Leaving Chiang Mai behind, we board mini-buses for our long drive to the banks of the Mekong River where we will cross the border into the beautiful and, until recently isolated, country of Laos. Along the way, we drove through lush, green vegetation with the occasional sugarloaf mountain breaking the continuity of the landscape. Halfway through the journey, we stop at a small, roadside eatery for lunch and decide to visit a strangely decorated "White Temple" - upon approach it appears that the temple is fairly ordinary (though very heavily decorated), until you get close enough to realize that the temple is surrounded by statues of demons and monsters, with a sculpted version of hell (complete with hands reaching up to drag you down into despair) in the forecourt. Fascinated by this very different buddhist architecture
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