I can't believe that it has been more than a month since my trip to Thailand. And October being a busy period at work certainly makes it feel longer. Ok, back to the documentation of my trip before my memory becomes fuzzy.
Our next stop was the Mae Fah Luang garden at Doi Tung, which was the Princess Mother (mother of the current Thai King)'s garden.
*Stay tuned!*
Day 3 - The White Temple (Chiang Rai)
Early morning, we board a bus to Chiang Rai, which took about three hours. Green Bus was the company recommended by most online travel sites, and the service was very reliable. It cost 288 Baht per person for the VIP bus (24 seat) and included snacks and a bottle of water. We did not book in advance, and could not make it onto the first bus at 8am as it was full. Fortunately, there are many buses that go to Chiang Rai everyday, and we didn't have to wait too long for the next one (bus schedule).
Based on tripadvisor's recommendation, I decided to stay at Bamboo Nest, which was ranked #1 of Chiang Rai B&B and Inns. If you read most of the reviews, you would think "Wow, I must stay at this place!". Indeed, our stay at Bamboo Nest turned out to be quite a highlight of our trip - which definitely requires a separate post to talk about.
The lady who run the Bamboo Nest (Noi) picked us up the bus station. I signed up for a day tour with her for the sake of convenience, so she can just bring us back to the guesthouse at the end of the day. The day tour included traveling to the White Temple, the Black House and the Mae Fah Luang garden. Due to time constraint, we had to skip the Black House, but manage to visit it the next day.
The White Temple, known as Wat Rong Khun in Thai, was not like any of the temples you expect to see in Thailand. It was pure white all over with very intricate sculpting of religious figures and symbols. Its exterior was covered with fragments of mirror and shines like crazy especially in the afternoon. I went around noon time and almost got blinded (a sunglasses and a hat are a must if you are planning to visit in the afternoon). The White Temple was designed by a local artist named Chalermchai Kositpipat, and some people liken it to Gaudi's Sagrada Familia due to its complexity and the long time required to complete the project. It is currently a work in progress and is expected to be completed in 2070 (according to Wikipedia). Besides the nontraditional exterior appearance, what amazed me more was the interior of the main hall which was decorated with murals with references to modern pop culture such as the Matrix, Spiderman, Doraemon, Ultraman and even Michael Jackson. No camera was allowed inside, so I can only share a photo taken from a book about the temple.
Hands reaching out from hell
The guardian to the gate of heaven
Back of the temple - reserved for the monks to study and pray
The workshop for the craftsmen
A "bodhi tree" with aluminium leaves, on which people wrote their wishes
The wishing well
The restrooms - the color chosen purposely to symbolize the color of human dung
A mural in the interior of the temple
Our next stop was the Mae Fah Luang garden at Doi Tung, which was the Princess Mother (mother of the current Thai King)'s garden.
*Stay tuned!*
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