Around 10 am the bus came to pick us up from our hostel and I think my hopeful heart got a little carried away thinking that the bus ride would be a short 20 minutes when in reality it was about 4 hours. After the first hour we pulled over for a bathroom stop and some lunch at funny little oasis off the highway.
Then it was back in the van, I was scolded by the driver for having the back window open and was sad once I closed it not only for it's relief from the heat but also the smell of 8 backpackers in on mini bus is not a pleasant one. About an hour or so later we stopped in Chiang Rai which is just north of Chiang Mai. I wasn't sure why we had stopped, the driver walked by and mumbled "20 minutes" and then walked into a corner shop. Another backpacker from the bus said "Look! It's the White Temple!" and as I turned around I had to shield my eyes from the blinding beacon that is Wat Rong Khun. I put on my longer pants and as I approached there seemed to be new discoveries at every turn.
And those are just the lawn decorations! As we walked into the temple a rather grizzly depiction greeted us.
The whole Wat was so amazing! There was something new to look at at every turn, I felt like if I pulled the rug up it would be hiding diamond encrusted tiles. Speaking of hidden treasures, as I was walking into the temple my friend Bernard from France whispered "Take a look at the wall on your way out." I wasn't able to take any pictures inside but I stood for a moment and admired the gold Buddha statue and large mural behind it. I turned around to exit and was greeted with an enormous mural depicting almost every pop culture reference from the early 80s up until present day. A giant face of the Devil reflected Osama Bin Laden and George W. Bush Jr. in his eyes. The Terminator, Neo from the Matrix, Kung Fu Panda, characters from the Transformers, the Power Rangers, and so much more all painted into one giant mural! I stood, mouth agape for a solid 10 minutes before I snapped back and went to find my shoes.
Oh this? This is just the bathroom.
From there we were packed into the van and whisked away!
Then it was back in the van, I was scolded by the driver for having the back window open and was sad once I closed it not only for it's relief from the heat but also the smell of 8 backpackers in on mini bus is not a pleasant one. About an hour or so later we stopped in Chiang Rai which is just north of Chiang Mai. I wasn't sure why we had stopped, the driver walked by and mumbled "20 minutes" and then walked into a corner shop. Another backpacker from the bus said "Look! It's the White Temple!" and as I turned around I had to shield my eyes from the blinding beacon that is Wat Rong Khun. I put on my longer pants and as I approached there seemed to be new discoveries at every turn.
And those are just the lawn decorations! As we walked into the temple a rather grizzly depiction greeted us.
The whole Wat was so amazing! There was something new to look at at every turn, I felt like if I pulled the rug up it would be hiding diamond encrusted tiles. Speaking of hidden treasures, as I was walking into the temple my friend Bernard from France whispered "Take a look at the wall on your way out." I wasn't able to take any pictures inside but I stood for a moment and admired the gold Buddha statue and large mural behind it. I turned around to exit and was greeted with an enormous mural depicting almost every pop culture reference from the early 80s up until present day. A giant face of the Devil reflected Osama Bin Laden and George W. Bush Jr. in his eyes. The Terminator, Neo from the Matrix, Kung Fu Panda, characters from the Transformers, the Power Rangers, and so much more all painted into one giant mural! I stood, mouth agape for a solid 10 minutes before I snapped back and went to find my shoes.
Oh this? This is just the bathroom.
From there we were packed into the van and whisked away!
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