Wat Sothon Wararam Worawihan
Yes, you did read that name correctly and no, a chimpanzee hasn't taken over the writing of my blog. Although sometimes it may seem like it!!! Wat Sothon Wararam Worawihan, is actually a Buddhist temple in the province of Chachoengsao, about 80km east of Bangkok and a 1 hour 30 minute drive from my home town of Banglamung near Pattaya. It houses one of the most revered Buddha images in Thailand known as "Luang Por Sothon" which means the "venerable father of Sothon". There is a interesting story surrounding how the statue of Luang Por Sothon came to be at Wat Sothon. Legend has it that 3 Buddha images were found floating along the Chao Phraya River towards the Bang Pakong River, where local villagers tried in vain, to tie the statues together and bring them ashore. The statues continued on their watery journey until fortune smiled upon the inhabitants of Ban Leam who were able to retrieve one of them. The second statue was rescued at the town of Bang Phlee and t...