Wat Rong Suea Ten, the Blue Temple

A few kilometres from the centre of Chiang Rai, Wat Rong Suea Ten was finished in 2016 and is cobalt and gold inside and out: deep blue walls, gilded carving, a pair of large naga serpents at the front and, inside the hall, a white Buddha image against the blue. Its design is the work of a local artisan who had worked on the White Temple, and it shares that temple's love of ornament.

It is smaller and calmer than the White Temple, and the colour does the work — the blue holds up in mid-morning light that would ruin the white, which makes it the natural second stop of a Chiang Rai morning. The couple frames belong to the steps and the courtyard, where the blue fills the background; the white and the blue together fit into about two hours.

Inside, follow the signs about photography, and photograph the Buddha image on its own rather than posing with it. Shoulders and knees are covered and voices stay low, and kisses and lifts belong outside the temple walls. Temples set their own rules for professional shoots and change them, so the photographer checks the current position before the day.