Date Visited: 14th April 2014
My friend and I decided to go our own separate way when we went back to Chiang Mai from Pai. She is interested with Rainforest Canopy Zipline whereas for me, I ended up took 1 Day Chiang Rai Excursion Tour. Frankly speaking, I was never worry of taking the tour alone as I went through that experience when I was in Melbourne few years back. But what cause me to take the one day excursion to Chiang Rai alone? All mainly because of this temple - Wat Rong Khun.
#1: Wat Rong Khun from far away - Always jam-packed and crowded with tourists
Well-known among the foreign visitors as the White Temple, Wat Rong Khun is the most recognisable temples and most visited attractions in Northern Thailand. When our van arrived this temple, from far away I could literally see this temple is indeed jam-packed and crowded especially with tourists from Mainland China. But that ain't going to stop me from joining the crowd of visiting this marvellous and stunning temple.
#2: White temple reflected on a large pond
It was like love at first sight when I saw this white temple for the very first time. It touched my heart instantly for the minute I saw it and without I realised, I had fall in love with this contemporary Buddhist and Hindu temple. Honestly to say, I have visited quite number of temples either in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and even in other parts of Thailand but none of them gave me a very deep impression like what Wat Rong Khun did.
#3: The white colour signifies the purity of the Buddha
Wat Rong Khun was built by a famous local visual artist who decided to completely rebuilt the temple and using his own money to fund the whole project. To date, the extension is still ongoing and when its completed, the white temple compound is expecting to have nine buildings including a hall of relics, a meditation hall, an art gallery and living quarters for monks. Despite spending huge amount of money by the local artist to rebuild the whole temple, the admission to the wat compound is absolutely free of charge. How generous and humble he is, right?
#4: The bridge leading to the main Wat
#5: The bridge of "the cycle of rebirth" - Hundreds of reaching hands that symbolise desire
#6: The main temple - Unfortunately no photo is allowed to take inside and one must take off the shoe before entering
#7: Up close to the temple's chofa - perfect carving
#8: Even the view from behind can be breath-taking
What You Should Take Note:
1) Dress respectfully like no revealing clothes.
2) Phototaking is not allowed inside the main temple.
3) Remove your shoes before entering a temple building.
The journey from Chiang Mai to here takes almost 2 hours. So, if you wish to visit here without taking any exercusion tour, at least spend a night in Chiang Rai. Take bus from the old bus station nearby the night bazaar in the center of Chiang Mai town and the ride takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
Opening Hours: 8 am to 6 pm daily.
Admission Fee: It's free of charge.
My full and lengthy post on 1 Day Chiang Rai Excursion Tour will coming up next. So stay tune!
My full and lengthy post on 1 Day Chiang Rai Excursion Tour will coming up next. So stay tune!
Perfect place to wear my "elephant pants" during my next trip :P
ReplyDeleteWould love to have a solo trip to North Thailand next time
The White Temple is so beautiful and magnificient.
ReplyDeleteI think you won't miss from visiting black temple :)
ReplyDeleteVery impressive! Maybe I should've taken the trip when I was in Chiang Mai... mmmmm.. next time! :)
ReplyDeleteBeen here and I found that the hands sculptures are quite scary... :P
ReplyDeleteI love the unique design of this temple when I first saw the photos a few years ago. Many people fell in love with it just like you. Remember that I mentioned growing up in Thailand when I was younger but I still have not visited Chiangmai areas.
ReplyDeleteGosh the bridge with so manyso many hands really makes ones think of life and death
ReplyDelete