Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ure in Mukdahan by the Mekong' room up at the 50m level. The ball on the top holds a
locally revered Buddha image supposedly made of solid silver.
Phu Manorom
( 6am-7pm)
You can get a more organic view of Laos and the Mekong from this moun-
tain further south. The temple here has a small garden and is constructing a massive 84m-
tall Buddha image. Tourism officials try to promote sunrise-watching here, but odds are
it'll be just you and the monks.
VIEWPOINT
Wat Si Mongkhon Tai
BUDDHIST TEMPLE
(Th Samran Chaikhongthi; dawn-dusk)
According to one of the many legends associated
with it, this temple's 2m-tall Phra Chao Ong Luang Buddha image is older than the city it-
self and was unearthed during Mukdahan's construction. It sits in a simple but lovely
bòht
. The ceramic-encrusted northern gate was built as a gesture of friendship by the city's
large Vietnamese community in 1954.
Wat Yod Kaeo Sivichai
BUDDHIST TEMPLE
(Th Samran Chaikhongthi; dawn-dusk)
This temple stands out for having an enormous
Buddha inside a glass-walled
wí·hăhn,
and not one, but two small
chedi
modelled on Phra
That Phanom.
Wat Pa Silawiwet
BUDDHIST TEMPLE
(Th Damrongmukda; dawn-dusk)
It's the hundred or so resident monkeys rather than
anything religious or artistic that makes this forest temple on the edge of town worth a
visit.
Festivals
Besides the ordinary activities, the
Mukdahan Thai Tribal Festival
, better known as the Red
Cross Fair, held 9 to 17 January in the field fronting the
săh·lah glahng,
features dancing
and other cultural activities from Mukdahan's eight ethnic groups.
