Wat in the World

A wat is a sacred Buddhist precinct encompassing the actual temple and the monks living quarters, usually surrounded by beautifully tended gardens studded with stupa, statues and icons from Buddhist texts. 

 

Between the Laos city of Luang Prabang and Thailand's Chiang Mai, there are more than 400 individual wats. Some of them are magnificently restored, some are crumbling ruins. A few seem completely abandoned but most are active monasteries where saffron-clad monks stroll the grounds between lessons. 

If I was going to suddenly find religion, I think I'd go with Buddhism, simply because of the architectural beauty of their temples. While tourists in Florence or Rome complain of 'not-another-bloody-church' syndrome, I don't think I'll ever get tired of admiring the sumptuous gold-leaf exteriors, tiered rooftops and perfumed gardens of Buddhist wats. 

 

While Luang Prabang had some of the most ornate and exquisite wats I have seen, I think Chiang Mai wins the day for the sheer number of temples contained within the old city. For every main attraction flocked with tourists, there are 10 tiny wats where you can explore at leisure. 

 

And unlike the often gruesome images found inside Catholic churches, Buddhist wats are replete with dragon and elephant motifs, mosaics depicting local life and stenciled figures that would not look out of place on a hip Melbourne laneway. 

 

So while Martijn spends the next few days in Muay Thai training sessions, you can find me in my new favourite wat in Chiang Mai, where they have turtles in their beautifully tended pond, and a tiny cafe serving iced coffee. It's the kind of religious experience I could get used to.