Walk to Lunch in the Old City

Thursday, January 5, 2017
Off to Lunch in the Old City

Today was rainy and cloudy again. I did find a dry patch on which to sit for my morning meditation at Wat Chedi Luang, but it was still a little wet everywhere. Then it was breakfast and then yoga at Wild Rose Yoga with Ploy, a Thai teacher with the most beautiful poses. Ploy is elegant in her transitions between poses, settling into an almost textbook example of the pose. Though her poses are more extreme than I can manage, she is so very inspiring in her presentation and description that the poses seem accessible. Ploy's classes are a real treat; and all of the teachers at Wild Rose Yoga fall into the same category - beautiful, elegant, inspiring. There is a lot to learn here at Wild Rose Yoga, every day!

Walking to lunch in the Old City

Because of the rain, I am not venturing too far from 3-Sis. There is a little break in the rain, so I am heading up to Blue Diamond for lunch.

Along the way, I stopped at a nice temple, Wat Dok Kham. Often overlooked, this small temple is in the eastern side of the old city, just north of Tha Phae Gate. The doors to the main viharn (worship hall) have these nice depictions of thewada (angelic beings that live in the heavenly realms). Thewada have no gender, but depending on the artist sometimes appear very male or appear very female. These look very male.

Note that the doors are closed, and this being about noon or later, it is unclear when one can enter. I expect to see doors of viharn closed early in the morning or sometimes after sunset, but I did not expect to see these doors closed at midday. There may be some special event taking place or in preparation inside.

The second main building at Wat Dok Kham is this building with the Mom (pronounced moam) creatures on the stairway banisters. Moms come in pairs, one with mouth open and the other with mouth closed. I do not know the story of the mom, but I am certain there is a story. I have often seen these at the entrance to a temple library or something similar to a library, never at the entrance of a viharn.

Somphet Market

Somphet Market is a smaller but always busy fruit and vegetable market inside the old city, at Moon Muang Road Soi Six. [Moon Muang Road is the inner-moat road on the east side of the moat/wall, and Soi six is the sixth lane (bigger than an alley, smaller than a road) from the south.] Soi six is just about 150 meters north of Tha Phae Gate.

You can see fruits, vegetables, and much fresh food here in Somphet Market every day, and food is arriving all day. For those that live in the old city and do not want to venture out to Muang Mai Market (a VERY large market), Somphet Market is very good and easily accessible.

Next: The Flower Market and Wat Kate Karam