Yesterday was another full day on the boat and a 6 hour bus ride into the north thai city of Chang Mai. We have around 4 hours here before taking our final mode of transport, sleeper train, to Bangkok this evening.On our way t Changmai this morning we were able to stop at a temple aptly named "'white temple." It was rather more unusual than your usual temple in that it has only been built very recently, it is a stunning ornate and a little quirky. It was painted completely white with mirrored tiles adding to it's sparkle and surround by a moat accessed by a dragon and gargoil gaurded lake. You entered into the building over purgery with hunrdeds of stone carved hands reaching to the sky and everywhere there was space was an vulgar face or carving. Inside sat a waxwork wonk, which was rather random, and the newly murieled walls did not depict the normal buddhist symbols but instead the matrix, star wars and the terminator. The significance in this I did not see but ascinating all the same. Even the white traffic cone to the carpark of the building were white and red striped with a four headed skull on top.
This afternoon in Chang Mai, I have already been 10km out f the city to see the traditional making of the ancient Thai umbrellas which was interesting and the factory workers offered to paint of anything including the clothes on your back but i opted for a small design on the back of my camera quite literally puting my name on it.I am now about to meet with the rest of teh group again to spend my night aboard the sleeper train hopefully arriving in Bangkok early tomorrow morning where our group officially disbands and i get ready for the next part.
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