Wednesday, January 8, 2014

The White Temple

Ninety percent of Thais hold Buddhism as their faith so temples can be found everywhere. They tend to be rather ornate. One temple that redefines ornate is The White Temple south of Chiang Rai. A famous artist has devoted a portion of his wealth ($1.2 million) and talent to the effort. It Has taken decades to get to this stage and he has an organization in place to see it through to completion. 




Even the most elaborate temples don't attract many tourists but The White Temple draws tourists in droves. There is an entire industry of shops, restaurants and tour drivers as a result of its appeal.  


We stopped for a few shots and became a mini attraction ourselves getting asked by 15 or 20 tourists from around the world to pose with us or to sit on our trikes for a solo shot. Although language separated us we spoke the universal language of smiles and the commonality of the human spirit. 

Another unique sight was a Chinese cemetery. 




Once we left the cemetary we left the flat of the rice region. The rolling hills were more work especially since the steepest came at mid-day. The resort we found was the nicest on the trip,the most expensive and the most welcome. 







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