Thai Temples

Greetings to you all:
Here are just a few pictures to give you a taste of the beauty of Thai Temples, or Wats as they call them here. The one on the top right was taken in a temple in Lamphun, about 70 kms. southeast of Chiang Mai. This photo tells it all, the beauty of the nature, the elegance of the temple architecture, the adoration of the king of Thailand in the yellow flag that we see everywhere (half the population seems to be dressed in the same yellow polo-necked T-shirts bearing the king's crest) and the nationalism with the red, white and blue striped flag.
The black Buddha was taken in Chiang Mai and depicts one of the many different aspects and poses of the Buddha, always kind, always mindful and always beautifully cared for. When venerating a Buddha, one brings three basic offerings: a candle that is then lit that represents teaching and enlightenment, incense because the fragrance and smoke are ephemeral and a lotus flower, which despite its beauty, grows in muddy waters and is short-lived.
The white chedi (stupa) is in the Burmese style as the Thai chedi are gold. This was taken in a wat in the northwest corner of Thailand in Mae Hong Son, perched high on a hill above the town, surrounded by the rolling foothills of the Himalayas that form the border between Thailand and Myanmar (Burma). The moon was full, the clouds were pink and it was a truly magical moment. The lady walking around it (3 times) with a pot of flowers in her hand is me. Jeannie is running in front of me. Yes, she was there for those of you who might be in doubt. Worry not, there was a shop within the grounds where she managed to drop a few baht.
The last is the flower of the Sala or Bohdi tree which is so important in the story of Buddha. One story relates that when Buddha lay dying after he came down from the mountains after 6 years of deprivation and meditation, his first sensation in semi-consciousness was the fragrance of a petal of a Sala flower that had fallen onto his cheek. Budha also finally reached Enlightenment while meditating under a Sala tree. Which brings me back full circle as the 'umbrella' (sorry, I have forgotten the correct name) that you see in the first picture is a representation of the Sala tree.
There you have a little piece of one of the 'delicacies', in the truse sense of the word that I so love in Thailand.
Eva