On to Phitsanulok

Had a one night layover in Phitsanulok, just enough time to see a few things:

Wat Ratburana is home to a wooden boat used by King Rama V on a visit to Phitsanulok. Local folklore claims that anyone who makes offerings at the boat then crawls beneath it 3 or more times will be granted a wish.

Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat, next door, has much more of a carnival atmosphere than I expected at a Wat. The grounds are filled with vendors selling dried fish and cotton candy (nice combination!) and the filthiest toilets I saw in all of Thailand.

Even the monkeys and ellys look up to him

Final stop on my itinerary: the wonderfully-named Sergeant Major Thawee Folk Museum. Spread over several traditional wooden buildings, the displays cover farm implements, costumes, kitchenwares, and much more, including the traditional way to castrate a bull in Thailand (which basically involves beating the testicles until they fall off - ouch!).