Beitou (北投) is a district of Taipei City at the foot of Yangmingshan (陽明山 or Yangming Mountain), a collection of mountain peaks that make up Yangminshan National Park. These include Seven Star Mountain (七星山 or Qixingshan), a dormant volcano that last erupted around 700,000 years ago.
Xinbeitou (新北投), the hot spring village around Xinbeitou MRT station, occupies a lush valley that is home to 1200 species of plants, 110 species of bird, and 160 varieties of butterflies.
Beitou Thermal Valley (also called Beitou Geothermal Valley or Hell Valley) is a second, highly acidic “green sulfur” hot spring that is a major tourist attraction in Beitou and the source of the hot creek running through Beitou Hot Spring Park.
The spring water is high in radium, which in the past underwent a corrosive reaction with the andesite rocks on the river bed about 150 meters downstream, creating layers of cream and white diamond-shaped crystals named Hokutolite or “Beitou stone”, ...
Wat Kaeng Khoi, also known as วัดแก่งคอย, is a historic Theravāda Buddhist temple situated in the heart of Kaeng Khoi district in Saraburi province, central Thailand, along the eastern bank of the Pa Sak River. Established in 1787 by local villagers, the temple has carried several names over the centuries, including Wat Kaeng Nang Khoi, Wat Raeng Khoi, and the formal designation Wat Jamu Samosorn, meaning “temple on the assembly point of the noblemen,” before adopting its current name tied to the surrounding area. It stands as a spiritual and communal hub, renowned for its beautiful riverside setting and a rich collection of architectural and cultural features that draw visitors seeking both tranquility and historical insight.
Among its notable structures are the Phra Maha Chedi Si Pasak, a grand pagoda believed to house a sacred Buddha relic, and the Viharn Phra Buddha Siyard Nimitr Mongkol Munee Si Kaeng Khoi, which enshrines a large reclining Buddha statue constructed...
Wat Moli Lokayaram Ratchaworawihan วัดโมลีโลกยารามราชวรวิหาร also known simply as Wat Moli or formerly Wat Thai Talat (Temple at the End of the Market), is a second-class royal temple (Phra Aram Luang chan tho, type Ratchaworawihan) located in Wat Arun Subdistrict, Bangkok Yai District, on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River.
It stands along Khlong Bangkok Yai canal, near the former Thonburi Royal Palace (Wang Derm) and not far from the iconic Wat Arun.
The temple originated in the Ayutthaya period as an ordinary public monastery whose exact founder remains unknown. Its early name, Wat Thai Talat, came from its position at the end of the bustling Thonburi market. During the Thonburi period, when King Taksin the Great established his capital there after the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767, the temple was incorporated into the palace grounds. No monks resided there permanently throughout Taksin’s reign because of its location within the royal precinct.
...
Wat Prang Luang is a historic Thai Buddhist temple located in the Bang Yai District of Nonthaburi Province, just on the outskirts of Bangkok.
Dating back to the 14th century, it stands as the oldest monastery and archaeological site in the entire Nonthaburi area and greater Bangkok region, with roots stretching over 650 years.
Originally known as Wat Luang or the Royal Temple, it is believed to have been constructed during the early Ayutthaya Kingdom under King Ramathibodi I, also known as King U-Thong.
According to local legend, the king once rested here while leading people away from a cholera outbreak before founding the city of Ayutthaya.
The temple’s most striking feature is its ancient prang, a Khmer-style tower made of brick and adorned with stucco decorations. This leaning structure, roughly 20 meters tall and originating from the early Ayutthaya period, gives the temple its current name and serves as a powerful reminder of its deep historical significance.
Inside the ordination ...
