Buddhist temples - Gulf of Thailand

The primary religion in Thailand is Theravada Buddhism, which is the largest one. According to current estimates, the country has around 40,000 temples, and approximately 30,000 of them are still active today. We drove further north along the narrow strip of land between the Andaman Sea and the Thailand Gulf (Western part is Myanmar, Eastern part is Thailand). Feeling it was time to explore some Buddhist temples, we decided to visit the ones recommended by the locals rather than the ones mentioned in guidebooks. Several times, we just let us guide by our own eyes, who told us “this temple you’re driving past looks amazing, you have to stop turn around & visit this temple”.

We’ve taken many pictures & made a series for each chapter. If you click on a picture you can see the full picture & scroll through the other pictures. At the bottom of this blog we’ve included the “on the road” pictures

Wat Phra That Sawi

First temple we visited was Phra That Sawi. It’s believed to have been built in the Ayutthaya period (1350-1750). Last full restoration was in 1996. The fantastic pagoda (Phra Borommathat Sawi, The Pagoda of the Flapping crow) has been recently restored in 2016. The site hosts as well a small museum, including archaeological findings & more recent artifacts.

Wat Phra Yai – Chumphon

Thailand has many Big Buddha statues. As we were approaching Chumphon town, we saw Wat Phra Yai towering on a mountain next to high way 42. Time for a quick detour. We arrived at the hottest moment of the day (35º C) & looked so pathetic that a friendly policeman let us drive up the mountain instead of walking up.

Phra Yai Buddha's Sea View — Phra Yai Buddha’s Sea View

Wat Thep Charoen

Wat Thep Charoen was a real find. The site of the temple is located at the foot of Rap Ro hill where used to be the U-thum Phon ancient city location. Beautiful temples again, but most impressive are the caves in the mountain behind the temples. The caves are filled to the brim with Buddhas, stalactites & bats who start to fly around you when you enter the cave, fun.

Wat Ang Thong

We didn’t plan a visit to this temple. We drove past & instantly made a U-turn. Standing proudly beside the road that connects Chumphon and Hua Hin, this temple holds a prominent position. While the complex itself is not yet fully completed, the construction work has reached its conclusion. However, ongoing decoration work still adds an aura of artistic transformation to the surroundings. During our visit, we were fortunate to see talented sculptors and painters in action.

The ceiling paintings had just been finished, colors were vibrant & there was still the smell of fresh oil paint.

On the road

Apart from the visits we had fun driving around & eating local food. But one reminder, when a Thai waiter asks you: “Spicy?”, never answer “a little, little bit”. Better answer: “No, not spicy for me”.