand beach surrounded by lofty limestone, with a chimney that lets in a piercing shaft of light around midday.
Boats can enter at low tide and the cave features on most tour itineraries so it can get pretty crowded in high season, and during the busiest months can reek of urine.
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Chiang Mai National Museum
Operated by the Fine Arts Department and established in 1973, the Chiang Mai National Museum functions as the primary caretaker of Lanna artefacts and as the curator of northern Thailand's history. This museum is a nice complement to the municipally run Chiang Mai City Arts & Cultural Centre because you'll find more art and artefacts here and the scope of the exhibits reaches beyond the city limits. The best curated section of the museum is the Lanna art section, which displays a selection of Buddha images in all styles, and explains the different periods and influences. Apart from this upstairs exhibit, the museum is a bit lacklustre, although worth a visit to orient…
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Prasat Phimai
Started by Khmer King Jayavarman V (AD 968–1001) during the late 10th century and finished by King Suriyavarman I (AD 1002–49) in the early 11th century, this Hindu-Mahayana Buddhist temple projects a majesty that transcends its size. Although pre-dating Angkor Wat by a century or so, Prasat Phimai nevertheless shares a number of design features with its more famous cousin, not least the roof of its 28m-tall main shrine. However, unlike most Khmer temples, this one faces south. It may well be wishful thinking, but tourist brochures claim it might have been the model for Angkor Wat.
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Phu Khao Thong
At the top of this chedi's 79 steps are splendid views of the city. Originally built by the Burmese during a 15-year occupation, the top section was added later by Thais. The statue at the front is a memorial to the all-conquering King Naresuan. Surrounding him are dozens of statues of fighting cockerels. Legend says that when Naresuan was a hostage in Burma his invincible fighting cockerels secured his fearsome reputation. Phu Khao Thong is northwest of the island.
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Ardel Gallery Of Modern Art
Despite its distance from the centre of town, Ardel is quickly becoming one of Bangkok’s premier galleries. The expansive suburban compound unites two exhibition spaces, a print-making workshop, and a shop and cafe with a brand-new annex that includes an artists’ residence and pool. Curated by Ajarn Thavorn Ko-Udomvit, a renowned lecturer at Silpakorn University, the collection often emphasises print and photos, but previous exhibitions have spanned a variety of media.
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Ban Chiang National Museum
This excellent museum exhibits a wealth of pottery from all Ban Chiang periods, plus myriad metal objects, including spearheads, sickles, fish hooks, ladles and neck rings. The displays (with English labels) offer excellent insight into the region's distant past and how its mysteries were unravelled. Hidden in back is a room showcasing the culture of the Tai Phuan people, who migrated here about 200 years ago and founded the town. One kilometre east at Wat Pho Si Nai is an original burial ground excavation pit , with a cluster of 52 individual burial sites dating to 300 BC. It shows how bodies were laid to rest with (infants placed inside) pottery.
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Wat Nong Pa Phong
Peaceful Wat Nong Pa Phong is known for its quiet discipline and daily routine of work and meditation. Dozens of Westerners have lived here over recent decades, and several still do. The wát features the golden chedi where Luang Pu Cha’s relics are interred and a three-storey museum displaying an odd assortment of items, from Luang Pu Ajahn Cha’s worldly possessions to world currencies to a foetus in a jar. The temple is about 10km past the river. Sŏrng·tăa·ou 3 gets you within 2km; a motorcycle taxi (if one is available) should cost 20B.
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Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park
This park covers about 307 sq km of rugged mountains and forest, much of it covered by rocks and wildflowers. The elevation at park headquarters is about 1000m, so the area is refreshingly cool even in the hot season. The main attractions don’t tend to stray too far from the main road through the park and include the remains of the Communist Party of Thailand (CPT) stronghold – a rustic meeting hall, the school of political and military tactics – and the CPT administration building. Across the road from the school is a water wheel designed by exiled engineering students.
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