The White Temple and a day of relaxation

I started my Thursday morning with a nice walk through Chiang Rai, stopping at a market for some fresh fruit for breakfast. After that I headed to the bus station and found the bus that was going to the White Temple. That was my destination today. The Temple was only thirteen kilometers outside of town so it was a short half an hour rise on a bumpy local bus. The bus stopped right across the street from the temple so it was very convenient. One thing that is strange about this temples to me is their proximity to major roads, highways and just the hustle and bustle of a city. Such a majestic place as the White Temple loses a bit of its charm in my eyes, when anywhere you look around it you see cars, supermarkets and hundreds of electrical wires. I guess we are in the twenty first century after all, but it still astounds me that exceptional places like The White Temple, don't get exempt from the more and
more westernized lifestyle. Nonetheless, the architecture and the detail of the various buildings there was exceptional and absolutely worth visiting. Inside the actual temple, there was a monk siting right under an enormous Budha statue. He was facing the rest of the room but with his eyes closed, at a quick glance, could have passed for being just another ornament in the temple. He was so still and exuded such tranquility that for a quick moment I wished to be in his shoes. Well, he wasn't wearing any, but you get the idea.
After visiting the museum near the temple, which documented and explained the various artwork inside the temple, I headed back to catch the bus back into town.
I was sitting on a lonely bench on the side of the highway for about forty minutes until I saw a rickety old bus and flagged it down. Another thirty minutes later, I was back in town and walking back towards the Chat House. I bought a couple postcards on the way and got some soup at the local market. I didn't know what I ordered at first because all the signs were in Thai accompanied by a number indicating the price. So I picked something for twenty baht. It was a good choice; a spicy noodle soup with a few pieces of fish and some veggies on the side.
When I got back to the hostel I laid down in my bed under a fan and started researching my game plan for where to go next. I decided to head to Laos the next day via Chiang Kong, Thailand and then cross the border into Huay Xai on the Laos side. I will spend the night there and then take a slow boat into Luang Prabang for a two day journey down the majestic Mae Kong river.
That evening I ended up chatting with two groups of people, all traveling from Canada. They all had some amazing stories of their travels and without even noticing, we spent about five hours just sitting around and sharing tales of glory and defeat from various countries we've all visited. It was a great way to end the night, along with what became my customary evening treat in Chiang Rai, a delicious, cold vanilla milkshake.