Buddhist sites

Spirit house in Phang Nga. These are very common in Thailand. It's apparently a remnant of an older religion, predating Buddhism, that worshipped spirits (and is now intertwined with Buddhism). Among them are the guardian spirits, specific to, for example, the garden or the home. These little houses are built to provide shelter for these spirits, who repay the favor by offering protection on the site. We've seen spirit houses to a limited degree here in Singapore, but they were very prevalent throughout our trip in Thailand. It was neat to learn more about Buddhism and see all the interesting sites and again have someone to ask our questions to.

This is a Buddhist Temple in Phang Nga just up the street from her folks' house.

Wat ("temple") Chalong is in a temple complex just north of Phuket. There are 29 Budhhist monasteries in Phuket and this is the largest and most magnificent. I think there were four wats in this complex.

Lighting a prayer candle. There was a chimney fireplace structure across the street where you can come back and light firecrackers once your prayer is answered. It was built specifically to resonate the sound. Who knew gratitude could be so loud!?!



Seeing food and water placed around religious statues was very common. From what we gathered, it serves to provide sustenance for the spirits.


We spent Monday morning exploring Phuket with Bam's friend who lives there. Our first stop was at the 'Big Buddha', which is built atop Nakkerd hills--Phuket's favorite sunset viewpoint. The builder intends it to be an icon like the statue of Christ in Rio, the Statue of Liberty, and the Colossus of Rhodes. Below are pictures from that site.

(Notice the water)

It is a work in progress and should be completed in another year.

At 45 M tall, Big Buddha will be the tallest Buddha in Thailand. I wonder if that Fox13 newscaster is mad they stole his name (this is a Utah-specific reference).

Here is what it will look like when it is completed.