Hasta la vista, Chiang Rai

March 15, 2010

We woke up this morning sad that we will be leaving Chiang Rai, yet excited to see a few last sites before we leave. Last night at the party, someone began raving to us about the "Black Temple," declaring that we couldn't leave before we saw it. Danny, Lisa, and Blue have yet to see it as well, so we all headed to through some back roads this place we had heard so much about, yet knew so little about it.

Well, Gary was right, this place was amazing. It was an interesting contrast to the White Temple we saw yesterday. Large black buildings, intricate wood carvings, stone statues, and animal bones woven into the many decorations. This was definitely not the light hearted, round about morbidity we saw yesterday, it was kind of in your face, and yet it is was equally amazing and beautiful. The complex was built by Thawan Duchanee, another Thai artist, and is comprised of many individual building all with unique designs and decorations, yet all sharing the common black color.

Unfortunately we were a little rushed to get home before our bus so we had to leave without seeing the whole grounds. I guess we'll have to come back and see it in greater detail (sounds familiar).

On our way back to Danny and Lisa's we stopped by a pharmacy to get me some hydrocortisone cream for my skin which was acting up. Usually in America this requires a doctors visit, a prescription, and probably a bit of bill (luckily insurance has always covered it). Here it simply requires a 115 baht purchase (less that $4). Maybe health care reform could be a good idea.

Anyways, after some good byes we got our bus back to Chiang Mai which got us in at about 6:30. This time we stayed at a proper (yet extremely cheap) hotel which sported some pretty interesting karaoke in the restaurant. We strolled into town in search of a specific restaurant but found our way to a bookstore where I found a book about a doctor in Laos during the 1960's that Lisa had told me about, we then stumbled into the night bazaar where we sat down for some dinner and called it a night.

Tomorrow... Phuket. And now I hand it to Emma:

We headed off our last morning to see the Black Temple - it seemed only fitting that we should see it after spending some time at the white temple the day before. I must say that it was quite different from the white temple. The large grounds are set back from the road and can only be reached my turning down an unmarked street, driving through a modest neighborhood, and making another unmarked turn. Thawan Duchanee, the artist who designed the project, clearly wants it to be an attraction for people who are in the know, not your average tourist passing through.

Nonetheless, the buildings are incredible. From a huge, Thai style house painted black to a number of strange space like white domes, and a huge building shaped like a fish (doorway is in the mouth), we had a great time wandering the grounds. It was all of our first visit, including Blue who has been travelling and visiting Chiang Rai for years. Duchanee has decorated with semi morbid themes - lots of bones and skulls - but the location is beautiful, and the area has some incredibly intricate designs, wood carvings, and architecture. We particularly loved the bathroom, which - as Sam put it - looks like "a nice place to do business."

We left to rush back, pack, and eat some tasty leftovers from the party. We bid goodbye to Blue, Boot, Rene, and the dogs at the house, and Danny and Lisa drove us to the bus station. We can't even begin to thank them for hosting us, it was a great time, and we hope someday to come back.

An uneventful busride left us back in Chiang Mai, where we spent the evening wandering the streets, buying a book, and checking out the night bazaar. We scooted off to bed early, since we have a plane to catch in the morning!