Nan - Thailand

During that time I have attended many Family, Community and Cultural events including my own Wedding.

In 2019 we headed to the very North of Thailand to attend a family wedding and spend some time in Nan province.

Nan is situated very close to the Laos border amongst the mountains and the jungle.

I had several weeks in Laos in the 1990's but back then I entered from Vietnam through the Lao Bao border and exited from Vientiane across the Friendship Bridge in to Nong Khai.

We flew direct from Bangkok's old international airport Don Mueang with Air Asia to Nan, whilst most of the family took a private coach for the 16 hour journey from Chanthaburi to Nan. Apparently they had a party on the coach and arrived a bit tired and the worst for wear.

Weddings in Thailand normally start early with the Monks (usually 9) arriving around 6am to perform the ceremony for the happy couple, immediate family and any early risers.

A couple of hours later there is a procession where guests carry trays of food, drinks and other offerings to the venue culminating in an explosion of fire crackers, deafening you and covering you in smoke and bits of red paper (the remnants of the fire crackers).

We then enjoyed an abundance of delicious food, always prepared by the best cooks in the village and washed down with copious amounts of the preferred local tipple. After offering blessings to the happy couple it was then time to head back to our lodgings to lie down and recover.

The following day we headed to the City of Nan to spend a few days exploring the highlights of the province and hired a minibus and driver to chauffeur us around.

We stayed at the Namthong Nan Hotel which seemed to be situated in an area that was being commercially developed but it was adequate for our needs and close to where we wanted be with shops and temples within walking distance.

If you wanted somewhere idyllic with wonderful views there would definitely be better options available.

In the UK there are Churches everywhere you go and in Thailand there is a Temple (Wat) everywhere you go.

Most Temples will be decorated with a good amount of gold leaf and paint as well as coloured glass and painted tiles so that they glitter in the sunlight and be seen from a good distance away.

In the centre of Nan there are two Temples that are both absolutely stunning and no more than a couple of hundred yards from each other, but one is completely white and the other is completely gold.

The White Temple is Wat Mingmuang and it distinguishes itself with the filigree ornaments in and outside the whole building and it is decorated with bas reliefs and sculptures depicting local festivities and prayers to Buddha. When the sun shines down on this stunning Temple it shimmers with a silver phosphorescence.

Next to Wat Mingmuang is a quaint square which serves as a little night market. There are some street vendors here cooking some amazing fried chicken and sticky rice and others producing refreshing Mango Shakes and you can sit and enjoy these whilst listening to some local music.

It was so nice we went back on consecutive nights.

Just around the corner is the Gold Temple Wat Sri Panton (Wat Si Phan Don). This Temple may not appeal to the more traditional visitor who like temples to be peaceful and subdued and like Wat Mingmuang, it might not always appear in visitor itineraries, but there is no doubt that both are stunning.

Wat Sri Panton grabs your attention with it's masterly facade and complex gilded carvings and when the sun is shining it produces a brilliant golden glow.

For the traditionalists and Thai visitors to Nan the most popular and highly revered temple is Wat Phu Min. This temple is famous for it's hand-painted wall murals, particularly 'Poo Marn Yar Marn' (Whispering of Love') and the 'Mona Lisa of Thailand' as well as murals offering a glimpse of life in Thailand in centuries past.

According to local legend, if you and your loved one wish for happiness together in front of the ‘Whispering of Love’, you will stay together forever.

Another really interesting place that we visited was the museum and bamboo village at Wat Sri Mongkol which is located about 30 minutes away from the centre of Nan in the Tha Wang Pha district of Nan.

This old temple is home to an interesting museum containing ancient Thai, Hill Tribe and Laos artefacts and showing how they used to live as well as agricultural practices with water Buffaloes and handicraft skills such as Weaving Frames.

It is a very colourful place and great for photos.

At the back of Wat Sri Mongkol, there is a small bamboo village in the rice fields.

Nan is a stunningly vibrant and colourful destination which is very rich in culture and easily accessible by direct flight from Bangkok.

Up to now, very few western tourists go there and as such it is off the beaten track. Instead travellers and tourists take the well-trodden path to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai to the west.

This will change quickly as people look for new experiences away from the crowds and tour operators begin to include Nan in their brochures and itineraries.

I would recommend visiting Nan sooner rather later.