Today was a travel day with a 5hr minibus drive from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai. On the way we stopped at the White Temple (Wat Rong Khun). The White temple was created by Chalermchai Kositpipat, a national artist who designed, constructed, and opened it to visitors in 1997.

Viewed from a distance, it appears to be crafted from sparkling porcelain, but up close it’s evident that the effect is achieved through a blend of whitewash and transparent mirrored chips. The outer surfaces are covered with white plaster and incorporated glass inserts.

Kositpipat considers the temple to be an offering to Lord Buddha and believes the project will give him immortal life. Works are ongoing, but are not expected to be completed until 2070!

The main building at the white temple is reached by crossing a bridge over a small lake. In front of the bridge are hundreds of outreaching hands that symbolize unrestrained desire…..

Inside there are murals depicting swirling orange flames and demon faces, interspersed with Western idols such as Michael Jackson, Neo from The Matrix, Freddy Krueger and images from the Terminator film. Quite the eclectic mix!

When completed, the temple compound will have nine buildings, including the existing ubosot (principal hall) a hall of relics, a meditation hall, an art gallery, and living quarters for the monks.

A building that stands out because of its colour is the toilets! They are ornately decorated, the golden represents the body, whereas the white represents the mind.

Lunch was spent at a cool cafe, adorned with quotes on the walls – the one below was our favourite.

By late afternoon we had arrived at our ‘home stay’, a modest B&B facing out across the Mekong River. The views were stunning, with the river representing the border with Laos.

This evening we went for a walk along the waterfront and took in the views of the area. It was pretty quirky with murals on the walls of the buildings and a wall of car registration plates from around the world. The weird and the wonderful.

We visited a local temple, which had an elephant theme for reasons unknown. Like every Thai temple it’s the colour and ornate look that catches your eye.

On our way to dinner, we came across a local dentist with an amusing sign on their wall.

Dinner was at a local restaurant on the waterfront with views over the night sky. We are getting used to the Thai food offer, just as we enter our last day in the country and had pleasant chicken dishes with varying levels of spice, which then dictated the amount of Chang beer we then drink!

Tomorrow we head to the border with Laos and start our 2 day boat trip down the Mekong River and into the centre of the Laos jungle.