Dok Kham Tai - Phayao - Attractions - Pottering Around

[DavidFL]

Wat Si Chum - Phayao Attractions - Dok Kham Tai

Hanging out in Phayao for a few days endeavouring to clear up a visa issue, the general of Dok Kham Tai, David DKT asks if I want to have a look at the teak temple.
Well is it any good, because I've seen a few in my day, so it's gotta be a bit special to get on the GTR wat richter scale?
Yeah, it's pretty spectacular & you really should take a look....oh ok. Let's go take a look....

And wow it rates a 8 on the richter scale - a devastating beauty !
Let the pictures do all the talking...

From the outside it reminded me a bit of the silver temple in Chiang Mai, Wat Sri Suphan, or even the white temple in Chiang Rai.

and then you walk inside the viharn to be enveloped in a breathtaking scene of golden teak!
Yes the interior of the viharn is all golden teak.

An incredible scene to behold.
The golden teak supposedly came from Thailand, Laos, Myanmar & Vietnam, and took 9 years / 90 million baht to complete.

If you're in the neighborhood, make sure you check it out sometime.

Wat Si Chum is only 15 kms from downtown Phayao & 1.5 kms north of Dok Kham Tai city.

Google Maps

A big thanks to Dave DKT for the tip off - you were right & the wat is a total winner!. Amazing plus.

More to come...other interesting wats in the area courtesy of the DKT General

 

[DKT Dave]

Ha....The General....more like the cadet. I am glad you enjoyed it.
I was there when they were 6 years into the interior. They had had a full time team of 8 people working on the teak carving for that six years.
The photo is your man hard at work inside.

 

[Heineken]

Is the new Phayao bypass road from the 120 to the 1021 open yet, I know a few weeks back it looked very close ?

 

[DKT Dave]

Is the new Phayao bypass road from the 120 to the 1021 open yet, I know a few weeks back it looked very close ?

Not yet Gav. That didn’t stop David claiming the title of first big bike on the bridge though!

 

[Ian Bungy]

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Not yet Gav. That didn’t stop David claiming the title of first big bike on the bridge though!

What are You doing up at 2:30am? Don't You sleep ? Ha Ha!

 

[DavidFL]

Wat San Klang

A mere 450 metres before the amazing Wat Si Chum is another temple, Wat San Klang, that you may wrongly expect to be Wat Si Chum, the first time you head down the little soi beside the canal...

It has a huge reclining Buddha at the back.

If you're going to Wat Si Chum , it's on the way & worth a quick look & a photo or two.

Google Maps

 

[DavidFL]

Wat Chiang Thong

North-west of Wat Si Chum there's a temple with a museum full of memorabilia for the last 80 odd years plus a 10-storey tower that that stands out over the rice paddies and you can see for kms....the DKT General let's me in on another DKT secret. (He's been hanging out there for 15 years & seems to know a bit about his own backyard?)
Yeah Yeah 10-stories I thought. How come I've never seen or heard of that one before? (Because you don't know everything obviously!)

So off we went through the winding back roads & rice paddies.

Into a temple driveway in a small village

and there's a beautiful huge banyan tree

Turn right into the next driveway & you can see the wat.

Nothing really special you might think, but swing over to the left a bit & wow!

It is for real.

A bit bizarre I thought, but then again I remembered the one out of Khemmarat. Wat Bung Khilek "the octagonal wat"

Wat Bung Khilek is on GTR here: Samphanbok - the Mekong holes - from Ubon


To ascend the tower, the resident pigeon provided an escort fluttering around all over the place, but much to my relief left us alone for the last steep narrow rickety section to come out at the top.

The view is indeed stunning & we were both thankful of a superb clear day.

There's plenty of water & good farming land out there near Dok Kham Tai!

More to come...the memorabilia with the DKT General

 

[Heineken]

As you know David its hard to beat local knowledge, especially blokes like Dave who go exploring on his scooter, its amazing whats out there

 

[DavidFL]

As you know David its hard to beat local knowledge, especially blokes like Dave who go exploring on his scooter, its amazing whats out there

Exactly.

 

[DavidFL]

Wat Chiang Thong memorabilia museum - Phayao Attractions

The other interesting aspect of Wat Chiang Thong is the memorabilia museum & it only reminds you that there are some really interesting monks out there, keen on history & the past.

Doing the right thing & signing the guestbook.

The museum has an impressive collection of movie posters from stars & days gone by.

A Garrard Turntable & 12 inch vinyl disc - I used to have one of those turntables!

A TV Collection

Old lanterns

A barber's chair

The abbot has a sense of humour too

Old phones & I'm sure one of those used to be my original Nokia

The first brick phone - calling Maxwell Smart maybe?

Who remembers these bubble gum machines?

and then there's the old PC incorrect Darkie toothpaste

A selection of toothpastes..

Cock Soap

Cock, Frog & 5 Ram long life batteries

Matches & fags

an original old phone.
I must getting real old, because I can actually remember using one of these in my childhood on my great Aunty's farm in the West Australian wheatbelt!

Oh man how time has flown, when you've been having fun & enjoying life!

The DKT General on the hot wat machine.

Many thanks Dave for showing me around your neck of the woods.
I'm sure there's a bit more to come out there.

 

[Heineken]

Plenty of goodies in that collection, and yep I can remember when alot of those products were available


Those early mobile phones, a good mate of mine had a brick company phone when he went on call, the battery was carried in a separate carry bag, the battery was huge, like for a small car

 

[ZCM]

Loving the top temple and the memorabilia museum.
I can certainly see the resemblance to the Wat Rong Khun.!

 

[DKT Dave]

Wat Chiang Thong memorabilia museum - Phayao Attractions

The other interesting aspect of Wat Chiang Thong is the memorabilia museum & it only reminds you that there are some really interesting monks out there, keen on history & the past.

View attachment 137228

Doing the right thing & signing the guestbook.
View attachment 137229

The museum has an impressive collection of movie posters from stars & days gone by.

View attachment 137230

View attachment 137231

View attachment 137232

View attachment 137233

A Garrard Turntable & 12 inch vinyl disc - I used to have one of those turntables!
View attachment 137234

A TV Collection
View attachment 137235

Old lanterns
View attachment 137236

A barber's chair
View attachment 137237

The abbot has a sense of humour too
View attachment 137238

Old phones & I'm sure one of those used to be my original Nokia
View attachment 137239

The first brick phone - calling Maxwell Smart maybe?
View attachment 137240

Who remembers these bubble gum machines?
View attachment 137241

and then there's the old PC incorrect Darkie toothpaste
View attachment 137242

A selection of toothpastes..
View attachment 137245

Cock Soap
View attachment 137243

Cock, Frog & 5 Ram long life batteries
View attachment 137244

Matches & fags
View attachment 137246

View attachment 137247

View attachment 137248
an original old phone.
I must getting real old, because I can actually remember using one of these in my childhood on my great Aunty's farm in the West Australian wheatbelt!
View attachment 137249

Oh man who time has flown, when you've been having fun & enjoying life!

The DKT General on the hot wat machine.
View attachment 137250

View attachment 137251

Many thanks Dave for showing me around your neck of the woods.
I'm sure there's a bit more to come out there.

No problems at all David. I enjoy showing people around this stunning part of Thailand. Dokkhamtai district is a hidden gem, and another one of those places that we all generally flash through on the way to somewhere else. Take the time to stop and smell the roses, and amazing things unfold.

 

[DavidFL]

Phayao Attractions continued..Wat Si Chom Ruang

Wat Si Chom Ruang sits out on the highway as you enter Phayao from the south.
The golden chedi stands out against the skyline & above the highway.

There is a Shan - Burmese history related to to the temple, but I can't find it now. Grrh.

A city pillar.

 

[DKT Dave]

Wat Si Chum - Phayao Attractions - Dok Kham Tai

Hanging out in Phayao for a few days endeavouring to clear up a visa issue, the general of Dok Kham Tai, David DKT asks if I want to have a look at the teak temple.
Well is it any good, because I've seen a few in my day, so it's gotta be a bit special to get on the GTR wat richter scale?
Yeah, it's pretty spectacular & you really should take a look....oh ok. Let's go take a look....

And wow it rates a 8 on the richter scale - a devastating beauty !
Let the pictures do all the talking...

View attachment 137179

From the outside it reminded me a bit of the silver temple in Chiang Mai, Wat Sri Suphan, or even the white temple in Chiang Rai.

View attachment 137180

View attachment 137181

and then you walk inside the viharn to be enveloped in a breathtaking scene of golden teak!
Yes the interior of the viharn is all golden teak.

View attachment 137182

View attachment 137183

View attachment 137184

View attachment 137185

An incredible scene to behold.
The golden teak supposedly came from Thailand, Laos, Myanmar & Vietnam, and took 9 years / 90 million baht to complete.

View attachment 137186

View attachment 137187

View attachment 137188

View attachment 137190

View attachment 137191

View attachment 137192

If you're in the neighborhood, make sure you check it out sometime.
View attachment 137194

Wat Si Chum is only 15 kms from downtown Phayao & 1.5 kms north of Dok Kham Tai city.

Google Maps

A big thanks to Dave DKT for the tip off - you were right & the wat is a total winner!. Amazing plus.

More to come...other interesting wats in the area courtesy of the DKT General

I was in having a look at the 'Teak Temple' today and one of the workmen showed me the basement underneath it. Amazing use of the space turning it into a cement cave complete with stalactites. It's still under construction but will be fantastic when it is finished.
Despite multiple visits I never knew it was there!!

This Wat just keeps getting better!!!

 

[DavidFL]

Wat Bun Koet - Dok Kham Tai - Phayao Attractions

Another hot tip off from Dave DKT.
The abbot of this wat is over 100 years, alive & still going strong. That's a must for me to go & check out.
So after a bit of business in Phayao at Tokico Motorsports, putting a new K&N Air Filter in the V-strom, plus swapping over shocks to send the Ohlins off for rebuild # 7, I thought I'd better pop into the wat & catch up to the old fellah if possible, & maybe pick up some more good luck.

The wat is a huge one.

But where's the abbot?
His quarters are here.

And just as I arrived I saw the amazing man, walking out with a cane, getting into a car & going off to another wat for the night it turned out.
He will be back tomorrow.
I approached the car, he wound down the window & sharp as a tack, asked how I was, where I was from, how old I was & how long I'd been in Thailand. Right on the ball he was, asking all the right questions to check you out. As the saying goes, I shall return for a blessing & another chat if possible in a few days.
101 he was according to the his followers at the wat. 102 is the next birthday.

Unfortunately no photos of him today, but stay tuned.

มูลà¸à¸´à¸à¸´à¸«à¸¥à¸§à¸à¸à¸¹à¹à¸à¹à¸³ วัà¸à¸à¸¸à¸à¹à¸à¸´à¸ · 5X5R+X2P, Bun Koet, Dok Khamtai District, Phayao 56120, Thailand

âââââ · Buddhist temple

goo.gl

 

[DavidFL]

Phayao City Attractions - Street Art
Killing time in Phayao waiting for a new paint job on the Vstrom

19°10'00.5"N 99°53'54.2"E

maps.app.goo.gl

Conveniently located in the lane alongsde Nithan Baan Tonmai, which is a delightful coffeeshop - restaurant wirh a 100 year old house.

Phayao Restaurants

Nithan Baan Tonmai A real hidden gem of a little restaurant in a garden, with a 100 year old house behind. A charming place wih cheap eats, drinks and homemade icream. Indoors aircon and outdoors seating. Sorry no pics from the indoors aircon room. Some excellent homemade cream...

www.gt-rider.com