Our Return to Thailand

The White Temple in Chiang Rai

We had to go back into Thailand because we were flying out of Bangkok to Jakarta. Our initial plan was to catch a bus from the Laos/Thailand boarder to Chiang Mai and then catch an overnight train to Bangkok. But after meeting David from Reunion on our trip up the Mekong, who suggested we visit Chiang Rai and the White Temple and also take a trip up to Pai, we changed our plans. That has been one of the things we have enjoyed while travelling, meeting people who have been where we want to go and getting their suggestions of where to visit and changing our plans at the last minute. This has made our travelling more interesting and exciting. 

We visited the White Temple with James and Stephanie, an English couple we met on the Mekong. We have not seen anything quite like this Temple, it was very, very white and glittered in the sun.  The White temple is quite new and is the work of a Thai artist. It looks like a castle from a Walt Disney movie or perhaps a large wedding cake. I think Roxcy, Elizabeth and Meg  would have loved it. I found it hard taking photos because there was such a strong glare from the temple. If you look closely at the photo above you will notice that one of the spires is broken and on a lean, the result of a recent earthquake.  Inside the temple there are some stunning painted scenes representing the artists interpretation of Buddhist theology. It's quite idiosyncratic and one of the scenes includes an image of Neo from The Matrix.  

All the windows and doorways were framed like this. They are very ornate.

I called these wishing or praying trees. People buy a silver tag and write their wish or prayer on it and then hang it on this tree like structure. There are a few of these and they are full of people's prayers and wishes on behalf of themselves or someone they love. I thought they looked beautiful and I was moved by the hope that by placing their wish/prayer on this structure their desires would become reality. Much like prayer.

An unusual combination ... road cone, with skull topped by a white symbol from the Temple.

After the White Temple we visited the Black Temple. We liked it here. The Black Temple is the creation of another Thai artist and almost a polar opposite of the White Temple with its buildings being mostly black and dark brown. It is quieter and a lot less extroverted than the White Temple but still very unusual in its own way. The buildings are filled with snake skins, crocodile skins, animal antlers, horns, skulls etc. Some of the rooms look like very large dining rooms with long tables and chairs with water buffalo horns as their backs. Very medieval and Game of Thrones. Outside the scary animal theme continues for example with two very large living pythons in a cage. All part of the artist's conception.  

I thought of home when I saw these carvings. They reminded me of our beautiful Maori Carvings and history. Such a beautiful part of New Zealand culture.

This is Pete sitting behind the skull of a crocodile which is sitting on snake skin on a very long and large table. The snake that provided the skin must have been enormous.

A chair that sits at the head of a table ... the back is made from water buffalo horns. You can get an idea of the dark wood inside this building and the high stud. There is some beautiful wood that has been used in the Black Temple. 

In contrast to the blacks and dark browns of most of the temple complex there are a few of these white "igloos" on the outskirts. They house many artefacts, including furniture and stuffed animals. Such an interesting artistic creation. Despite the dead animals and live snakes we found the Black Temple a little warmer and more inviting than the White Temple. But both give a sense of an artistic energy and creativity that felt very strong in many of the places we visited in Thailand.   

This is for you Mike ... given your passion for bikes we thought you would like this. These bikes were in a supermarket in a mall near the Chiang Rai bus station. As with the Black and White temples we were struck by the originality of the design. There is something very edgy and cool about many of the things we have seen in Thailand and in other parts of SE Asia. Lots of very interesting fusions of East and West.

Yummy NZ ice cream ... I know there are many countries in the world that think they know how to make ice cream, but they don't. New Zealand knows how to make good ice cream. I can no longer pretend otherwise. Unfortunately beyond out budget over here. 

We caught a mini bus from Chiang Mai to Pai. It is about a 3-4 hour trip, the actual distance is not far but the road is very, very windy. There is about an hour of straight driving out of the city and then 3 hours non-stop of twisting and curving roads. In all the years I have known Pete I have never ever seen him car sick. Well this trip changed all that! Pete was hanging out the window of the van ... his whole upper body, vomiting out the window, trying to be as discreet as he could. Meanwhile everyone on the bus was trying not to notice this man hanging out the window of the van being sick. I tired to be empathetic but I got the giggles. Rather than risk a repeat we went back to Chiang Mai on a scooter. We stayed at the Aroma Spa in Pai and this is our very own private hot pool. We thought that it was so romantic here. Nothing like starting and ending your day with a dip in your very own natural hot pool right outside your bedroom door.

Taking a load of hay ... somewhere!

I loved this tree at the end of the drive of our Spa. I am sure that whatever the yellow is it is not helping the tree, but I thought the texture looked ethereal almost like a very large spider web.

We had a late lunch at a nice little cafe in Pai. It was avocado season and I loved the chunks of fresh avocado I had in this salad ... 

We saw a lot of people in Pai that looked like they were in a state of existential crisis. Some seemed to be seeking illumination with large amounts of chemical support. I know call me judgemental ... but this is "the look", dreads and a music instrument of some sort on their back. 

This is not a Muslim woman serving us at the Gas Station, this is what the attendants wear. I guess it is a protection from petrol fumes. 

A group of Chinese Tourists taking photos on a bridge just out of Pai. They really know how to have a good time and they will try anything and not hold back, with camera ready to go at any moment. 

Starting to throw out our clothes. Most of our clothes don't fit us anymore and it doesn't matter how many times we wash them they still look like rags. We also need to shed some weight as we head home. So out they go. I found it really hard to throw out my Vasque shoes ... we have done some serious walking together. A local second hand clothes shop was happy to take them.

Our scooter trip back to Chiang Mai ... we had fun on this trip. Pete was not sick but I did get stung on my chest. We think by a hornet??

I love these colours together.

We stopped of at a Geyser Park and had a walk around. We came across this notice to the public. We thought you might like it.

Chiang Mai ... we really enjoyed our time here. We found it a really interesting city, arty and energetic with lots of cool boutiquey shops and a great vibe to it. There were lots of temples and historic sites. We didn't visit any of them. Just enjoyed walking around the streets and visiting the shops and restaurants. Mike and Louisa Mitchell live here now and we can see why. Its both cheap and cool. 

I saw this piano in a shop window as we were walking round Chiang Mai and immediately thought of Alice. I love hearing Alice play the piano and sing. When I hear her sing my heart is stirred and I can feel goose bumps over my body. She has said many times that she would love a baby grand. It was not until I went in and took a photo of the piano that I realised that it is actually a statue or sculpture.  

What do you think Alice??

We stumbled across a collection of old motor bikes just outside the moat that surrounds Chiang Mai. Some of them were beautiful ... and very old. This is an old Harley Davidson with a modern motor installed. Very cool and another sign of the interest in creativity and design that a lot of the young Thai people seem to have. 

Fiat Crusader. We had three of these when our children were young ... one white and two blue. One of the blue ones was written of in a car accident. Pete was driving to work, at uni, round by Christchurch Boys High and a woman drove through a red light, Pete braked heavily, but hit the back of her car, which spun on the spot several times and ended up someone's drive way. Our Crusader was written off. We loved that car. It was totally reliable and would cruise at 80 mph.

We were on our way to one of the night markets and walked past this hotel ... I had to take a photo. I love the colours.

There are three very well known night walking markets on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights respectively. They are fantastic and everybody is there, tourists and locals. There are food stands and craft stands. We had a great time.

The Sunday night market is by far the best and the oldest. It goes on forever and is packed! This was our last night in Chiang Mai. We went to church in the morning and met up with our musician friends Michelle and Tom in the early evening. We spent a good three hours just wandering and looking. Pete, Michelle and I had waffles with chocolate and banana, Tom had a crepe with Nutella and banana, we bought them of one of the food stands. I think Tom got the better deal! We flew to Bangkok early the next morning, much cheaper than taking the overnight train.