Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle

Even though this post is about Chiang Rai, most of the time I was there, I wasn’t there. What I saw on the way from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai, and what I saw when our group did pretty much an all-day outing to the Golden Triangle dominated my experiences in the last two days.

Here’s a quick rundown. As usual, photos tell the story better than words. So have a look-see.

Hot Springs

We stopped at some hot springs along the road from Chiang Mai. I didn’t really expect this kind of thing here.

White Temple

I can’t do better than to quote Wikipedia:

Wat Rong Khun (Thai: วัดร่องขุ่น), better known as the White Temple, is a Buddhist temple in Pa O Don Chai, Mueang District, Chiang Rai province, Thailand. Situated outside the city of Chiang Rai, the temple attracts a large number of visitors, both Thai and foreign, making it one of Chiang Rai’s most visited attractions. The White Temple was created by master Chalermchai Kositpipat, the national artist who designed, constructed, and opened it to visitors in 1997.

The primary structure of the temple is made of a basic concrete frame and a wooden roof. Viewed from a distance, it appears to be crafted from sparkling porcelain, but on closer inspection it becomes evident that the dazzling effect is achieved through a blend of whitewash and transparent mirrored chips. The outer surfaces are adorned with white plaster and incorporated glass inserts.

Somewhere I read that Chalermchai Kositpipat has been described as the Gaudi of Thailand. I guess I can see why, but I’m going to Barcelona for the first time next spring, so I’ll wait to confirm then.

The interior walls are painted with surrealistic murals. I honestly couldn’t tell you what it all means.

I have a dedicated photo album for the White Temple with a lot more photos from both the interior and the grounds.

Tham Luang Cave

Do you remember when the Thai soccer team got trapped inside a cave when monsoon rains blocked their only way out? This was in June 2018. I’d forgotten all about it until I remembered how Elon Musk thought he could send in a submarine to bring them out. What an idiot! Apparently the rescue team thought so to and sent him away.

Anyway, we visited the cave, which is in northeastern Thailand. We were able to enter the cave, and we learned about the details of how they were found and how they were rescued. It’s a remarkable story. If you don’t remember much about it, as I didn’t, you can read about it on Wikipedia.

The Golden Triangle

The area where the Ruak River flows into the Mekong and the countries of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar meet has the moniker “The Golden Triangle.” It got that name in 1971 by a US State Department official. He was talking about the opium trade, which has been centered in that region since the 1950s. Until the early 21st century, most of the world’s heroin was produced here.

The Thai portion of the Golden Triangle is now a popular tourist area, with an opium museum (which I visited briefly) and a park along the river from which you can see the other two countries. Laos is now building huge hotels and casinos, easily visible across the Mekong. Myanmar is still the number one heroin producer and the number one methamphetamine producer in the world.

There is also a Buddhist temple, Wat Prathat Pukhao, in the area we visited, up a long stairway. Since I’ve never met a stairway I didn’t want to see what’s at the top of, I climbed.

Then there was another, even longer and steeper stairway to a pagoda. The pagoda itself was nothing to look at, but the views were impressive.

Back down at river level were these interesting and photogenic things:

The Blue Temple

When we got back to Chiang Rai, we stopped at Wat Rong Suea Ten, better known as the Blue Temple. Its design is from students of Chalermchai Kositpipat who had previously worked with him on the White Temple. The similarities are striking.

Except it’s blue instead of white.

There are more photos of the Blue Temple in the photo album of Chiang Rai.

I’m curious: what do you think of the White Temple and the Blue Temple? Do you like them? Do you like one more than the other? Or do you prefer the more traditional temples such as those I saw in Chiang Mai? Leave a comment and let me know what you think.