The Big White Buddha

Jessica's school is about 7 km from our house, and about halfway between the two sits the Big White Buddha.  We see it twice a day as we commute to and from school, sitting there all blissful atop a lotus flower.  Well, last night we decided to go visit Buddha and see the temple next door. Unfortunately, all the signs were in Thai and there was no one there to guide us or explain anything in English, so we were left to interpret everything ourselves, which is to say, gawk and wonder alone. But these images are perhaps all that need to be said.  It's a very powerful place, especially the top of the temple, which has 9 floors.  I actually felt as if gravity increased with every level we rose.  By the time we got to the last floor, I felt stooped over, unable to straighten easily.  But the views of Chiang Rai were breathtaking.  You could really get a sense of how mountainous a region it is.  I'l let the pictures speak for themselves though.