Kee Hua Chee Live!: WHITE TEMPLE OR WAT RONG KHUN IN CHIANGMAI, THAILAND IS WORLD FAMOUS FOR ITS UNIQUE TEMPLE CONCEIVED, DESIGNED, BUILT AND OWNED BY A PRIVATE CITIZEN, THE NATIONALLY ACCLAIMED ARTIST CHALERMCHAI KOSITPIPAT. OPENED IN 1997 THE OWNER CLAIMS TO HAVE SPENT A STAGGERING RM 130 MILLION SO FAR. I MET CHALERMCHAI KOSITPIPAT MAYBE OVER A DECADE AGO AND WHEN I CONGRATULATED HIM ON THIS STUPENDOUS PROJECT FUNDED ENTIRELY BY HIM AND WELL WISHERS, HE SAID "WAT RONG KHUN IS NOT READY YET THOUGH TO MOST VISITORS IT LOOKS FINISHED. THIS IS STILL AN ONGOING PROJECT AND I EXPECT IT TO BE COMPLETED AFTER MY DEATH AS IT WILL TAKE ANOTHER 50 YEARS BEFORE MY MASTERPLAN IS FULLY REALISED." OF COURSE TO ME, WAT RONG KHUN LOOKS PERFECTLY FINE AS THE MAIN TEMPLE IN PRISTINE WHITE AND THE FAMOUS PURGATORY OF SOULS AND ALL THE SCULPTURES HAVE BEEN PHOTOGRAPHED ENDLESSLY. SOME BUDDHISTS HAVE COMPLAINED THE MAIN TEMPLE (A SMALLISH BUILDING WHERE PHOTOS ARE FORBIDDEN) HAVE WALLS PAINTED WITH CARTOONISH FIGURES OF MICHAEL JACKSON, HARRY POTTER, HELLO KITTY, SUPERMAN, TERMINATOR, NEO FROM THE MATRIX, FREDDY KRUEGER, NUCLEAR WAR AND TERRORIST ATTACK ON NEW YORK CITY ON SEPTEMBER 11. AS THESE WERE PAINTED ON WALLS FACING THE MAIN BUDDHA STATUE, CONSERVATIVE BUDDHISTS CONSIDER THIS TO BE SACRILEGIOUS AND SCANDALOUS AS THE UBOSOT (MAIN PRAYER HALL) IS SUPPOSED TO BE SACRED AND FILLED ONLY WITH RELIGIOUS ICONS. EXPLAINED KOSITPIPAT, "I WANT TO SHOW MODERN FIGURES EVERYONE CAN RELATE TO FOR BETTER OR WORSE AS THIS IS THE NEW REALITY. I COULD HAVE PAINTED TRADITIONAL SCENES OF BUDDHA'S BIRTH TO ENLIGHTENMENT OR FROM THE JATAKA (BUDDHIST FABLES) BUT I WANT TO GIVE IT A CONTEMPORARY SPIN." NEVERTHELESS, CATASTROPHE STRUCK ON 5-5-14 AT 6.08 PM WHEN AN EARTHQUAKE SHOOK AND DAMAGED THE STRUCTURES, GIVING RISE TO MURMURINGS OF "I TOLD YOU SO" AMID WHISPERS OF PROOF OF DIVINE WRATH! IN FURY, CHALERMCHAI KOSITPIPAT ANNOUNCED ON 6 MAY 2014 HE WOULD TEAR DOWN EVERY SINGLE BUILDING! ON 7 MAY 2014 GOVERNMENT ENGINEERS AND ARCHITECT CHECKED AND DECLARED ALL WAS STRUCTURALLY SAFE AND DAMAGE, THOUGH SEEMINGLY EXTENSIVE, WAS SUPERFICIAL! IT WAS A MIRACLE! KOSITPIPAT REOPENED WHITE WAT ON 8 MAY 2014! THAIS ENTER FREE BUT FARANG LIKE US PAY RM 13. DONATIONS OF UP TO RM 1,300 ARE ACCEPTED BUT NO HIGHER. EXPLAINED KOSITPIPAT, "MANY HAVE OFFERED TO DONATE CASH OF RM 13 MILLION OR MORE BUT I DECLINED AS I WANT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION. USUALLY THE DONORS WANT TO NAME A CHAPEL, SHRINE OR HALL AFTER THEMSELVES OR PARENTS OR CHILDREN!"

Monday, April 6, 2020

WHITE TEMPLE OR WAT RONG KHUN IN CHIANGMAI, THAILAND IS WORLD FAMOUS FOR ITS UNIQUE TEMPLE CONCEIVED, DESIGNED, BUILT AND OWNED BY A PRIVATE CITIZEN, THE NATIONALLY ACCLAIMED ARTIST CHALERMCHAI KOSITPIPAT. OPENED IN 1997 THE OWNER CLAIMS TO HAVE SPENT A STAGGERING RM 130 MILLION SO FAR. I MET CHALERMCHAI KOSITPIPAT MAYBE OVER A DECADE AGO AND WHEN I CONGRATULATED HIM ON THIS STUPENDOUS PROJECT FUNDED ENTIRELY BY HIM AND WELL WISHERS, HE SAID "WAT RONG KHUN IS NOT READY YET THOUGH TO MOST VISITORS IT LOOKS FINISHED. THIS IS STILL AN ONGOING PROJECT AND I EXPECT IT TO BE COMPLETED AFTER MY DEATH AS IT WILL TAKE ANOTHER 50 YEARS BEFORE MY MASTERPLAN IS FULLY REALISED." OF COURSE TO ME, WAT RONG KHUN LOOKS PERFECTLY FINE AS THE MAIN TEMPLE IN PRISTINE WHITE AND THE FAMOUS PURGATORY OF SOULS AND ALL THE SCULPTURES HAVE BEEN PHOTOGRAPHED ENDLESSLY. SOME BUDDHISTS HAVE COMPLAINED THE MAIN TEMPLE (A SMALLISH BUILDING WHERE PHOTOS ARE FORBIDDEN) HAVE WALLS PAINTED WITH CARTOONISH FIGURES OF MICHAEL JACKSON, HARRY POTTER, HELLO KITTY, SUPERMAN, TERMINATOR, NEO FROM THE MATRIX, FREDDY KRUEGER, NUCLEAR WAR AND TERRORIST ATTACK ON NEW YORK CITY ON SEPTEMBER 11. AS THESE WERE PAINTED ON WALLS FACING THE MAIN BUDDHA STATUE, CONSERVATIVE BUDDHISTS CONSIDER THIS TO BE SACRILEGIOUS AND SCANDALOUS AS THE UBOSOT (MAIN PRAYER HALL) IS SUPPOSED TO BE SACRED AND FILLED ONLY WITH RELIGIOUS ICONS. EXPLAINED KOSITPIPAT, "I WANT TO SHOW MODERN FIGURES EVERYONE CAN RELATE TO FOR BETTER OR WORSE AS THIS IS THE NEW REALITY. I COULD HAVE PAINTED TRADITIONAL SCENES OF BUDDHA'S BIRTH TO ENLIGHTENMENT OR FROM THE JATAKA (BUDDHIST FABLES) BUT I WANT TO GIVE IT A CONTEMPORARY SPIN." NEVERTHELESS, CATASTROPHE STRUCK ON 5-5-14 AT 6.08 PM WHEN AN EARTHQUAKE SHOOK AND DAMAGED THE STRUCTURES, GIVING RISE TO MURMURINGS OF "I TOLD YOU SO" AMID WHISPERS OF PROOF OF DIVINE WRATH! IN FURY, CHALERMCHAI KOSITPIPAT ANNOUNCED ON 6 MAY 2014 HE WOULD TEAR DOWN EVERY SINGLE BUILDING! ON 7 MAY 2014 GOVERNMENT ENGINEERS AND ARCHITECT CHECKED AND DECLARED ALL WAS STRUCTURALLY SAFE AND DAMAGE, THOUGH SEEMINGLY EXTENSIVE, WAS SUPERFICIAL! IT WAS A MIRACLE! KOSITPIPAT REOPENED WHITE WAT ON 8 MAY 2014! THAIS ENTER FREE BUT FARANG LIKE US PAY RM 13. DONATIONS OF UP TO RM 1,300 ARE ACCEPTED BUT NO HIGHER. EXPLAINED KOSITPIPAT, "MANY HAVE OFFERED TO DONATE CASH OF RM 13 MILLION OR MORE BUT I DECLINED AS I WANT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION. USUALLY THE DONORS WANT TO NAME A CHAPEL, SHRINE OR HALL AFTER THEMSELVES OR PARENTS OR CHILDREN!"

DATOKEEHUACHEE@GMAIL.COM

PHOTOS BY CANON

SUPERMODEL AMBER CHIA WITH SUPERBLOGGER DATO KEE HUA CHEE AT WAT RONG KHUN POPULARLY KNOWN AS WHITE WAT OR WHITE TEMPLE THOUGH NOT EVERY SINGLE BUILDING IS WHITE AS PROVEN BY THE GOLDEN BUILDING BEHIND THEM! WE WENT TO CHIANGMAI WITH TIME2TRAVEL, THE BEST TOUR AGENCY IN KUALA LUMPUR! REMEMBER TO USE TIME2TRAVEL WHEN CORONA VIRUS PANDEMIC IS OVER

THIS LOVELY GOLDEN BUILDING HOUSES THE TOILETS! THIS BUILDING IS GOLD TO SYMBOLISE EARTHLY, BASE, EARTHLY DESIRES WHILE THE RELIGIOUS BUILDINGS ARE WHITE TO DENOTE SPIRITUAL PURITY