After Lockdown, Get out into the Thai countryside

Buddhist Temples are rarely if ever the same, but often hold a really quite genuine aura about them. I have often tried to identify what this aura is; is it a real spiritual presence or just the effect of the chimes in the wind and the peaceful tranquillity of such places; places where you can have a multitude of people milling about, in almost complete silence.

I am quite lucky that in all my many years in Thailand I have had the time and opportunity to tour some quite unseen parts of this somewhat unique country. Many will come to live and work in the big city and never see such places, leaving then after a few years thinking of Thailand as being Bangkok. But once you break those city limits, your view and thoughts about Thailand as a whole will change for ever.

Kalasin, like so many provinces and towns I have been to, is full of countryfolk. Village folk, who are very often happy to see a foreign face enjoying their locale. The friendliness in these places is somewhat beyond what you get in the larger cities, which is true to say of just about every country I have ever been to in truth.

This temple is known fully as ‘Wat Phutthawat Phu Sing’, though often just Phu Sing. I wanted to share with you all some of the pictures I took while here. As always, when making a visit to a temple, I make merit (the meaning of that detailed here), buy some lovely adornments for our home, sit and contemplate and generally take in the atmosphere and aura of the place.

There are a few separate sections to this site and a few separate buildings, notably the striking white Sala, in which monks and visitors will often go to make merit, sit pray, wish and hope. I also very much liked the adornment of the white dragon-like creatures that were situated on the boundary wall and around the mausoleum.

There was a small shop/coffee shop on site to buy water, iced coffee etc. And a small walk around area outside with some Chinese Zodiac statues hiding in the trees. Some great views from up on high and a nice breeze some of the time. Anyway, if you ever head up this way at least now you know where this place is and how to get to it, if it is of interest.

Not so far from this Temple is the Lam Phao Lake, with the Thepsuda Bridge Roadway. On one side of this bridge is a small set of shacks set over the Lake itself. Mainly fishermen live in these shacks but one of them is a small restaurant shack where you can enjoy the catch of the day. This little area is known as Kor Maharat Park.

Not so far from that section is the small beach area that local Thai’s often flock to for a day of rest. There is not a great deal to see here other than the views…but again it is well worth a visit if you are at the temple as it is very restful and pretty here.

There is more to tell of course, but this was just one of our days here. At the end of it all we stopped off at the Ricemill Market (see on Google maps here) of eateries and drinkeries (I just invented a great new word there) in the town centre of Mueang Kalasin and had a snack on our way to the family evening at home, where copious amounts of local food and drink were consumed. HIC! Best I leave the story there.