Visiting Wat Mettatham Photiyan (วัดเมตตาธรรมโพธิญาณ) Once Again

Every once in a while I stop by Wat Mettadhamma Pothiyan to see how the building is progressing. I now see this temple is also listed as Wat Metta Dharma Bodhiyan so pick the name you prefer.

I have blogged about this temple at least twice but often stop by without taking pictures or blogging about it. I first blogged about it back in February of 2024 in the post Wat Mettadhamma Pothiyan and then wrote another post in July of 2024 in Temple Building Progress

I stopped by in March of 2025 but didn't write a blog and only seemed to have taken the following 2 pictures.

I stopped by the other day and took a number of new pictures. I am always amazed by the amount of work being done and enjoy comparing my old and new pictures. This time I rode around the platform that is being built for the big Buddha and onto the 2nd floor of the building and parked my bike in the middle and took the following 2 pictures.

I took a few more pictures of the ongoing work on the Buddha base from a few places outside of the building.

The following is a picture of what appears to be wagon wheels on the ground floor of the Buddha base and I think they will be used as the windows on the 2nd floor.

I like to also go in the main hall that has the Bodhisattva Shrine what is amazing. I don't think anything changed in this hall but I took a number of photos of the Bodhisattva and all the wooden Buddhas in the areas around this hall.

This is a photo of the Bodhisattva Shrine hall from when I was on the 2nd floor of the Big Buddha Base and looking out one of the round windows.

I even took a selfie in front of the Bodhisattva Shrine this time.

These 2 halls are just across from the Bodhisattva and I don't recall looking into them before but they appear to be cleaning them up and I wonder if they will be furnished the next time I stop by for a visit.

I finished this visit in the following hall that I have been in before but didn't take any pictures in the past. I think it may have been the 1st building that was completed but that is just a guess.

After all these pictures and a number of visits I think I may have missed one of the halls that are open at this complex. Hopefully next time I will find it since I am sure I will be back to check on the progress.

Pathum Thani Province Speedboat Racing (แข่งขันเรือเร็ว จังหวัดปทุมธานี)

This is the 3rd Long Tail Boat Racing event where I attended and watched the speed of these boats. I have done the following long video below and then the 2 shorts that I uploaded while at the event. I think the only things I have to say about the event I put in the long video so that makes for a short blog.

Wat Klang Khlong Watthana Ram (วัดกลางคลองวัฒนาราม)

I had added Wat Klang Khlong Watthana Ram (วัดกลางคลองวัฒนาราม) to my list of places to visit after seeing it on a YouTube channel that I follow. I had visited a friend the night before and was going to Pathum Thani for the boat racing the following day so thought it would be a good day to visit Ayutthaya's Wat Klang Khlong Watthana Ram.

I don't know much about this temple other than it being a pretty purple temple. The front of the temple was undergoing some work but the side and the interior made for some impressive pictures.

This picture is of what I believe to be the Assembly Hall which is in a different building from the main temple.

This is the side of the temple from the court yard area.

This is a picture of the shrine, or the front hall of the main temple.

This is a picture of the floor or the main temple.

This is a picture of the back of wall of the main temple with the entrances on each side. I really liked the elephants on this wall.

I found this purple temple pretty but not sure I would recommend visiting it unless you are in the area and have a bit of time to kill.

Don Chedi Memorial Fair 2026

I heard about the Don Chedi Memorial Fair on Facebook and it was supposed to have a battle reenactment with Elephants. It sounded like fun so I headed up to Suphanburi.

I was about 20 kilometers from my hotel when I realized I didn't bring my passport. The hotel asked for my passport when checking in but accepted my driving license and a picture of my passport I keep on my phone.

I had a bit of rest in my hotel and then hopped on the bike for the 30 kilometer ride to Don Chedi. I was in Don Chedi about this time of the year last year. I was there in the day time and even though all the stands were around the Chedi I didn't even think about attending the fair when I was there last year.

My main reason for being at the fair was to see the battle reenactment with Elephants. It was not obvious where this would take place when walking around and I was calling it close on time since I thought the show would start within 20 minutes of arrival. I started trying to ask people where the battle reenactment was but I have no idea how to say this in Thai. I typed in battle reenactment with elephants into Google translate and then ask people "Do You Know" and show them the translation in my phone then ask "Where".

I mostly received baffled looks in return but Thai people don't like to say they don't know something so would point in a direction and off I would go. I asked one lady and she told me she knew about it but that they were not doing it today. I asked if it would happen tomorrow and she said yes. I asked where and she pointed in a direction so off I went to see if I could find the venue.

I never found a place that looked like it was set up for this type of show so kept trying to ask people. A second person told me no show today but tomorrow so at that point I gave up looking.

I got something to eat and drink at one of the many food stands then made another loop of the Chedi.

After giving up on finding the battle reenactment with Elephants I uploaded the following short of the Chedi and the fair. The Chedi was pretty with the lighting on and around it.



I maybe should have stayed another night and attempted to find the reenactment the following day but I had plans to visit a friend's house the following day. I checked out of the hotel and headed home to retrieve my passport so I could check into hotels without a problem in the following days and then rode back up the same road to visit my friend.

Sometimes travel doesn't go the way I hoped but always keeps life interesting.