We are heading north to the city of Chiang Rai this hot and humid morning. It is about a 3 hour drive to Chiang Rai and along the way we are going to visit the famed “White Temple”, also known as ‘Wat Rong Khun’.
We’re going to miss the staff at Amata. They were good fun!
The scenery changed quickly once we left Chiang Mai and headed north. The landscape was much more rural, and mountains appeared in the distance. There was lots of construction activity along the route.
We stopped for a rest break at an interesting place called ‘Cabbages and Condoms’. There are four C&C’s in Thailand which were built by the government during a period when AIDS was epidemic in the country, especially in the rural and hill tribe communities. Their mission to educate these people about AIDs and contraception was a major success. The attached restaurants are now listed in guidebooks as foodie destinations. As an added feature, all dining guests receive a prophylactic with their meal! We missed out as we only purchased iced mocha for the drive.
The original White Temple was very old and in disrepair and no funds were available for restoration. Chalermchai Kositpipat, a local artist from Chiang Rai, decided to completely rebuild the temple and fund the project with his own money. To date, he has spent over 1.2 million dollars on the project. Kositpipat considers the temple to be an offering to Lord Buddha and believes the project will give him immortal life.
Today the work which began in 1975 is ongoing but is not expected to be completed until 2070.
The primary structure of the temple is a basic concrete frame and a wooden roof. Viewed from a distance, it appears to be crafted from sparkling porcelain, but when closer is seen to be a blend of whitewash and transparent mirrored chips. The outer surfaces are adorned with white plaster and glass inserts.
Today is a very sunny day and the structure is so white that it is blinding to look at. The design of the building is very modern and quite controversial. To access the temple you cross over a bridge over a small lake. Before the bridge there are hundreds of outstretched hands symbolizing unrestrained desire or greed. Once you cross the bridge (symbolizing rebirth) you are at the ‘Gate of Heaven’.
The principal building, the ‘Ubosot’, is an all-white building embedded with fragments of mirrored glass. It shares design elements from classic Thai architecture, such as a three-tiered roof and the use of Naga serpents.
There is no photography allowed Inside the temple. There are many murals depicting swirling flames and demon faces, along with Western idols such as Michael Jackson, Neo from The Matrix, Freddy Krueger, and a T-800 series Terminator. Images of nuclear warfare, the World Trade Center terrorist attack, and oil pumps describe the destructive impact that humans have had on earth. The presence of Harry Potter, Superman, & Hello Kitty confuses the message somewhat, but the supposed overall moral is that people are wicked.
One structure in the complex that stands out is a golden building representing the body, whereas the white Ubosot represents the mind. Gold symbolizes how people focus on worldly desires and money. The gold building also houses the rest rooms! The white building represents the idea to make merit and to focus on the mind, instead of material things and possessions.
After visiting the temple, we arrived at our hotel in Chiang Rai, the Mora Boutique Hotel, and bid goodbye to our guide Kong and driver Chip.
Mora is more modern than the other hotels we have stayed in but is very nice, well-appointed and convenient to the city’s street markets. We had a late afternoon snack at the hotel restaurant, unpacked and went for a walk around the town and visited the Hilltribe museum that talks about the various tribes that inhabit the mountains above the town.
We’ve been really lucky with the weather, but while at the museum the skies opened and it rained heavily. Once the rain paused, we made a dash for the hotel.
Mora features a roof top bar overlooking the city. Unfortunately, it began raining again so we sat in the indoor area and chatted with Rick and Susan, a couple from Boulder, CO who are Asian buffs. We’re getting concerned about the upcoming weather as two typhoons are closing in on route. Fingers crossed.
Did I mention it is hot and humid here?
Mary