Chiang Mai is dominated by The Wat, and Thailand as a whole is often dubbed "The Land of Wats." They'll be a prominent setting and subject of many photos, so let's just consider this an introduction.

These sites are not simply Buddhist temples, but a combination of temple, monastery, school and community outreach. The spaces are open to the public and mixed into every kind of neighborhood. Since they're scattered all over the city I end up wandering through them a couple times a day and spending a bit of time like I would in a park. With the benches, grass and quiet demeanor of the people it's a welcome respite from the often chaotic streets. The dogs seem to have found them a nice place to spend time as well, but I'll get to that in another post. The monks I've seen tend to be doing simple chores around the wat and seem neither bothered nor interested much in visitors. The spaces feel less like the religious sites I've visited in the past and more like the coop houses you might find in Berkeley or Santa Cruz. But maybe I've just been on the West Coast too long...

On to the visuals: