Today we went to make merit for the Thai New Year (Songkran). We went to a small temple outside of town in the Mae Rim District. Tasanai wanted to find a small temple in the remote areas that needed supplies and didn’t have a large congregation. We found a beautiful, small temple, Pong Yang Nai Temple.
The inside was painted with these colourful murals:
The Head Monk and second weren’t there so we left our merit offering with a novice monk who was meditating when we arrived – The baskets had food, medical supplies and other needed items. Plus a envelope with a little bit of cash.
Then we headed back home. Along the way we stopped at a roadside coffee shop and got ice cream shakes – great in the heat of the day – Sitting in the place next to us was a cute kid. His father was a worker for the inn and we bought a shake for the kid too.
He really had a great expression when they brought the shake to him.
For the next few days we will be celebrating SONGKRAN – the Thai New Year – the “water festival” as it is known – I’ll get some shots to show you what it’s like.