Just go, C!
I'm Charity, a proud auntie, wine lover, semi-nerd, and dreamer who can't stay in one place for too long.
I've been meaning to post about my trip to Chiang Rai for a while now, but it has been very busy for ol' C lately. All very good things - English competitions, English camps, another trip to Savannakhet, etc. But, I definitely wanted to share my weekend trip to Chiang Rai because I saw some of the most beautiful temples that I've seen since being in Thailand. It was also memorable for me because a few things did not go according to plan and it was definitely an exercise in patience and optimism. I purchased my bus ticket to Chiang Rai a couple of days before my departure date since I had barely managed to get on the bus to Chiang Mai last time. I opted to leave Saturday morning, even though I would have preferred to go Friday night, but most hostels don't allow guests to check in past 11 pm in Chiang Rai and I would have arrived later than that. No big deal, I would still have plenty of time on Saturday to go sight-seeing and enjoy myself. I planned to purchase my ticket back to Tak once I arrived in Chiang Rai, which would have still been a couple of days early since I didn't intend to go back until Monday. Good thinking, C. Way to plan ahead. Sooooo remember that post a while back about making plans in Thailand? HAHAHA yeah. About that. I arrived as expected, went up to the ticket counter and asked for a ticket back to Tak on Monday. "Sorry, full!" Uhhhh, exsqueeze me? I'll try to make a long story short. They were fully booked for Monday because of the holiday weekend (Queen Sirikit's birthday) and everyone returning back to their homes. I would have to either go back on Sunday or leave on Tuesday. Neither of which was attractive to me. I asked about different routes, as well. Nada. I thought I was screwed - I would either have to leave much sooner than I'd wanted, or have to leave Tuesday and miss school, or spend about $160 for a plane ticket to Sukhothai. Pretty crappy options. I kept thinking, there HAS to be a solution here. Then I remembered there was another bus station in Chiang Rai. What if I could go there and check with other bus lines? However, by the time I came up with this idea the bus station had already closed for the day so I'd have to go back in the morning. I spent the evening trying to enjoy myself and not worry about it too much. I knew that it would all work out somehow as it always does. The hostel I was staying at helped me get a tuk tuk driver to take me to the bus station in the morning. This driver was my ambassador, man. He took me to a few places trying to see if anyone had anything, doing most of the talking for me, trying his best to help me out. But nope, everything was booked. We got to another part of the bus station and I overheard someone talking about a ticket to Sukhothai. Ahh HA! If I could get to Sukhothai, then it would be an easy trip back to Tak since they have vans and buses that go regularly. Sure enough, they had open seats so I purchased my ticket for my return trip. I could enjoy the rest of the weekend stress-free. Although, I wasn't quite done with the transportation snags - when I did arrive in Sukhothai, I had to wait nearly 2 hours for a bus back to Tak because everything else was full. Let's just say I was pretty happy when that bus arrived, even though it was definitely of questionable quality! Didn't matter at that point. Transportation issues aside, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed Chiang Rai. It's not nearly as touristy as its big sister Chiang Mai; many tourists don't make a point to visit while in Thailand. On one hand it's a shame because it really does have a lot to offer, but on the other hand it's nice because it's not TOO touristy and overpriced. The same morning I purchased my bus ticket to Sukhothai, I asked my heroic tuk tuk driver to take me to the White Temple. He surely did, as well as take me to nearly every major tourist attraction in Chiang Rai. Bless his soul, he was my unintentional tour guide and bus station diplomat for the day. He was so, so helpful and kind. The White Temple - wow, where do I even begin? Easily one of the most incredible places I've ever visited. Formally known as Wat Rong Khun to the locals, it's more of an art exhibit than a temple, really. The artist who designed it (and is still designing it), Chalermchai Kositpipat, is still alive and doesn't expect it to be fully complete until around the year 2070. The temple is chock full of symbolism - mainly about the dark side of humanity, the consequences of our choices, and as with most religions, a way to enlightenment and immortality. As you can see, looking from a bit of a distance, you can tell the temple is very ornate and intricate, but as you approach and really examine the details, it is completely mind-blowing. As you can see from the images above, the themes of sin, death, and suffering are prevalent here. Literally and figuratively, you must cross through the pain and suffering in order to reach the temple, or "heaven" as it translates. The outreached hands symbolize desire and greed. Before you can enter the temple, you must pass through the gates of heaven which are guarded by Death and Rahu, which is a Hindu deity. Finally, you are allowed to cross over to the temple itself. Photography was not allowed inside, but there were images of Western culture idols like Michael Jackson, Freddy Kruger, Harry Potter, and Neo from The Matrix. You could also see images of terrorism, wars, nuclear war, and human impact on the environment. Essentially, all things indicating humanity's obsession with things that are self-destructive and distracting from enlightenment. The exterior of the main building which is called the "ubosot" is decorated with pieces of mirrored glass and is completely white. The details are stunning and you can't help but be overwhelmed with the intricacy and beauty, as well as the time it took to create. Check out the gold building below. Is that another temple, you ask? Nope. Those are restrooms. The gold color is meant to represent humanity's lust for wealth and possessions. One could certainly spend a full day at this temple, but I was trying to pack as much into one day as I could so my next stop was Wat Rong Suea Ten, or "Blue Temple" as its known to visitors. This temple was designed by a student of Chalermchai (who created Wat Rong Khun), and certainly you could see the inspiration. The Blue Temple was only recently completed in January of 2016. It is quite impressive on the outside, but the inside is equally as remarkable. The blue color is representative of Dharma. Dharma is a pretty broad term in Buddhism, but could be summarized as "the teachings of Buddha" or the "natural laws of the universe." After the Blue Temple, we made a visit slightly out of town to visit Wat Huai Pla Kung, which has a very large Chinese-style pagoda and a very large statue named Guan Yin, which is apparently the Goddess of Mercy. The pagoda is nine floors high. I didn't go inside that, but I did take the elevator inside the Guan Yin statue which was very small and cramped at the top with all the tourists, but still pretty cool to see, and with a nice 360 degree view of Chiang Rai province. Following our visit to Huai Pla Kung, we headed over to a very unique attraction called Baan Dam, or the Black House. A popular but controversial Thai artist named Thawan Duchanee resided and worked here. It's not really one house but a series of buildings which store Thawan's creative works. His art seems to be an intriguing combination of traditional Thai art and architecture, Buddhist influence, and an intense interest in animals and death. I couldn't help but think some of his pieces belonged on the set of the "Vikings" TV series. Thawan himself passed away just recently in 2014, but it's apparent that great care is being taken to preserve his home and art. I could see how his work could cause some discomfort and controversy among the Thais, but people of Western cultures would more likely find it all the more fascinating rather than distasteful. Overall, the weekend I spent in Chiang Rai was unforgettable, and it was definitely worth any headaches getting to and from. I hope you enjoyed the photos - my little iPhone can sadly never do enough justice, but hopefully you can still appreciate some of the beauty that I was able to experience in this underrated city.
Until next time...
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AuthorHi! I'm Charity. I'm from Omaha, Nebraska, USA. I quit my job in October 2016 to travel the world. Archives
June 2022
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