Chalermchai’s Wat Rong Khun

Chiang Rai is famous for a fantasy-like "White Temple" named Wat Rong Khun and designed by charismatic artist Chalermchai Kositpipat. Apparently he is quite a devout Buddhist and he will dedicate the temple to the King, who has come to back the project.

I was in as much awe this visit as the last. It's certainly the most imaginative temple I've seen. I can't decide if it represents heaven or hell or both. Or whether it would be more appropriate in Disneyland or a Thai ghost story, or if that's all part of the point. In addition to the glittery white roof trimmings jutting out, some of the most fanciful features are the sculptures. When you get to the entrance you're greeted by hands coming out of the ground seemingly pleading for offerings.

Instead of the usual Naga dragon-snakes that guard the entrance of temples in Thailand there are two man-monsters.

If the sculpture and architecture fascinate and frighten, the mural inside the temple are plain unbelievable. The back wall has Chalermchai's depiction of the temptations and desires of this world. Conjoining everything is the demon Mara, who in Buddhist mythology personifies temptation and consistently tries to obstruct the Buddha's quest for enlightenment. The ubiquitous demon manifests itself in many forms: hideous faces, horns, tentacles and other nasty things. My favorite is the snake-turn-gas pipe that crashes into the Twin Towers. Mobile phones, watches, oil, sex, and cars are some of the desirous distractions. There's also a fun cast of characters from pop culture: Java the Hut from Star Wars, Superman, and my personal favorite, Neo from The Matrix!! I assume Neo is a good guy here?? I wish I could have taken pictures (not allowed) but some 'friends' gave me these:

Look into the eye of the evil Mara and what do you see?

Well, you can't see it clearly but it's the face of Osama bin Laden. Guess who's in the other eye? None other than ol' George W Bush.

The temple testifies to the Thai appreciation of diversity and maintaining tradition while incorporating foreign cultural forms.

We actually got to talk to Chalermchai when he was taking a break from his work. He was very nice to talk to us and tell us a bit about the mural. But we didn't have time to ask any detailed questions, as many people came over to speak to him and get autographs. He did say the mural will be one wall-to-wall piece. Next he plans to paint the side walls of the temple which he says will depict the the shedding of desires, and finish painting the front of the temple with it's beautiful Buddha at the center. So it seems to me he is trying to direct the gaze of the viewer. At first the gaze naturally starts by looking backward at the sensational insanity of the world and all its trappings. After this sensory overload the gaze moves to the side murals that show more and more detachment from the world. Until finally, the gaze can rest on the tranquility of the Buddha.

Mr. Chalermchai in his blue rap-around paints with JLoh and I.

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Red Tips | Hours: Anyone can visit the temple, and it's open daily from 8am-6pm. Location / Directions: It is well-known, so ask any Thai person for directions to 'Wat Rong Khun'; or your driver, taxi, or tuk-tuk can get you there easily. The temple is about 13 kms from Chiang Rai, right off the main highway to Chiang Mai (coming from Chiang Rai, you can't miss the glittery temple on the left side, turn on the road to Khun Korn waterfalls). For a good list of prices and places to stay in the area, visit Chiang Rai Hotels.

The Bizarre in Chiang Rai

I recently made a trip to Chiang Rai and as always went to the Night Bazaar open market and food area. I also saw some interesting and bizarre names for establishments while walking around. Most amusing was the sign advertising for "The Womb," "The Inn Come Hotel," and "The Sperm." Throw in "Thai Massage" and ... anyone trying to make a baby? Hilarious. Chiang Rai is the most fun and chilled out Night Bazzar I've been to in Thailand. It's the hangout spot for locals both young and old, rich and poor, with all kinds of food from local worms to sushi, performances from traditional northern thai music to Kathoey shows, and people selling everything from tacky-thai kitsch to hip contemporary art.
Night Bazaar--never a complete experience in Thailand without a Kathoey Show, or thai 'lady boys' found performing all over the country.

That's Right. Red Sox Rule

Congratulations to the Red Sox! Wish I were in Boston again right now.
The sweep is sweet. Again.
I've always been a baseball fan. But growing up on a small Caribbean island, with exactly 11 channels on tv, I had no choice but to become an Atlanta Braves follower--thanks to Mr. Ted Turner's TBS, which was all the baseball I could get. That is until I went to Boston for grad school and was sucked into the superstitious cult obsession that forms the Red Sox Nation. What sucked me in was not the children praying, or grown men kneeling and crying at dire moments in a game, or even the hatred of the Yankees as Satan. What did it was that my church was in the Fenway Park neighborhood and gave the ministers free season tickets as a gesture of neighborly goodwill. So I got to go to a number of games. It's a charming old park with great acoustics and you always feel you're right on the field. I even managed to warm up a few friends to the game at Fenway (yes, that's you Silivren).

A silly nickname for me, please

Thailand is a land of silly nicknames, or 'play names' as they call them, and just about everyone has one (see this article from IHT). Actual Thai names are such long testaments most people only know the names of people close to them. That means the most accomplished people will introduce themselves as 'Bird' (nok) or 'Shrimp' (khun) or 'Chicken' (guy) or 'Pig' (moo)! I got carried away with animal names ... But English numbers are a trend too like 'First,' and then there's any number of letters: 'A,' 'D' or 'M.' It's also nice that they are gender neutral and just plain funny.

And I want one! If only because the accent butchers my name--having no 'v' sound, people pronounce my name with a horrid drawn out 'w' which ends up sounding like wwwwaaaaaaaaa. So I've chosen some for this blog: 'A' is common for the first born of the family, as am I, so I may refer to myself as 'A,' or aj. for ajarn as some students call me. Or Daeng for Red, or just aj.D. Some of my colleagues have called me Nong Suay and Warunee, but I just can't mange to say, 'Hi, I'm Beautiful Sister,' or 'Pretty Girl!' Anyway, some friends here get a kick out habitually of mispronouncing my name. So I'll have to try new names on the next person I meet.

Swirling Dervishes in Celebration of Rumi

A wonderful celebration of the 800 year anniversary of Rumi came to town, put together by the mahalai I work at and UNESCO. I’ve always wanted to see the beautiful dancing of this mystical tradition, so it was exciting to have this opportunity. There is a significant Turkish community around town, and for some reason many students come here. The hall was jam packed, and everyone quite excited. Unwittingly, but in good Thai fashion, there was a hodgepodge of different traditions to observe:

-First, we listened to some soothing Instrumental Christian Music.
-Second, a Muslim Sufi Whirling Dervishes performance.
-Finally, we stood up for a song that commemorates a Buddhist King.

Luckily, I don’t think that many people noticed that the instrumental music was Christian, or else they didn’t care so much. In any case, all of us got a little feel for three different traditions in a friendly and tolerant celebratory setting.

Wat Doi Suthep

I'm starting my web blog with life, work and travel currently based in Chiang Mai, Thailand. And what better symbol of Thai culture can you start with than Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep? It is one of the most important temples in Thailand, and a popular pilgrimage for Thai Buddhist. Legend has it that monks looking for a proper resting place for Buddha relics, placed them on a White Elephant - the animal thought to embody spiritual guidance and luck – who took it up to the Doi Suthep. This mountaintop location in the midst of a national forest looks over the city of Chiang Mai, and the people are said to look up to it.

The first thing you see is the golden chedi or stupa, which houses the relics, in the center of the Temple grounds:

Murals surround the entire temple, providing a pictorial narrative of the Buddha’s life. This one shows the miraculous Birth of the Buddha (The Mother, Mayadevi, has just given birth to the future Buddha standing up; and at birth, he takes seven full steps on lotus buds then and speaks).

I don’t know why people don’t pay attention to the murals; for young Buddhist, they are an important way to teach about the Buddha’s life. It’s the main thing I show students on tours of the temple.