"Whispering Love in Nan Province"

This phrase has only become popular in the past two years, after Nan Province opened itself up more to tourism.

This has led to an influx of visitors to Nan, a city where life can be described as slow-paced, allowing time to pass by at its own leisurely pace. We visited Nan in the latter half of last year and uploaded a video of Phra That Chae Haeng Temple, which was essentially a trip following instructions. However, once we had completed the planned itinerary, we sought out other places to visit beyond that.

We then focused on the temples and monasteries within Nan city itself, so exploring beyond the planned itinerary was a bonus of our trip to write a review. And we tend to do this regularly when we travel...

Our itinerary was not fixed. We just knew that we parked our car at the Nan National Museum. We went to see the frangipani arch and walked out to the main road, where we found a temple. That temple was Wat Phumin.

I remember that this temple is another famous temple in Nan.

At that time, it was still morning and there were no people or tourists.

Actually, it was a weekday. Nan on weekdays, weekends, and long weekends have very different atmospheres.

Because it is a province that is booming with new tourists, there are more and more people visiting.

Especially on long weekends, you might even encounter traffic jams in Nan. 555

Today is our day. We get to walk around Wat Phumin without any people. It's so beautiful, isn't it?

"Wat Phumin" was originally called "Wat Phramin." It is a unique temple because the chapel and the viharn are built as one building.

The walls inside the chapel are painted with images that show the way of life and culture of the people of Nan in the past. Wat Phumin was built around 1596 by King Chet Butra Prommin, the ruler of Nan, after he had ruled Nan for six years.

Originally called "Wat Phramin," the name of the temple was later changed to Wat Phumin, which has remained to this day.

Next to the church is the Phra Malai Prok Lok stupa.

We only saw it from the outside and did not go inside to see what was there. When we came back to look for information, it turned out that inside there are statues depicting hell for those who commit sins.

It shows what kind of karma they will receive, as a reminder to fear. Good thing we didn't go in to see it, haha.

Let's step inside the church. I can tell you that the interior of Wat Phumin is incredibly magnificent.

The interior of the Phumin Temple's ordination hall is unparalleled in its beauty and is the only one of its kind in Thailand. The Fine Arts Department has speculated that it is the first four-faced ordination hall in the country. The ordination hall at the center houses four large Buddha statues, each facing outward towards the doors on all four sides. These statues are in the Mara-Vijaya posture, meaning they are conquering the Mara, the embodiment of temptation and evil. Regardless of which staircase visitors use to ascend, they will be greeted by the serene faces of the Buddha statues from all directions.

We were unable to find information about this statue online. If anyone knows who it depicts, please let us know so we can add it.

Another major attraction of Wat Phumin is the world-renowned "Whispering Love" mural. However, the temple walls are adorned with more than just this iconic painting. Various murals throughout the chapel depict scenes from the daily lives of Nan residents in the past, offering a glimpse into their attire and customs.

It is important to note that flash photography is strictly prohibited when taking pictures inside the temple.

This image of a young man and woman whispering to each other is considered to be the most beautiful image in Wat Phumin.

The murals in the main chapel were painted during the restoration of the temple during the reign of King Rama IV. There are many interesting images, such as the prominent image of Pu Man and Ya Man.

These are the names given to Tai Lue men and women in ancient times who are whispering to each other. The man has a tattoo, and the woman is dressed in full Tai Lue attire. The painting of this young couple is very delicate.

Everyone wants to take a picture with this image, so the temple has set up a barrier to prevent people from getting too close to the wall. This is to prevent people from touching the painting. Therefore, there is a suitable time for taking pictures of the murals in the temple.

After we have seen the whispering love paintings spread to various places, whether in Chiang Mai or the Fine Arts Department, it can be said that the painting at Wat Phumin is definitely the original.

On the way back, before leaving the temple, I stopped by to buy some shirts as souvenirs. They were 100 baht each, and there were also some "หม้อฮ้อม" clothes.

The local clothes of Nan people are really cheap and affordable.

And another temple we visited, actually we didn't intend to visit it, but we were looking for a famous dessert shop called "ป้านิ่ม". We found it, but couldn't find a parking spot.

So we went to park next to the shop, which made us drive into the temple parking lot.

Once we got in, I must say that this golden temple is really extraordinary.

Sri Pan Ton Temple, a golden ordination hall. After seeing the golden church from Wat Pak Nam Jo Lo, Chachoengsao, I also saw the golden color of the entire building from Wat Sri Pan Ton, Nan Province.

The builder was Phra Pan Ton. In the past, there were large Bodhi trees on the north and south sides of the temple. Currently, they have been cut down to make a road. Wat Sri Pan Ton received the royal consecration of the Visungka Kamma Sima in 1962. Inside the temple, there is a beautiful and magnificent golden ordination hall.

It is another temple in Nan Province that has beautiful stucco paintings, especially the seven-headed naga guarding the stairs in front of the ordination hall. Since we are already here, let's go inside the ordination hall to pay respect to the Buddha statue. The picture below was taken with a GoPro.

We parked our car here to avoid the sun. Hehe, it's good to come on weekdays like this. There aren't many people, so we can park anywhere. Inside Wat Si Phanthong, there is a long-tailed boat shed. The boat is really long and is considered an ancient boat. The hull has a betel nut tail shape and has 3 sections: the bow, which is curved and slender.

There is also a donation box. Is it for the maintenance of the boat?

Here it is, the restaurant we've been searching for. It's been all over social media, with everyone raving about how delicious it is.

And it's true, it's really delicious. But the price is also quite high.

We ordered the recommended menu item, which everyone has been talking about. It's the Bua Loy with young coconut and ice cream. You can also add an egg, but we didn't.

This cup costs 45 baht. Is it expensive? For us, it's a bit pricey. But considering how delicious it is, we're willing to pay for it. Hehe.

It's not often that we get to come here, so we decided to indulge in this recommended dish.

Traveling off the beaten path, beyond the usual tourist destinations, has allowed us to discover many new things. If we had more time, we would have driven to Doi Samer Dao, Khun Sathan, Nan Noi, and Bo Kluea. These are all beautiful natural places worth visiting.

Until next time, Nan. We will visit you again soon.

With a long, long trip to Nan. ^^

Thank you for watching.