The White Palace, Hilltribes, and Condoms!

 

The next day we headed to Chiang Rai, and stopped at the White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) which was absolutely amazing. It was created by the artist Chalermchai Kositpipat on the site of an old temple, and he opened it to the public, with free admission all year round. The artist financed the project with his own money, and only took small donations. The really neat thing is how the artist included modern figures like Batman, George Bush, Michael Jackson, etc. in the paintings in the temple, as well as some sculptures on the outside. Since I couldn’t take a picture of the inside, I included one from the outside. Did you notice Batman’s head hanging off a tree branch?

You cannot miss the hands reaching out in front of the bridge to the temple, which look creepy and beautiful at the same time. I also liked the contrast of the monk’s orange robes next to the white of the temple, as well as the gold structure.

The White Temple is an amazing site that will make you want to capture as many photographs as possible since there is so much to see!

Our next adventure was to see the Hill tribes people, one of the most recognized is the Karen (known as the “long neck”). They left Myanmar to seek sanctuary in Thailand. The tribe people have land reserved and schooling for their children, but they are on display as a way to make money. Many people do not like that it is a sort of zoo, but my sister and I wanted to see how some of the indigenous people live.

The tribes’ people also sell their own handicrafts and other trinkets. I bought a green and blue scarf that is so delicate that it can only be put on display to preserve it. The Karen people are the ones whose women wear the rings around their necks, which push their shoulders down, causing their necks to look elongated.  The process is painful and keeps the women from doing much; they basically weave and clean. It’s sad to see the rings on the little girls. The men farm. It’s a very rural landscape…you’ll see children playing with things like wheels. The women played some traditional music for us as well, and even had us help with the heavy instruments. Our guide also showed us maps and gave us information on where the tribes people came from.

That night we went to the night market (as usual) and had our typical fare of coconut water…the girl was really nice, and had this device that shaved the coconut on the inside so we could snack on it.  I wandered around and found a café with Wi-Fi where I had the most delicious pineapple fried rice. All the fruit and vegetables tasted so fresh…the pineapple was so good! There were bars where you could grab a drink, or even sit outside at the market and people watch. The weather was perfect for being outside! It was a nice and low key night to end our stay in Thailand.

Lastly, I had to include this store since it is so neat, and I love its message. It is called Cabbages and Condoms which promotes, you guessed it, condom usage. I included a photo of their condoms.

They do sell food and souvenirs as well. I did buy the most delicious coconut chips there, which only a true coconut lover would enjoy.

They also have a café there where you can get Thai iced tea or coffee…both are really good, but very sweet since they are made with condensed milk.

That ends my stay in Thailand, which I enjoyed so much! I plan on returning and spending more time in the south and seeing the islands. Next stop: Laos, a country I knew nothing about before I went, but fell in love with.