Wat Si Don Chai Pa Tung Ngam

Wat Mae Kaet Noi is a village temple in San Sai, about ten minutes' drive from Maejo University, and the reason to go is its hell garden. Behind a turnstile you'll find rows of graphic statues showing the punishments Thai Buddhist tradition assigns to different sins, and some scenes start a Thai-language recording with lights and movement when you drop in a 10-baht coin. A smaller section shows the opposite, with merit-making, monks and prayer. It's weathered, strange and very explicit, so it isn't for everyone. If you like the odd side of Thai temples, though, it's well worth the trip.