Next the the city\’s bustling market is the large temple compound of Wat Hua Wiang. The main feature of the temple is its huge multi-gabled wooden wiharn, housing a revered Buddha image. This wiharn, more than most, reminded us of the wooden orthodox churches built in the 18th and 19th centuries by Russian immigrants to Alaska and northern California.
Next to the wiharn, the temple\’s ubosot is rather small by comparison, although its larger than most in the city. Like most of the temples in this style, the ubosot of Wat Hua Wiang is fenced off and only used for ordination ceremonies. But the biggest building in the compound is the huge rambling two-storey sala which has its own multi-tiered tower. This temple seemed much livelier than the others in town, with many monks and temple workers going about their business.