Some family were waiting for us and whisked us down to their home in a delightful village situated more or less half way between Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. (More about village life later).
There had been some rain, but the weather wasn't so humid as in Bangkok - it was very pleasant in fact!
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| Our first glimpse of Chiang Rai The mountain range is looking North West towards Burma |
The next day, after a sumptuous breakfast of fresh fruit and treats from the local morning markets (a whole post in itself), we got straight into discovering Thailand.
Back up to Chiang Rai to Wat (Temple) Rhon Kung (White Temple)
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| The White Temple, especially on a sunny day, is a glistening sight. The basket to the right of the gate contains robes for people to wear over clothing (singlets, skimpy dresses or shorts) which are considered disrespectful when worn in a Temple |
I was particularly taken with this piece of art within the grounds of Wat Rhon Kung, depicting the hungry and needy people of the world.
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In the Wat ponds are these beautiful Koi
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| I appreciate some blogfriends' comments about not needing to blank out my face, however, I don't do it out of coyness or even vanity - it's because I choose to maintain a certain level of privacy in my blog. |
... these white koi held my eye
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The adornments and statues etc are all embedded with tiny mirrors - you can imagine the brilliance on a sunny day.
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I just love this "No Smoking" Sign Thai style!
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A closer look
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Finally, I include a picture of the Women's Toilets at Wat Rhon Kung. I do this because in our research before we left, I'd read some shockers of travel reports about toilets in Asia - well, I did my own research and will candidly (thanks Dmarie - that's just the word I needed!!) put forward my own views.
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We leave our own shoes in the racks and choose a pair of slip-ons to wear inside.
There are Western-style toilets with toilet paper, and squat toilets without paper... but, as is the Asian way, plenty of water to both flush the toilet and for personal cleansing. On this occasion I chose the Western toilet and it was fine.
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Cheerio, until next time :D)
the white temple is extraordinary! and, yes, the white koi, too!
ReplyDeleteYes, the White Temple is the most beautiful sight! I can imagine the sparkle with the mirrors. What beautiful white Koi. This must have been breathtaking for you! See you soon Susan!
ReplyDeleteSusan, you captured the heart of your travels! The scenery is awesome. What made you decide to take such a life-changing trip to such a beautiful area of the world? (my curiosity was especially peaked over the "change of shoes" to go to the toilets--lol!)
ReplyDeleteCherri
Lots of white in this set of shots. That is a very interesting piece of art.
ReplyDelete*TexWisGirl... it was a great place to start our sightseeing of Northern Thailand.
ReplyDelete*Susan... every Temple we went to was different - this one stood out. I just loved the pond too.
*Cherri... hi! Thank you too. We decided to travel when we were invited by members of our family, who lived up there, to come and visit - so we did, and stayed with them for 5 weeks!! Seeing that we were travelling such a long way, we also decided to go to Vietnam - so glad we did.
It's a common practice in Thai homes to have separate shoes to wear in the bathroom/toilet. The main reason being that the use of water is very liberal in those rooms. Showers don't have bases as we know them and so the water goes everywhere, all over the floor. Also, water is liberally splashed over and into the toilets to clean them - again, the floor gets flooded! It's only occasionally that separate shoes are provided for in public toilets, and this was one of them.
*Joan Elizabeth... thank you, yes, that piece of art was quite large too - none of my photos captured the size properly.
Oh Susan this is marvelous I get to take this trip with you without leaving my chair.
ReplyDeleteI do not show my face either:)
Fantastic. Thank you. B
You're very welcome Buttons - I'm an armchair traveller too... the beauty of blogs eh!
DeleteEastern culture fascinates me. I can't say I like the architecture and art but I can appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteI don't show my mugly ug either!
Yes, exactly - just being able to experience another culture has been totally fascinating. We kept our minds open and took in everything.
DeleteHa ha - cheers from one mugly ug to another!
I am awestruck by the White temple - I was wondering if it is painted, tiled or whatever. How lucky you are to have family there ... wish I did and I would visit like a shot!
ReplyDeleteI have heard the weather in Thailand is very hot and humid and unfortunately I find that hard to cope with, infuriating but anyway how did you find the weather?
I too think it's wise to retain some privacy on a blog so think you are very wise
All of the above Jenny. I've taken photos, which will appear later, of the talented people who create these edifices.
DeleteYes, we are indeed incredibly fortunate to have such generous family overseas. They opened up a whole new world for us :D)
The weather in Northern Thailand was just perfect - in fact, at the end of our 5 week stay we were experiencing quite chilly mornings as they moved into their Winter. It was mainly the Bangkok area that stays hot and humid all year round - I really struggled with the humidity there.
Oh Susan, you are reminding me of beautiful holiday memories! Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteSo glad it's doing that for you DeeBee. Gosh, I'm so very glad for the digital age too - I could just click away willy-nilly... came back with thousands of photos and vids!
DeleteThis armchair travel is making me itchy for the real thing. :)
ReplyDeleteThe White Temple really is white. What is the colour symbolic of, do you know?
lol.. well, what are you waiting for - get the suitcases out and get going!!
DeleteYes, definitely needed the sunnies for the White Temple. The white colour represents purity (of Buddha) and the white glass is for his wisdom.
Cheers xx