Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai, in Thailand’s far north, is defined by two extraordinary temples rather than one. Wat Rong Khun, the White Temple, is an almost blinding contemporary reinterpretation of Buddhist iconography, while Wat Rong Suea Ten, the Blue Temple, does something similarly bold in indigo and gold. Neither looks like anything else in the country. Visit early, before the coach parties arrive, and the White Temple’s mirrored mosaics catch the morning light in a way that photographs never quite capture.