Cultural Day in Mukdahan

Whenever we go on a mission, our hosts are always eager to share with us their local culture and sites.  Our final 2 days in northeast Thailand were spent touring the Mukdahan province south of Nakhon Phanom and Sakon Phanom west of Nakhon Phanom.

On Thursday we boarded a bus and headed south to the Wat Phra That Phanom.  "Wat" means temple.  This is the most famous temple (and one of many) in Nakhon Phanom.  It was built by a Laotian king and, according to legend, contains the breastbone of The Buddha. 

Our local host showed us the proper way to show reverence to the Buddha.  Of course, first we had to remove our shoes to enter the temple area.  The ritual is to walk around the stupa three times, the first time reflecting on the Buddha, the second time reflecting on sacred scriptures, and the third time reflecting on the monks.  Then a lotus flower is placed in a basket, incense is lit, and then a small piece of gold leaf is applied to the temple.

After leaving the Wat, we traveled on to Mukdahan and had lunch in a rotating restaurant at the top of a 15 story hotel.  We then went to the Indochina market, which stretched along the street by the Mekong River.  It very much reminded us of Saturday's Market in Middletown.  On the way back to Nakhon Phanom, we saw the Laos-Thailand Friendship Bridge 2.