Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phan Tao in the morning

The great brick chedi of Wat Chedi Luang, in the middle of the old city, lost its top in an earthquake in the sixteenth century, and the ruin is more striking than a complete tower would be. Early light is the reason to come as soon as the gates open: the sun comes in low across the grounds and turns the brick from grey to rose, and the monks crossing the courtyard in saffron are going about their morning, not posing.

Next door, Wat Phan Tao's hall is built of dark teak, and its carved front holds the same soft light at any hour. It is a small, quiet temple: the frame is the wooden facade and the doorway, and the interior is left to the people who have come to pray. Together the two make an old-city session that fits into an hour and is over before the heat.

The temple rules are the same as anywhere in Thailand, and they are meant: shoulders and knees covered, shoes off before entering a hall, never climbing on the ruin or any Buddha image, never pointing your feet at an image or a monk, and keeping your head lower than the Buddha's. A woman does not touch a monk or hand him anything directly. The small shrine of the city pillar in the grounds is closed to women, and a sign at its entrance says so. Kisses and lifts belong outside the temple walls; check the opening hours before you go.