After being yelled at, scolded like a child by the angry little Thai man with the bullhorn, you have to really have a pair of stones on you to start snapping photos inside Wat Rong Khun, just outside of Chiang Rai. Better know as the White Wat, it is the incredibly fanciful creation of artist Chalermchai Kositpipat, a very personal interpretation of the Buddhist religion that focuses highly on precepts that seem to have more to do with the Christian litany of Thou Shall Nots than of the teachings of the Buddha. And one of those Thou Shall Nots is Thou Shall Not Take Pictures Inside My Wat.

And that’s a shame. It’s the only Thai temple I know of that incudes the likeness of Superman, Keanu Reeves in his role of Neo from the Matrix, and The Predator on the chapel’s walls. Fresh from a scolding, on my first visit I didn’t even think about sneaking a shot or two. On my second visit with a group of friends we huddled in a tight scrum around one of our party so that he could surreptitiously take a few photos to be shared by all. Not that his testosterone levels were up to the task either. The resulting photos looked like they’d been taken by my 93 year-old-palsy-ridden aunt. On one of her bad days. We shoulda let one of the dykes brave the wrath of the artist that day.

But I ran across these shots on the internet a while ago, someone else had tempted fate, the gods, and the angry little man with the bullhorn. With the latest version of Superman ready for its release it seemed like a good time to post them. Because within six months some sci-fi nerd visiting the wat will be whining, “But that’s not Henry Cavill!”

Wat Rong Khun is not readily accessible to Chiang Mai visitors, it’s about an hour and a half away. It is included as a stop on most package tours to the Golden Triangle, but the 20 minutes you are allowed is far too brief of a time to completely soak in the dementia that is Kositpipat’s version of a Buddhist heaven on earth. You can hire a private car instead and though that may seem to be a pricey outing for the day, you’ll be glad you did. No photo can really do the temple justice, you have to experience it on your own. And if are up to the task and sneak some interior shots, send ‘em my way.

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