Just when you think you’re all templed out, along comes Wat Rong Khun (a.k.a. the White Temple) in Chiang Rai. Thai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat began construction on the Buddhist-and-Hindu-themed temple in 1997; it is an ongoing project with some sections closed due to earthquake damage. The blinding white facade, fierce Naga serpents, and bits of glimmering mirror make it more of a contemporary art spectacle than a place of worship (although some visitors do both). The detailed mural inside the ubosot depicts the Buddhist cycle of birth and death, complete with cameos by Michael Jackson, Freddy Kruger, Superman, Harry Potter, Hello Kitty, Neo from The Matrix, and an Angry Bird barreling toward the World Trade Center towers. Outside the temple, hundreds of desperate hands claw skyward from the depths of hell, shrunken heads hang from trees, and a life-size Predator pushes himself up from an early grave. If you go (and you should), do yourself a favor and arrive at 8 a.m. sharp; the place gets absolutely mobbed. For photos with fewer tourists milling about, try going between noon and 1 p.m. The temple is closed at that hour, but the grounds are still open. The ideal day trip combines the White Temple in the morning with a visit to the Baandam Museum, or Black House, in the afternoon.

Pa O Don Chai, Mueang Chiang Rai, Chiang Rai, Thailand; +053-673579.