Thailand's Temples: Gold and Silver, Flames and Flags.

What do you expect to find in Thailand? Isn't it just the country of beaches, alcohol, and one-night stands? Sure, you can find that, too. But there is so much else. Like ultra-cool temples, which can give you the impression that you've just been beamed through a portal into another world and time. A world of exuberant artisanal gold, fine silver handcrafts, colorful prayer flags, tinkling bells, chanting monks, forest temples, stone temples, war ruins, and royal palaces. Wow. By the end, we are so over-templed that it's almost impossible to process all these intense perceptions.

Despite the sensual overload, every single temple is a deeply meditative, wondrous experience. How can a place full of people feel totally calm? How can all these colors, the glow, the incense sticks, and the flickering flames from the dripping candles radiate so much silence and serenity? And then the dedication of the people who so carefully glued each individual mosaic tile by hand to these sometimes-huge installations. Each doorknob is created with a tiny chisel and a tiny file in hours of painstaking work.

So I just stand there. Barefoot. No shoes are allowed in temples. The ground is warm, the evening sun lies low over the tropical trees with their huge leaves, the outlines of an oversized Buddha statue dark but softly against the sky.

Thailand's temples are a world of their own. Each one completely unique, each with its own color and atmosphere. Let's beam through the portal and go there!

The tip of a pyramid peeking out over the high wall looks orange, green, pink and yellow. “What's that?” I ask excitedly. I’m thinking it's probably some crazy funfair truck selling marshmallows and firecrackers. But it turns out to be one of the most famous temples in Bangkok—Wat Pho. Just saying: “Wat” means “Buddhist temple”—so you'll be reading that word a lot, and no, it is not always the same building.

Wat Pho is my first contact with the colorful, beautiful, ornamental temples of Thailand. I am blown away. Stepped pagodas are everywhere, covered in painted clay flowers created down to the tiniest detail. Everything is huge and yet at the same time, a miniature world. It is amazing. We wander around between the pagodas, enter prayer halls, and observe endless rows of man-size Buddha statues sitting silently next to each other.

One of the highlights of Wat Pho is the Reclining Buddha. I wonder what could that be? One of the statues is probably lying on its side. But why does it have its own building? Hundreds of visitors stream in, and we stream in with them. I expect to see a display case or something. Then I almost faint. The Reclining Buddha fills the entire building, and Buddha’s little toe is as tall as I am. The golden sculpture is 150 feet long and 50 feet high. Wat the fuck?

In northern Thailand lies the city of Chiang Mai and nearby the Monk's Trail. How beautiful, a leisurely pilgrimage path on which you amble along several temples. Or so we thought.

I don't know what's wrong with Thai monks, they chose to construct a narrow, stony, dusty path up a steep mountain through the middle of a jungle. It's 93°F in winter and 108°F in summer. Humidity 99 percent; no all-weather deodorant will help. You can forget about leisurely pilgrimages. Drudgery is the word of the day. However, the journey is worth it. A few miles up the long path you come across the forest temple Wat Pha Lat.

In the middle of the jungle—well, okay, there is a road for cars on the other side of the temple—there are several enchanting buildings. Brick pagodas overgrown with moss, a grotto house, and finally an eerie-looking white, elongated arched building. A small river flows through the area, splashing over an infinity pool into the depths. Although there are many people here, everyone seems to be respectful, and the atmosphere is serene. Breathe in, breathe out. We sit down in the reasonably cool arched building and just look at the stone Buddhas with the yellow stolas for a while. Trumpet flowers hang from a tree in front of the entrance. A paradise.

Has it snowed or what? Wat Rong Khun in the northern city of Chiang Rai is a building complex known worldwide simply as “the White Temple.” From the second I see it, I feel it is one of the most impressive, modern, ornate buildings in the world. At least as impressive as the Sagrada Família in Barcelona.

All buildings are encased with bright, white, intricate decorations. Thousands of reflective mosaic tiles cover each part. At the entrance to the complex, you seem to walk through “hell,” with creepy arms poking up from the surface, grasping to reach the sky for help, while monstrous heads spill out of the ground. It turns out that the artist was not trying to depict hell, but the earth. Fits perfectly at the moment.

We next cross a white bridge leading us through the Gate of Enlightenment, symbolizing the Buddhist journey from the eternal cycle of rebirth to nirvana. I often forget to close my jaw because everything is so incredible. Bright, white, detailed, exaggerated. Incredible-everything.

Eventually we come to the less magnificent buildings on the grounds. “Maybe as a contrast,” I say. Not at all. The temple complex is still under construction, and it is far from finished. It was opened in 1997 and is due to be completed in 2070. The internationally acclaimed artist Chalermchai Kositpipat is the architect of the complex. He is now 70 years old and will not live to see the conclusion of his gigantic masterpiece.

If you take your time exploring the grounds, you will find a workshop where you can go inside and watch the team of craftsmen fabricating new parts for the temple! Kositpipat occasionally mingles with the workers without being recognized. He also personally finances almost the entire project through his earnings as an artist. He only accepts donations up to $250. He feels that no one individual should have too much power over the place. Impressive on so many levels!

For me, Chiang Mai is the city with the most beautiful temples in Thailand. Not only is the monk's path here, but also the silver temple Wat Sri Suphan. Everything here is silver—and I'm not exaggerating. The entire prayer hall is covered with shimmering metal sheets. Not all of them are made of real silver—some parts are made of nickel or aluminum. But when the sun shines on the temple, it is almost surreal to look at.

The façade is covered with tiny, picture stories engraved in the metal. Everything here was created by hand. No wonder, as the Wua Lai district, where Wat Sri Suphan is located, is known for its precious metal craftsmanship. Although the temple area has been sacred for several hundred years, the Silver Temple itself is quite new and was only built between 2008 and 2016.

The steps, flowing like blue water out of the interior of the temple, are particularly unusual. Unfortunately, due to the local Lanna tradition, only males are allowed to enter—fortunately this was an experience we did not encounter at other temples. I didn't care. My husband just went in and took a photo of the interior, which showed that it didn't look too exciting in there.

There was also a mouse statue on the temple grounds to which you could whisper wishes. I can now say it out loud because it seems to have worked: I had wished that my husband's next cancer test results would all be good, and that's exactly what happened. I generally don't wish for anything for myself. I have so many things that make me happy, and I know that many people are not that lucky at all. So, personally, I prefer to wish for something for others.

Back on our first evening in Chiang Mai it's warm, as always. We are tired. “But there's a temple nearby,” I say.

My husband looks at me. "Sarah, there is always a temple nearby in Thailand."

We go to the temple.

It's the Wat Phra Singh temple in the middle of the old town. Maybe it's the evening sun, or the light breeze, or the unperturbable, devout temple cat with green eyes who lies chilling on the ground. But there is a magic in the air here. A round, gilded pagoda stands like a small cathedral in the middle of the temple grounds with its smooth stones warmed by the sun. Colorful, long cloth flags wave around the pagoda. Countless small silver and gold bells dangle from a scaffold. You can buy a bell from the nearby monk and—once again—make a wish. Wishes play a very important role in Buddhism. Sometimes with bells, sometimes with cards, flags, candles, or wooden tablets.

Next to the bells is a stand where honey-yellow candles are blazing. Some tip over as they melt and join others, forming a giant flame. I take off my shoes and slowly walk barefoot over a warm carpet in a clockwise fashion—the direction is very important in Buddhism—around the golden pagoda. Suddenly, a group of monks in the prayer house begin to chant and recite. The spiritual chanting echoes through loudspeakers like a string of strange, yet soothing sounds. I close my eyes. A moment of absolute peace.

Thailand's temples. I've only told you about five - and there are 44,000 in the whole country. It's pretty easy to forget about the beach, partying, and alcohol.

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