Hidden Treasures — We Are Lost Again

Corinne decided she wanted to look at silver jewelry. There is an area just south of the old city that is famous for its silver shops and artisans. We flagged down a red Songthaew and after some negotiations, got the driver to take us to a specific address of a silver shop Corinne had researched. Driving through the old city, we passed by the temple we missed seeing the first day. Oh well, we'll catch it another day. The driver dumped us on the south side. When we asked where the silver shops were, he pointed off in a general direction and said, "There, there..." He jumped in his truck and drove away. It was obvious we weren't where we wanted to be. We were stumbling around looking for the address when an angel descended upon us. A charming lady from Ireland could see we were lost and offered help. No she didn't know where the silver shops were but said there was "...a lovely silver temple around the corner". She said it was very quiet but well worth seeing. We asked her how she navigated the confusing streets. She said she just goes back and forth on the same street because there was so much to see and she always found something interesting. She was definitely a kindred spirit. She said there was also a Sunday Walking Market in the evening that was quite interesting. We made notes and continued on to the silver temple.

It was spectacular. Just as she said, the courtyard surrounding the temple was deserted but what an amazing temple. The Wat Meansan (temple) was covered with silver relief artwork panels. Each panel was finely sculpted and depicted fantastic stories and legends.

Once inside, there were three of those uncanny abbot statues staring out at you, each projecting a different countenance. One was stern, one kind and one made you stare back in an attempt to discern the meaning behind his expression. Next we stopped at a nearby coffee shop and regrouped. We discovered the silver market was just down a side street so off we went again only to discover all the shops were closed on Sunday - except for one, the one that had the perfect necklace for Corinne.

Nearby we heard a tap, tap tap and poked our head in a doorway. A local silver artist was sitting on the floor of his studio working on a giant silver relief panel. He motioned for us to come in and see him work. He was obviously very proud of the beautiful panel he was working on. Even though there was a major language barrier, he tried to explain what he was doing. When we left his place, we realized that we walked in a circle and were outside a different gate leading to the same silver temple.

This time there was a young monk standing outside the temple and he was happy to talk to us for a while to practise his english. He explained the abbot statues, told us about his life as a young boy and his life as a monk. He told us about a cremation in the evening that would disrupt the usual meditation chanting schedule. He invited us back later for the chanting.

We took some more photos of parts of the temple complex we had missed the first go round. By this time it was getting late so we returned to the hotel for a break then we realized the Sunday market would be that night. We hopped back into a Songtaew, back into the old city and we were dropped off across the street from the market which happened to be at the Wat we'd been trying to get to for the last 3 days.

We went into the Wat Phra Singh and saw the giant golden Buddha and all the worshippers from around the world - it was quite a mixed group. Some were praying and some were taking Buddhist instruction. Sarongs could be rented for those immodestly dressed.

Finally we headed into the Sunday Walking Market, an open air, gargantuan shopping fest. I didn't enjoy it as much as Corinne and was overwhelmed by the crush of the crowd. Fortunately our favourite restaurant was on a side street so we ducked inside, had a wonderful meal and watched the throngs pass by the windows.

We Are Lost Again

We Are Lost Again

Journal

We Are Lost Again