Wat Pong Mun Hot Springs
A very little known local hot springs "off the beaten track" at an unusual temple with a history.
A local contact in a neighbouring district invited me to check out an attraction in "Phayamengrai" just down the road from Chiang Khong.
39 kms from Chiang Khong / 25 kms from Phayamengrai on R1174 you turn off down a dirt track
Take the rice padi road in for 2.8 kms & take the right fork
Follow the hollow Buddha in
After a couple of hundred metres you arrive at what almost seems like an abandoned derelict temple & pond; but there's no mistaking the Buddha over the pond.
The pond has warm / hot water at one end & cooler water by the "floating"Buddha.
A series of tanks at the hot end offer tanks of water at various temperatures.
There's an open air tootsie bathing area
Then at the back an old chedi undergoing excavation & restoration
& another sala with ...
I have to admit this was one of the more bizarre temple items I have seen in awhile.
It was suggested to me that I could take his cap off for a closer inspection, but I humbly declined.
Some Buddha images
The second Buddha image from the front was hundreds of years old & the story goes it was once taken & kept at a wat in Chiang Khong, but was "recently returned"to its rightful place.... at Wat Pong Mun.
Another temple guardian to add to the charming mystique of the place
Paying homage...
The abbot of the wat must be an interesting character with interesting ideas, but sadly the day I visited he was away.
There is a bathing house for men & monks only. It consisted of an open room with a variety of tubs to be filled up.
The pump was outside, waiting for someone to flick the switch on & fill 'er up.
But as it was 5.15PM + time already, I figured it was time to move on for the day.
Another visit is required to investigate more & perhaps get some info from the abbot on the history of the wat and his plans for developing his hot springs wat; because for sure there is a fascinating story there.
The Wat Pong Mun hot springs are out in the peaceful countryside. It is a bit of a surreal place to take a meander off R1174
The google maps location: Google Maps
A very little known local hot springs "off the beaten track" at an unusual temple with a history.
A local contact in a neighbouring district invited me to check out an attraction in "Phayamengrai" just down the road from Chiang Khong.
39 kms from Chiang Khong / 25 kms from Phayamengrai on R1174 you turn off down a dirt track
Take the rice padi road in for 2.8 kms & take the right fork
Follow the hollow Buddha in
After a couple of hundred metres you arrive at what almost seems like an abandoned derelict temple & pond; but there's no mistaking the Buddha over the pond.
The pond has warm / hot water at one end & cooler water by the "floating"Buddha.
A series of tanks at the hot end offer tanks of water at various temperatures.
There's an open air tootsie bathing area
Then at the back an old chedi undergoing excavation & restoration
& another sala with ...
I have to admit this was one of the more bizarre temple items I have seen in awhile.
It was suggested to me that I could take his cap off for a closer inspection, but I humbly declined.
Some Buddha images
The second Buddha image from the front was hundreds of years old & the story goes it was once taken & kept at a wat in Chiang Khong, but was "recently returned"to its rightful place.... at Wat Pong Mun.
Another temple guardian to add to the charming mystique of the place
Paying homage...
The abbot of the wat must be an interesting character with interesting ideas, but sadly the day I visited he was away.
There is a bathing house for men & monks only. It consisted of an open room with a variety of tubs to be filled up.
The pump was outside, waiting for someone to flick the switch on & fill 'er up.
But as it was 5.15PM + time already, I figured it was time to move on for the day.
Another visit is required to investigate more & perhaps get some info from the abbot on the history of the wat and his plans for developing his hot springs wat; because for sure there is a fascinating story there.
The Wat Pong Mun hot springs are out in the peaceful countryside. It is a bit of a surreal place to take a meander off R1174
The google maps location: Google Maps
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