CHIANG MAI — Visitors to a temple in the north of Thailand were offended Tuesday by a farang doing mountain bike tricks there.
In footage filmed of the incident at about 3:30pm, a male foreigner rides a mountain bike off a low wall on the grounds of Wat Jedyod, while another films him doing bike stunts.
Their annoyance however had not reached the attention of the authorities. Local police officer Pattarapop Thanomkulkarn said he hadn’t heard about it.
“No one has come to file a complaint,” he said.
Buddhist temples in Thailand, including Wat Jedyod, have stringent rules about what is allowed and disallowed, including not covering up or stepping on structures. Perceived misconduct by tourists is a routine source of indignation.
Wat Jedyod, a popular destination for Thai and foreign visitors, even asks people to seek permission to take photos. The cyclists did not ask for permission, according to witnesses.
People took notice when the foreign men started filming near the back of the temple, about 100 meters from where tourists usually gather. The cyclist then rode his bike from the elevated courtyard onto the ground. He did this at least four times while his friend filmed him for what may have been a “My Adventure in Thailand”-type YouTube video.
Some people said they didn’t want them to set an example for other tourists.
“It’s a historical site. You don’t even need signs, just a bit of critical thinking to know what you shouldn’t do,” wrote Facebook user Noom Kittisak Imdualkiat in reply to a story of the incident.
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