No matter where in Thailand you are, you will always find yourself surrounded by temples. In this post, I am sharing a few of my personal favourites:
North Thailand
White temple in Chiang Rai (Wat Rong Khun)
The White Temple is one of my favourites because it looks like it came out of a (dark) fairy tale. However, if I were to visit this temple again, I wouldn’t do it with a tour starting from Chiang Mai.
Despite the early pickup time, our tour operator made numerous stops at uninteresting places before we reached the temple. We therefore didn’t reach the White Temple until the afternoon, when it was already stuffed with tourists. The temple itself was gorgeous, but being pushed by people skipping queues really took the fun out of our visit. If you’re planning to visit the White temple, make sure to go early enough to avoid the crowds.
White elephant temple in Chiang Mai
(Wat Phra That Doi Suthep)
What fascinates me the most about the White elephant temple is the story behind it. Legend has it that the temple was built to hold a piece of the bone of Buddha’s shoulder. The bone was carried up the mountain by a sacred white elephant, who suddenly stopped near the top. After trumpeting three times, the white elephant passed away. The temple was built at the exact spot where the elephant died, so it is quite a climb to get there.
Koh Samui
Big Buddha temple (Wat Phra Yai)
Although the highlight of Wat Phra Yai is definitely its 18 metres tall Buddha, its sea views are also more than worthwhile.
Wat Plai Laem
A short walk away from the Big Buddha temple is Wat Plai Laem. The latter is a Chinese Buddhist temple, with Guanyin – the goddess compassion and mercy – being its highlight.
Bangkok
I’ve already written about my favourite temples in Bangkok, but my list wouldn’t be complete without these. For more information on how and when to get there, please just click on the links:
Map
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