Khon Kaen - Day 2

Phra Manhathat Kaen Nakhon is one of the many lovely Buddhist wats in Khon Kaen. Ornately carved entry double-doors greet you on all four sides of the temple. That makes 32 of these lovely teak doors.

A sweet little lady sells honeycomb outside the wat.

This "Maa" (the a pronounced like in bad) gave me permission to photograph her wearing a traditional Thai skirt and blouse. She was delighted to pose. Then we spoke with some of her family who were with her. Thais are friendly and helpful.

Maa is a name of honor given to older women.

Dennis stands beside the wat's gong. Of course, the mallet is not there. They probably keep it out of tourists' reach because they would be gonging it all the time.

These dragons greet you at the entries. There are at least sixteen guarding the way. Dragons are believed to embody both natural power and supernatural powers. They also represent maturity and longevity.

A Thai mermaid called Suvannamaccha. She is popular in Thai folklore and is represented on small cloth streamers or framed pictures that are hung as luck-bringing charms in shops and houses throughout Thailand. She was a mermaid princess who tried to spoil plans to build a bridge to Lanka but falls in love with the bridge builder instead. Sound familiar?

We went to the Central mall to have photos printed of Dennis' time here in 1970 that he will donate to the branch for their history. This mall is huge, at least five levels and about a football field long. Guess where we chose to eat: Sizzler, and Swenson's ice cream afterwards. 😀 

I see a pattern here.