about chiang khong
by call_me_rhia
Chiang Khong was my gateway to Laos: I must admit I did not do it justice.. I walked up and down the main street once and then headed back to my guesthouse - and stared at the mekong river - knowing Laos was just on the other side, and the following day I would finally be there. A simple memory: not having liked thailand so much I was really delighted to know it would be my last night there - and that the following night I would be speding it happily in Laos. I had high expectations, and I was not disappointed!
The Black House
by theo1006
The Black House, alias Baan Si Dum, alias the Baandum Museum is not on the itinery of most tours. We just happened to read a Time article in the White Temple souvenir shop that referred also to the Black House, and asked our driver to take us there.
If you see the one, you should see the other. The Black House is in many respects the perfect opposite of the White Temple:
- both are private projects of wealthy Thai citizens;
- both owners are continuously adding to their project, no end in sight when it will be finished;
- as the names suggest, the colour of the White Temple is predominantly white, that of the Black House pedominantly black;
- the White Temple lies some distance south of Chiang Rai, the Black House a few km to the north;
- the owner of the White Temple is a devout Buddhist and the temple an expression of his devotion, whereas the owner of the Black House professes to be non-religious and has been accused of blaspheming Buddhism.
The Black House is not just one house, but an estate with numerous buildings, big and small, mostly of wood and mostly black. A few of them are locked, but most are open and freely accessable. They contain many curious objects, among them many buffalo horns, animal skins and bones, shells, wood-carvings and benches shaped from one piece of wood.
The estate is owned by famous Thai artist Thawan Duchanee, born in 1939, who studied art in the Netherlands. His grotesque and erotic paintings have been exhibited in may countries and evidently made him a well-to-do man. A short biography of Thawan Duchanee can be read here .
The pictures with this tip are of the exterior of several buildings.
For pics of the interiors, see our travelogue.
For more pics see the website below.
Admission to the 'museum' is free. Adjacent to the parking is a shouvenir shop, where there are also paintings of the artist for sale - not cheap!
Open: 9am to 5 pm. Groups by arrangement, call: 08-9767-4444 or 05-370-5834.
Chiang Rai
by earthflyer
Destinations visited in Thailand
Koh Chang - Nong Khai - Pattaya - Chumphon - Chiang Khan - Koh Samet - Ayuthaya
Bang Pa-in - Bangkok - Cha-am - Hua Hin - Kanchanaburi - Lopburi - Phimai
Chiang Mai - Chiang Rai - Chiang Sean - Phitsanulok - Si Satchanalai - Sukhothai
Koh Pha-ngan - Phi Phi Islands - Koh Samui - Krabi - Phang-nga Bay - Phuket
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Curious stairs of a black hut
Ubosot
Yunnanese noodles
Mae Salong, Chiang Rai
