Sala Kaew Ku Sculpture Park near Nong Khai

                                                                  Buddha with the Naga!
Strange is to say the least.  This park filled with strange sculptures of the Buddha, Hindu Gods, and contemporary symbols, is one mans dream to express himself and try to reach his Master. 
     Luang Pu, a Lao national, fell into a hole as a child and there he met Kaewkoo, an ascetic who introduced Luang to many elements of the underworld which set him on his course to become a Brahmanic yogi-priest-shaman.  With his own unique blend of Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, mythology and iconography, Luang developed a large following in Northeastern Thailand, which was his adopted home after the 1975 communist takeover in Laos, where he had been working on a similar project. 
     The park is a collection of bizarre cement statiesw of Shiva, Vishnu, Buddha and every other Hindu and Buddhist deity imaginable as well as lots of secular figures.  The most bizarre sculpture is a 25 meter coiled naga with Buddha sitting at the base of a multiheaded hood.
     My favorite setting was a depiction of the Wheel of Life.  One enters through a giant mouth and follow the wheel which depicts the many stages and options of one throughout life. 
     Unfortunately, Luang was imprisoned by the King because of a negative remark he had made and was imprisoned , and then passed away a year after his confinement.
     The experience was wonderful, quiet, serene and ended with a water drink by a small pond filled with huge hungry catfish.