Lake reflections
Two temples on the water.
Christophe95 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Grossbildjaeger — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Christophe95 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Christophe95 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Shane WP Wongperk — CC BY-SA 4.0
The emblem of Mae Hong Son: two neighbouring temples on the bank of Nong Chong Kham lake in the town centre, built by the Tai Yai, or Shan, people who came from Burma in the nineteenth century. They look nothing like Thailand's usual temples, with tiered, fretworked timber roofs in Burmese style painted white and gold, mirrored in the lake. Wat Chong Kham is the older, built around 1827, with a large Buddha image and timber halls of fine decoration. Neighbouring Wat Chong Klang holds a rare collection of old wooden figures carved in Burma, characters from Buddhist tales, and paintings on glass. In the evening the roofs are lit, and the two temples glitter over the lake in the town's finest view. Entry is free and donations are welcome. Modest dress is expected, and shoes come off in the halls. A small evening market of food and crafts sets up around the lake in the cool season. The finest months are November to February, with cool misty mornings; March and April are the smoky burning season in the hills. Come twice if you can: in the morning when mist lifts off the lake, and in the evening when the temples are lit. Mae Hong Son is about four hours by mountain road from Pai, or a flight from Chiang Mai.
Two temples on the water.
White and gold timber.
Rare wood carvings.
On Nong Chong Kham lake, central Mae Hong Son town
Their builders were Shan people from Burma, hence the tiered timber roofs in Burmese style.
