Feeling Blue At The Blue Temple of Chiang Rai

Everything's blue inside the Blue Temple

Yes.  It is touristy.  But that does not mean it's not beautiful.  Or should I say:  "blue-tiful."

Just a very short walk from my luxury resort hotel is the Rong Suea Ten Temple, a.k.a., Chiang Rai's Blue Temple.

This is not a historic Buddhist temple.  This is a Buddhist temple built for the tourist hordes.  And the tourist hordes are out in abundance.  Me included.  I'm a member in good standing of the Thai tourist horde.

The place is packed not only with tourists, but tourist shuttle buses.  And flaming skulls.

There's something almost Catholic about that imagery.

As seems to be my want, I entered the grounds of the Blue Temple through the back entrance, again, the entrance closest to my hotel.  Guard statuary:

But even the guard statuary is worth checking out.

Look inside there:

Red!  One of the few things on the Blue Temple grounds that does not follow the theme color of blue.

Moving inward towards the "temples" inside the tourist temple complex.

Blue and gold.  Gold and blue.

Even the elephants are blue.

This is under construction, which I think is its excuse for not being blue:

Even the concrete for the plaza is painted blue:

Even the traffic pylons:

They take their blue seriously here.

Note to self:  when I visit the equally touristy White Temple on my visit, go early.  All of the transit vans filled with tourists leads me to think that a lot of tourists are day-trippers from Chiang Mai, which sees a whole lot more overnight visitors than Chiang Rai.

Late afternoon and the place is packed.  To the gills, I tell ya.  Packed to the gills with us tourists.

Including me.

How do you like?  Smiling?  Or serious?

Or with shades?

Inside the main temple building.

Which, even though this temple is for tourists, you still are required to enter sans shoes like a proper Buddhist temple.

And here I am with my shoes back on:

Time for a refresher:

Thai tea.  Only 45 baht, which is cheaper than the Thai tea I had in Chiang Mai.  This, however, was not quite as good.  The white layer on top was ordinary milk foam and not the sweet coconut milk foam I enjoyed in Chiang Mai.  Still good.  It's just that I got spoiled.