White Temple Chiang Rai

Being lovers of all things art and creativity we had to go to the White Temple in Chiang Rai. And, given that Paul has always wanted to travel to Myanmar, we had to go to the Golden Triangle so that he could glimpse the country of his dreams. So we booked a one-day Chiang Rai / Golden Triangle tour with TravelHub Thailand. Neither of us are really tour people but with so little time remaining before we head home, it was the best option. And it ended up being a fantastic day; the tour guide really just facilitated the transport, food and site entries and gave us just the right amount of time in each location. But you don’t want practicalities. You want to know what we felt, saw and experienced.

It was a long three hour drive from Chiang Mai to the White Temple. Some of the drive was beautiful and took us along a winding road snaking across a mountain range while other sections travelled through hot dry towns slung out along the highway. But the drive is worth it because words will never do the White Temple justice. It is hands down the most beautiful structure I have ever seen. It glitters like ice and snow on a bluebird day. The attention to detail is spectacular, if somewhat disturbing with all those skulls and flailing hands. If you go there, take the time to walk around the back of the complex because, while there were hundred of tourists competing for photo space out the front of the temple, we pretty much had the sides and back of the complex to ourselves. The temple is still under construction so we could not go inside. The artist is building it as an example of modern Thai art and, apparently, the interior is being decorated to reflect the state of Buddhism in the twenty-first century, rather than the traditional historical stories.

After 40 minutes we pull out of the White Temple complex and join the convoy of mini buses heading north on the same itinerary. Don’t be mistaken here: Thailand’s tourism industry funnels everyone nicely along the same route. It’s easy to see why The Beach was set in this country because it really is like Leonardo di Caprio’s speech in the opening scenes of that movie. But that’s no reason not to travel to this amazing country. Just be prepared to join the convoy if you want to see the most famous sites.Read more