Thai Pit Stops aka Temple Tour

This morning we all got up bright and early to make our trip to Chiang Rai. We loaded up in the vans to make the four hour drive north after breakfast and made our way to our first stop. Our first stop was a hot spring in which we could see the locals cooking eggs in the hot water while other springs were being used as foot spas. After spending a little while here, we loaded back up and made our way to Chaing Rai. 

Once we arrived, we made our first stop at the famous white temple. This temple was gorgeous and featured very intricate details. We crossed a bridge that had statues of hands reaching up to symbolize “Hell” and once we crossed the bridge the temple was a true beauty that symbolized Heaven. We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside of the temple, but on one wall it contained images of pop culture and the devil while the other side had depictions of Buddha and a statue of a monk meditating. After visiting the temple, some of us got silver objects which hang from the top of walkways, and tourists of the temple write their wishes and aspirations to keep for good luck.

After visiting the white temple, we headed to the blue temple. This temple was a bright blue and had many depictions of ocean waves and dragons. Inside was a breathtaking painted ceiling and statue of Buddha. The entire inside was painted bright blue with many gold accents. After this visit we visited Baan Dam Black House Museum which was designed by the same artist as the white temple. This was a stark contrast to the white temple as it featured many dead animals, horns, and skins. There were also about 40 buildings associated with the black house museum, so there were a lot of grounds to explore.

After touring some of the most famous temples in Thailand, we got to visit another famous spot- the cave that the soccer boys and coach were stuck in. Although we were not able to see the actual entrance of the cave, we got to go to the site of where it happened and see the mountains where the cave was under. Another interesting place we stopped was a large mural to honor the heroes and the diver who lost his life in attempt to save the people trapped in the cave. The event happened only a few weeks ago, but an artist was able to paint an entire mural dedicated to this event which we found very fascinating.

At the end of all of stops, we headed to our hotel for the night which is located in the Golden Triangle. This location is where Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar all meet at one point, and we even have a great view of all three countries from our hotel room! Even though it was a long day filled with many stops along the road, we had so much fun getting to see Chiang Rai today!

Hey yall it’s Anneliese!

Today was incredible! It was so fun to visit a new province and get to explore more of Thailand. I seriously don’t want to leave this week! My favorite part about today was getting to visit the White Temple because before I came to Thailand I had seen so many beautiful pictures of it which made my experience at the temple so special. Pictures do not do this temple justice, it is absolutely stunning and even more breathtaking in person! I also loved all of the good luck charms that they hang on top of the walk ways. I decided to keep mine because I wanted it to remember my time at the White Temple, but others wrote out their goals and wishes for life and hung them up. Overall, I’m so sad this trip is coming to an end, but I’ve had the trip of a lifetime and Thailand has my heart forever!

Hey yall it’s Grace!

Oh my goodness the temples were absolutely breathtaking today! I think my favorite was white temple (like Anneliese haha). This temple was a built by one man (the same one who painted the mural of the diver) and it was absolutely stunning. I also loved the blue temple. The bottom of each statue was carved into blue waves and resembled the ocean. The inside of the temple had a large white Buddha that was surrounded by blue and gold murals. Each of the temples featured gorgeous trees, ponds, and garden areas that gave plenty of opportunities for some pictures. Getting to see the cave area was also surreal. It was an incredible opportunity to see where a moment of history took place. This trip has been full of so many fun moments and although we’re leaving in a few days I know that I’ll always cherish this place and these memories.