webfact Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 Admission to the “White Temple” of Chiang Rai is no more free..for foreign visitors CHIANG RAI: -- Wat Rong Khun, or better known among foreign tourists as “the White Temple” of Chiang Rai will begin to collect admission fees from foreign visitors, beginning October 1. Admission fee is only 50 baht. Chalermchai Kositpipat, a Chiang Rai-born artist who built this unique Buddhism temple with his own fund, said throughout the past 19 years when the temple was first built, no admission fee was ever collected from both local and foreign visitors. But now after the temple has a committee to manage the temple, all committee members agreed that admission fee should be collected so that the money will be used to improve all facilities at the temple to welcome a large number of visitors to the temple a year. He said initially after he built the temple, he intended to make the temple the first tourist attraction where no admission be collected. But after there is a temple committee, all agreed that admission should be collected and has a fund to run the temple once he no longer lives to take care of the temple, he said. However he said local visitors won’t be affected and still can enjoy the free admission. Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/admission-white-temple-chiang-rai-no-free-foreign-visitors/ -- © Copyright Thai PBS 2016-09-29 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canopus1969 Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 The 'committee' wants a salary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracker1 Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 numbers wont drop people will just take photos from outside after all they are there to see the Temple bit hard hideing that from the people ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish monger Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 Quote Has anyone seen the amount of donations this place hauls in on a daily basis...? The cash boxes...? IT'S OBSCENE...I live 5 kilometers from this 'temple' and I know the money flows like water. I could live like a king, with what this guy makes in a day. Been there a dozen times in over six years and the place just expands in all directions. People don't PAY to enter a temple, as they are places of prayer and worship. Funny how I have NEVER seen a monk walking the grounds. I have NEVER seen anyone in prayer at that place. I only go to leave a gift in the most expensive toilet in Thailand. LMAO when he said that he couldn't afford the repairs after Phan had the earthquake and he was going to close the place down. He is nothing but a scammer. Just another cheap double standard of payment between 'farang' and the locals....! It's not a temple....It's a tourist trap; an expose for folks that do very fancy cement and stucco work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasset Tak Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 I wounder if they still charge you if you show up at the temple with one of these These amulets are buy the artist himself and in today's market they are about 30-40,000 Baht. Sadly I don't own any of these amulets but I can borrow from my friend he has 20... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoilSpoil Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 Imagine a sign at the entrance of the Notre Dame in Paris that says: "free entrance for everyone, except for Asians who must pay 1 euro''. The reactions would be strong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiang mai Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 12 minutes ago, SoilSpoil said: Imagine a sign at the entrance of the Notre Dame in Paris that says: "free entrance for everyone, except for Asians who must pay 1 euro''. The reactions would be strong. Get your analogy right, the sign would have to read, "free entrance for all French citizens, everyone else pays 1 Euro". That would be acceptable I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daoyai Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 It is only natural to charge to enter a "Bahtist" temple is it not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villagefarang Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 Sure you could Google someone else’s photo but it is more satisfying to go take your own. We are talking about 50 baht from busloads of tourists who are not there for religious reasons. I don’t see the problem. Who is that walking around in my photo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arithai12 Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 How about admission free, toilets 50 baht. That was the issue with some "foreigners", right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andre47 Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 3 hours ago, fish monger said: Funny how I have NEVER seen a monk walking the grounds. I have NEVER seen anyone in prayer at that place. This is not a real (Buddhist) temple. It is a contemporary, unconventional, privately owned, art exhibit in the style of a Buddhist temple. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wat_Rong_Khun The owner of this building is a private person and can do what he want (even collect fees). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexlowe Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 27 minutes ago, arithai12 said: How about admission free, toilets 50 baht. That was the issue with some "foreigners", right? Chinese, to be precise. The owner was so fed up with the way the Chinese visitors were behaving, especially the filth they left in the toilets, that he closed the temple to all for a while. He eventually relented and reopened it, but only after building toilets specifically for the Chinese to use, and harsh rules were imposed on tour guides. Whether or not he's raking in the moolah, I think it's worth 50 baht a visit just to admire the craftsmanship. But like Wat Yan south of Jomtien, I won't go if I spot lots of tour buses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camble Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 It's amazing that this private art exhibit was free for so long, it's well worth the 50 baht admission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retiredandhappyhere Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 Clearly, it is not a temple but simply just a business venture and an admission fee for farangs of 50 baht is not exactly a rip-off. As such, surely the entrance fee could be applied to Thais as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KBsinter Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 Sounds good to me,this has to be the (one of) biggest attractions in Thailand,very beautiful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakhonandy Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 Not a big deal IMHO. Together with my Thai family we used to donate money anyhow as is common in a temple. I am sure most if not all Thai do the same. 50 baht is not much for such a beautiful temple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorpio1945 Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 Big deal! Not a problem for me. He is an artist. His to do with as he wishes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redline Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 Thanks, but no thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rotweiler Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 Seems Wikipedia has caught up already: Wat Rong Khun (Thai: วัดร่องขุ่น), perhaps better known to foreigners as the White Temple, is a contemporary, unconventional, privately owned, art exhibit in the style of a Buddhist temple in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand. It is owned by Chalermchai Kositpipat, who designed, constructed, and opened it to visitors in 1997. It is NOT a religious temple, but rather a tourist attraction. It is open all year round. Admission for Thai nationals is free, foreigners must pay 50B.[1] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wat_Rong_Khun) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rijb Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 Come all the way to Thailand and not visit this place. That's just stupid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonmarleesco Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 And no doubt most of the visitors are local, thus causing most of the wear and tear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moe666 Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 11 hours ago, fish monger said: Has anyone seen the amount of donations this place hauls in on a daily basis...? The cash boxes...? IT'S OBSCENE...I live 5 kilometers from this 'temple' and I know the money flows like water. I could live like a king, with what this guy makes in a day. Been there a dozen times in over six years and the place just expands in all directions. People don't PAY to enter a temple, as they are places of prayer and worship. Funny how I have NEVER seen a monk walking the grounds. I have NEVER seen anyone in prayer at that place. I only go to leave a gift in the most expensive toilet in Thailand. LMAO when he said that he couldn't afford the repairs after Phan had the earthquake and he was going to close the place down. He is nothing but a scammer. Just another cheap double standard of payment between 'farang' and the locals....! It's not a temple....It's a tourist trap; an expose for folks that do very fancy cement and stucco work. It is not a temple only in the mind of the artist who started it. it would have to be approved by the body that controls all temples in Thailand. One Buddha statue doesn't make you a temple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torrens54 Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 Okay, it isn't the amount of money, just another Rip-Off of the Ferang! Unless the Genius who owns the place is going to build a Donny Trump-style Wall around it, who needs to go in and pay the fee, let alone make a Generous Donation as, many thousands have in the past? Might find there will also be a dramatic drop in what the "Filthy Ferang" spend on Trinkets and other stuff at his Silver, imitation Temple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moe666 Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 8 hours ago, Dexlowe said: Chinese, to be precise. The owner was so fed up with the way the Chinese visitors were behaving, especially the filth they left in the toilets, that he closed the temple to all for a while. He eventually relented and reopened it, but only after building toilets specifically for the Chinese to use, and harsh rules were imposed on tour guides. Whether or not he's raking in the moolah, I think it's worth 50 baht a visit just to admire the craftsmanship. But like Wat Yan south of Jomtien, I won't go if I spot lots of tour buses. There are no special toilets for the Chinese, they got rid of the squatters and added sitters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thechook Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 My wife tells me it's not a real temple and monks don't live there. Driven past it many times and have said why don't we go in for a look and she says why, it's just a building. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodney earl Posted September 30, 2016 Share Posted September 30, 2016 Just another case of ripping off the foreigner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sceadugenga Posted September 30, 2016 Share Posted September 30, 2016 Exactly what part of the complex requires a fee to enter? I've been there multiple times with visitors and never actually entered the "temple" itself, I get to the bridge and can't be bothered taking my shoes off. Most of the attraction is about the exterior. Much ado about nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rijb Posted September 30, 2016 Share Posted September 30, 2016 My wife and I met the artist/owner earlier this year, in HomePro. He bought 5 carts full of stuff, for repairs to the temple. He talked about damages made by visitors. And he was disgusted by what the Chinese do in the bathrooms. The fee is for maintenance, not for sticking it to the foreigner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keesters Posted September 30, 2016 Share Posted September 30, 2016 Should not be allowed to be called 'Wat' if it is not a temple. Has it been Temple consecration An inauguration ceremony called "FANG LUUK NIMIT" (ฝังลูกนิมิต) is done to consecrate a temple. Some sacred marker spheres "LUUK NIMIT" (ลูกนิมิต) need to be buried in the temple compound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keesters Posted September 30, 2016 Share Posted September 30, 2016 2 hours ago, rodney earl said: Just another case of ripping off the foreigner. aka racism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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