Northern Thailand

This morning we boarded a local bus, really fancy compared to other local busses we’ve travelled with. This was a double decker and myself and S managed to get the two front seats upstairs. Great view, but unfortunately not much to see. 

We arrived in Chiang Mai mid afternoon and had one and a half days to explore it. I was imagine a small picturesque town, but met a big city. I am not really interested in more cities. 

We went to the old city, but it was far too touristy and not at all charming.

The next morning we strolled around the neighbourhood by the hotel and found much more interesting roads and allies.

Later that day we visited Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep a very important temple for Thai Buddhist. 

The story tells the location of this holy place was found by a white elephant carrying holy remains, who was sent out to pick the spot for building this temple.

And the elephant climbed a mountain and when he kneeled they knew this was the right place.

From Chiang Mai we went to Chiang Rai by private car. The driver was a bit of a maniac driver on this mountain roads. After stopping at some very commercial hot springs and a place selling cashew nuts we reach the “White Temple”. What a place!

A local guy decided he wanted to build a temple, but a very special temple. He started in 1997 and estimates to have it finalised 2070.

The place is surreal! It could be taken straight out from a Disney movie. Very strange things are going on everywhere. 

Very awkward but also spectacular. I’m having a hard time taking it seriously though. Difficult to see it as a sacred place.

After white comes black, and the next morning we visited a similar but very different place - “The black house”. 

A local artist that built about 40 buildings in different sizes on his property. The one more awkward than the other.

We ended of our Thailand excursion with a visit to the Golden Triangle, where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet via the Mekong river.

As this used to be an area for growing opium we visited the opium museum to learn more about the “black gold”.