The theme for this week's photohunt is foreign.
We love traveling, both in our country and to foreign countries. As much as it is exciting to stumble upon home treasures, it is eye-opening, educational and enchanting to view foreign cultures up close and get a personal perspective of them. Bill and I agree that among the foreign countries we had the pleasure of visiting, Thailand wins the prize for the most foreign to us.
I thought I'd share our photos from one of the temples in Chiang Mai that I didn't get a chance to write about before: Wat Suan Dok.
Wat Suan Dok is different from many of the other temples in Chiang Mai, or for that matter Thailand, in that not only is the prayer hall large, but it is also open on its sides rather than being totally enclosed.
A foreign and interesting legend is also associated with Wat Suan Dok. For those not familiar with the Thai temples (wats) I should explain that every Buddhist temple in Thailand has one pagoda structure (or more) that is referred to as chedi and it typically contains Buddhist relics including relics from the Buddha himself in some cases. The tale goes that the largest pagoda in the 14th century Wat Suan Dok contained a relic that self-replicated. The legend goes on to tell that one of these relics was placed on the back of a royal white elephant, and the elephant was left to wander wherever he pleased. The elephant came to a stop and died at the top of Suthep Mountain, the site is now the place of one of Thailand's most revered temples: Wat Doi Suthep, which I blogged about here.
Happy Weekend all!
Comments (15)
I had so many to chose with this one. I went a slightly different route in the end . . .
Happy weekend!
Posted by Jerry | March 5, 2010 6:30 PM
Posted on March 5, 2010 18:30
Great shots and a wonderful take on the theme. Happy Weekend.
Posted by Carver | March 5, 2010 6:33 PM
Posted on March 5, 2010 18:33
I love traveling too -- and also have visited Chiang Mai! :)
Posted by YTSL | March 5, 2010 8:09 PM
Posted on March 5, 2010 20:09
Such beautiful photos.
Posted by Deborah | March 5, 2010 9:11 PM
Posted on March 5, 2010 21:11
I love the contrasting colors and shapes in your last two photos.
Posted by maya | March 6, 2010 2:57 AM
Posted on March 6, 2010 02:57
Wow your photos are just stunning! Happy weekend
Posted by jams O'Donnell | March 6, 2010 3:10 AM
Posted on March 6, 2010 03:10
These are truly stunning photos of a magical place. Love the shapes and colors of those temples. I really want to go to Thailand some day!
Have a great weekend!
Posted by Annie | March 6, 2010 8:05 AM
Posted on March 6, 2010 08:05
I knew you'd come up with something interesting.
Posted by Alice Audrey | March 6, 2010 10:15 AM
Posted on March 6, 2010 10:15
Gorgeous photos, Candi. It is always such a treat to read your blog posts on Thailand.
Enjoy the weekend!
Posted by Maria I. | March 6, 2010 10:41 AM
Posted on March 6, 2010 10:41
Wonderful photos!
Posted by angie | March 6, 2010 11:23 AM
Posted on March 6, 2010 11:23
Your pictures really show the beauty of Thailand. Have a great weekend.
Posted by marta | March 6, 2010 11:25 AM
Posted on March 6, 2010 11:25
Great photos of a fabulous place. This is a wonderful theme as we travel with each other to foreign places.
Happy weekend to you.
Posted by jmb | March 6, 2010 12:03 PM
Posted on March 6, 2010 12:03
Candi, that is really spectacular.
Posted by sandrac | March 6, 2010 8:01 PM
Posted on March 6, 2010 20:01
Again this is one of those themes that can easily take so many directions. Great shots with beautiful bright colors and perfect for the theme.
Posted by Scott | March 6, 2010 10:29 PM
Posted on March 6, 2010 22:29
Beautiful photos! That prayer hall is huge! Must have been so cool to visit all those temples. Great take on the theme.
Posted by girasoli | March 8, 2010 1:27 AM
Posted on March 8, 2010 01:27