Temples of Chiang Saen

             Chiang Saen – our home away from home here in Thailand!  After our first weekend trip away, the realization that this place had truly became “home” sunk in.  We had a great time in Chiang Rai – we definitely enjoyed the air conditioning, fast internet, and Western food!  However, we missed knowing exactly where to go to get the best pat see ew, egg rolls, or pat pak (veggies with rice).  We missed having bicycles that could get us everywhere, and we were happy to get back to a place where we weren’t inhaling toxic fumes from stopped traffic.  Last but not least, we were happy to get back to a place that isn’t filled with old white men with their young Thai girls…creeeeepy.

            Chiang Saen’s claim to fame is that it is a historical city.  It was the original capital of the Lanna Kingdom, and is filled with temples built hundreds of years ago.  People believe that by building a temple they are showing their devotion to the Lord Buddha, and people in Chiang Saen put that belief into practice. Within the Chiang Saen city walls, an area about as big as downtown LA, there are 76 temples!  Needless to say, wherever we go – the store, school, a restaurant -- we pass at least three temples.

The most amazing thing about all of these temples is that they are all different.  They range in size from as big as a building to little more than a mound of bricks.  Some are modern and are currently in use.  Some are hundreds of years old and in various states of disrepair.  Some house a headless Buddha, some have just the head of a Buddha.

            We are a little obsessed with these temples, and have made it our mission to photograph every single one that we can find in the city.  To give these temples true justice, we are creating a special blog just for them: Temples ofChiang Saen.  You can also find a link on the top right of this blog.  To make it easier for our readers, we will let you know on our Trojan Tales blog when we update the temples blog.  However, the first post about one of the oldest temples in Chiang Saen is already up, so check it out!