Jan 28 Arriving in Chiang Rai

I took a bus to Chiang Rai this morning. Chiang Rai is the capital of a province of the same name. It is the northerly part of Thailand, bordering on Laos and Mynamar, which was called Burma. It is the area known as the Golden Triangle, known as a major opium producing region. That, apparently, is in the past.

Chiang Rai is a good sized city, without too many tourist attractions, but it is a starting out point for many treks into the hills.

I did take in THE major attraction in the area, The White Temple. It is an amazing sight. The history of the complex is that about 50 years ago there was a temple, about 13 km south of Chiang Rai, that was falling apart. A local artist decided to rebuild it using his own money. The closest thing to this temple is the work of Gaudi in Barcelona.  Chalermchai Kositpipat began building the temple in 1997. The incredibly detailed, all-white exterior represents Buddha's purity. Mirrored trimming symbolizes self-reflection. The bridge to the entrance crosses over a sea of arms reaching out for help from the fiery depths of hell. Skulls, demon heads, and pop-cultural figures from the underworld—Hellraiser; Hellboy—are harbingers of what's to come.

Inside the temple, the decor changes from pristine white to fiery and bewildering. Murals depict swirling orange flames and demon faces, interspersed with Western idols such as Michael Jackson, Neo from The Matrix, Freddy Kruger, and a T-800 series Terminator. Images of nuclear warfare, terrorist attacks, and oil pumps hammer home the destructive impact that humans have had on earth. The presence of Harry Potter, Superman, and Hello Kitty confuses the message somewhat, but the overall moral is clear: people are wicked. The whole thing is unbelievable surreal.

The complex is quite large, and very well maintained.

There was an earthquake in May 2014, and for a time he thought the whole complex would be razed, but there was little structural damage. You can still see some of the damage though.

My hotel is gaudy, a bit from the center, but very nice.

The main temple

This is the only non-white building. The gold colour symbolizes man's obsession with material goods. 

The only use of this building is that it houses the public washrooms. Should it be called a "out-temple"?