Chiang Rai

Up in the northern part of Thailand are Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. We are about to leave Chiang Mai and Thailand as I write this. So I am close to catching up.

We stayed in a beautiful resort right outside of the Chiang Rai. Chiang Rai has two major sites, well three, but I am not really sure why it is a major site. We saw all three on a private tour and almost made it back to the resort.

The three temples are the White, The Blue and the Black.

Wat Rong Khun, better known as the White Temple, is Chiang Rai’s most talked-about sight—and for good reason. It looks traditional at first glance, but it’s really a modern art project disguised as a temple.

Created by Thai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat, the all-white design is meant to symbolize purity, with mirrored glass catching the light to suggest wisdom and awareness.

The walk across the bridge, over grasping hands reaching up from below, is intentionally uncomfortable—a blunt reminder of desire, suffering, and the messiness of being human.

Inside, the murals mix Buddhist themes with modern pop culture, making the point that good and evil aren’t abstract ideas—they’re very much part of the world we’re living in now. It’s striking, a little unsettling, and impossible to forget.

The Blue Temple

Wat Rong Suea Ten, better known as the Blue Temple, makes a strong first impression without trying to shock you. The deep blue and gold colors are rich and intense, but the overall feeling is calm rather than overwhelming.

Blue is meant to symbolize wisdom and the infinite.

The Black Temple

Baan Dam, often called the Black Temple, is easily the strangest stop in Chiang Rai.

It’s not really a temple at all, but a collection of dark, museum-like buildings filled with animal bones, skulls, and unsettling artwork.

Kerry always looking for a little fun

Created by artist Thawan Duchanee, it explores death, impermanence, and the darker side of human nature without any attempt to make it comfortable or pretty.