'White Temple' to charge foreigners an entry fee

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Nereus
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'White Temple' to charge foreigners an entry fee

Post by Nereus »

'White Temple' to charge foreigners an entry fee

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general ... -entry-fee

CHIANG RAI - Wat Rong Khun, better known as the White Temple, will charge foreigners an admission fee from Oct 1 onwards.

Entry will remain free for Thais, local media reported on Thursday.

Renowned national artist and creator of the temple Chalermchai Kositpipat said he had never before collected a fee from Thai or foreign visitors since the temple was built for 19 years ago.

He had initially intended it would be ………?????????????????????

A temple committee and other representatives had recently raised the issue of charging an entry fee.

They proposed that the admission fee be used for the temple's management, said Mr Chalermchai. He had agreed with the proposal.

However, he had suggested that admission be set at 50 baht for foreign visitors, who would also receive a brochure introducing Wat Rong Khun and a bag.

No entry fees would be collected from Thais as the temple belongs to the Thai people, the national artist said. He confirmed that foreigners would be charged an entry fee of 50 baht from this coming Saturday onwards.
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Re: 'White Temple' to charge foreigners an entry fee

Post by Big Boy »

:banghead: more plastic bags. At least they're making people pay for them, which might mean they sell less.

:idea: Why not charge 40 Baht, and scrap the bag idea?
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Re: 'White Temple' to charge foreigners an entry fee

Post by HHTel »

It's been that way at Sanam Luang for as many years as I can remember. Nothing new.
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Re: 'White Temple' to charge foreigners an entry fee

Post by Big Boy »

HHTel wrote:It's been that way at Sanam Luang for as many years as I can remember. Nothing new.
Not the best comparison in the world. One is loaded with culture and history, the other is more of a plastic monument (very ornately done), whose claim to fame is a few bits falling off during an earthquake. The most impressive feature is the lavatory building. IMHO chalk and cheese.
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Re: 'White Temple' to charge foreigners an entry fee

Post by bert91157 »

50 Baht is hardly likely to break the bank.
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Re: 'White Temple' to charge foreigners an entry fee

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However, he had suggested that admission be set at 50 baht for foreign visitors
50 Baht, or 500 Baht, is not the point. It is supposed to be a Temple, ie: a place to worship! If they want to run it as a circus, then do not call it a Temple.
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Re: 'White Temple' to charge foreigners an entry fee

Post by Dannie Boy »

Nereus wrote:
However, he had suggested that admission be set at 50 baht for foreign visitors
50 Baht, or 500 Baht, is not the point. It is supposed to be a Temple, ie: a place to worship! If they want to run it as a circus, then do not call it a Temple.
Maybe on a much grander scale, but you should try visiting St. Paul's Cathedral in London - standard adult fee is £18 (over 800 baht).
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Re: 'White Temple' to charge foreigners an entry fee

Post by bert91157 »

It is supposed to be a Temple, ie: a place to worship!
So consider it a donation for the up keep of the place. :roll:
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Re: 'White Temple' to charge foreigners an entry fee

Post by Khundon1975 »

Dannie Boy wrote:
Nereus wrote:
However, he had suggested that admission be set at 50 baht for foreign visitors
50 Baht, or 500 Baht, is not the point. It is supposed to be a Temple, ie: a place to worship! If they want to run it as a circus, then do not call it a Temple.
Maybe on a much grander scale, but you should try visiting St. Paul's Cathedral in London - standard adult fee is £18 (over 800 baht).
It is free to worship in St Paul's, you only pay for the sightseeing tours.

https://www.stpauls.co.uk/visits/visits ... mes-prices

From their website.

"However, we never have and never will charge a penny for worship. All our services are free and we welcome all people. There is also a chapel set aside for private prayer and contemplation throughout every day".

Foreigners can also worship for free. :wink:

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Re: 'White Temple' to charge foreigners an entry fee

Post by charlesh »

It is NOT free entrance to a number of Minsters in the UK. BUT entrance fees apply to ALL not just this 2 tiered system that exist in LOS.
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Re: 'White Temple' to charge foreigners an entry fee

Post by Khundon1975 »

charlesh :)

I wasn't talking about Minsters, I was talking about St Paul's Cathedral, as quoted in the post by Dannie Boy. :thumb:

I also stated that it is free to worship and I suspect that includes when attending a service of worship at Minsters.
I have yet to attend a service in any church or cathedral in the UK and be expected to pay. If you don't include the collection plate that passes around. :(

I may be wrong of course.

As for the two tiered service in LOS, it has ever been thus!

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Re: 'White Temple' to charge foreigners an entry fee

Post by RCer »

I don't look at the fees for places or pricing as a 2 tiered system designed to fleece farangs.

To me its a matter of earned benefits that the Thai peeople have sacrificed for, whereas we bought our way in.
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Re: 'White Temple' to charge foreigners an entry fee

Post by playboy »

Majority of Thais go to (any) temple to worship as well as admiring the beauty of the temple, unlike foreign tourists who only visit it as another tourist attraction. The 50 bath admission fee is very reasonable to help them maintain the facility, including clean restroom. I went to the White Temple last year and saw hordes of tourists almost stepping on each other trying to take pictures and almost caused damage to the temple. (The temple itself is not very big). There's another more peaceful corner to the left of the temple where people could go and worship which I did and I donated more than 50 baht. I didn't see a single foreign tourist there!
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Re: 'White Temple' to charge foreigners an entry fee

Post by HHTel »

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]
So it's an 'art exhibit'. Puts a whole new light on it.
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