Phitsanulok to Nan

 

Road trip Thailand, Phitsanulok to Nan

Setting off in the rain (again) we headed off for Nan which took us through the beautiful mountain scenery between Uttaradit and Phrae. It stopped raining as we approached the summit and we spotted an unusual cafe by the roadside that had us making two u-turns in order to get back to it. It was a retro coffee with an American police car outside and other bits and pieces inside and served great coffee (as most Thai cafes do these days). We reached Nan after 3 1/2 hours driving time and the sun came out as in previous days for us to enjoy. 

Retro Cafe

Retro Cafe

Nan is a very remote province in the Nan River valley in the upper North of Thailand and is characterised by the forested mountains that surround it. It is mainly agricultural but has become a popular tourist destination with Thais but attracts very few Western tourists. The city of Nan is famous for its temples of which there are many. As the province was largely independent for many years both, due to its remoteness, and to the fact that it was later ruled by the Burmese, the temples are quite different from temples in other parts of Thailand. Wat Phumin is the major temple that houses a famous painting of a man whispering to a woman. You can see a sculpture based on the painting below. In the grounds of the Nan museum is an avenue of Plumeria trees which is a popular photo spot. See also below.

Samlor, Nan

Wat Hua Kuang, Nan

Wat Phumin, Nan

Wat Ming Muang, Nan

Wat Ming Muang, Nan

The Whisperer, Wat Phumin, Nan

Avenue of Plumeria trees, Nan

Ann doing what she does best