White Temple in Chiang Rai to charge foreign visitors

[Rotweiler]

I do think that many of the posters into this thread have missed the point.

The white Temple" is not a temple in the usual Thai Buddhist sense.

It was established by a man who decided he could do something with an almost dead property.

He created a tourist attraction.

People should stop referring to it as the temple, and rather simply call it the white tourist attraction.

[boomerangutang]

When Trump loses the election in November, maybe he'll come to Chiang Rai and build "THE GOLDEN TEMPLE" with, of course, his name in large capital letters lit up on top. It will be bigger than any other temple, and will have a giant wall around it which he will get Thailand to pay for. ...oh, and a casino inside.

Edited March 19, 2016 by boomerangutang

[villagefarang]

I do think that many of the posters into this thread have missed the point.

The white Temple" is not a temple in the usual Thai Buddhist sense.

It was established by a man who decided he could do something with an almost dead property.

He created a tourist attraction.

People should stop referring to it as the temple, and rather simply call it the white tourist attraction.

I am not sure what good it would do for a few people to stop using either of the popular names, Wat Rong Khun or White Temple. I somehow don’t think additional titles would catch on or change anything. I guess you are free to call it whatever you wish even if it only adds to the confusion.

[Tomtomtom69]

Many Thais donate BT 100 or more per visit.

Maybe, but so do many foreigners. Some might even donate 500 Baht. Also, it's much better to allow the visitor to make the choice of how much they donate. In the very unlikely event I were to go to this temple or another one that practices dual pricing, I would not donate a single extra Baht. The entrance fee is the donation, and in some cases may be well in excess of what I would ever consider a reasonable amount for a donation. For example, Grand Palace 500 Baht. What do I get in return for my money? Lots of screaming Chinese, Korean, Russian and European tour groups jostling for a photo opportunity? Barely enough standing room to turn around to lean over and put my shoes back on?

No thanks...