Sunday morning, we left Chiang Mai and drove to The White Temple, in the vicinity of Chiang Rai. It is quite spectacular! Unlike other temples that are public, this one is a private art project, but equally reverent in its devout respect for Buddhism and for King Rama IX, AKA Bhumibol Adulyadej. Created by Chalermchai Kositpipat, a professor and prolific artist (the Gaudi of Thailand?), there is also a gallery of his work, and the other buildings in Wat Rong Khun seem like they are prepped to have the same kind of elaborate decorations added to them over time. He is a new addition in my growing list of favorites artists…
In addition to the temple, there were many other buildings and a man-made mountain of waterfalls, plants, and sculptures (including “the Cave of Art”)…
Further, there are a bunch of little face sculptures, other statues, and contemporary paintings. As mentioned, in addition to celebrating Buddhism, the entire facility honors King Rama IX. The lost & found cabinets were interesting. Perhaps the most deluxe bathroom facility is there in gold…
After lunch near the White Temple, we pushed on to Chiang Khong, a rather sleepy border town on the banks of Mekong River (the border between Thailand & Laos). We had a great view of the Mekong from our hotel, and I took a little walk along the bike path next to the river. This batch is all pix from that stroll…
The next morning, we woke to a sunrise over the Mekong, had breakfast, then went to the border and crossed into Laos. A short drive took us to our boat, and we headed down the Mekong for the first of two days on the river…
A couple clips: first drive in Laos, and first stretch of the river…
Various shots along the Mekong River, and our stop for the night at Pak Beng, including a couple more clips: nice fellow boaters, battling water buffalo…
In Pak Beng, we took a walk through town to the market place. These shots include ant eggs, live frogs, dried rats, water buffalo parts, and various veggies, etc. Kids, a local temple, and various views of the river. The green building features American bombs from the Vietnam War used as building materials! And this batch ends with our group and some other fellow travelers reveling at the “Happy Bar” in Pak Beng…
Here are some shots of our second day on the river, starting in Pak Beng and ending in Luang Prabang.
Our one stop was at the Pak Ou Caves near where the Ou River merges with the Mekong. They are Buddhist shrines with a great view of the river…
Riding on the river, and a few last shots before we arrived in Luang Prabang…
I know, another long post, but I’m gonna add some other pix from my fellow travelers that they’ve added on our Whats App group. Cheers…
