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Published: November 8th 2017
I landed at Chiang Rai Airport on the evening of November 6th, after a day of long connections and delayed flights. I took Bangkok Airways - who market themselves as "Asia’s Boutique Airline" - from Bangkok to Chiang Rai. They certainly live up to this name, with low fares, no hidden extras (checked bags, seat selection, meals are all free) and a lounge stocked with food and drinks for
all passengers - you read that correctly - to enjoy. They served a hot meal on a 60 minute flight. You have to wonder how they make money. On the flight, there was a group of young Korean men wearing the same salmon pink blazers. Nobody paid special attention to them on the flight, but at baggage claim there were screaming teenagers waving Thai and South Korean flags. I haven’t figured out who these men were; a google search didn’t reveal any special events in town.
I took a taxi from the airport to my accommodation - Baan Baramee - located in downtown Chiang Rai. I breathed the cool air. It felt so good to be back in Thailand. This is a culture I have lived in, and I was so
Baan Dam
Inside the main hall.happy to be immersed back in it, albeit only for a few days while I make my way to the Laotian border. I went to sleep after a quick jaunt to 7-11 for some snacks. Along the way, I noticed a cat cafe. Yes!!!
Black House, White Temple
After breakfast the next morning, I made my way to the nearby bus station and boarded a bus bound for Mae Sai to get to Baan Dam, which is along the highway to Mae Sai. The journey took about 15 minutes, after which I disembarked and followed the directional signs to my destination. Baan Dam, or Black House, is a complex of about 40 structures located north of Chiang Rai. The buildings and their contents are the brainchild of an artist named Thawan Duchanee. I got there just after opening time and I was disheartened to see that there was a tour bus full of package tourists from China already there. I braced myself - Chinese is a loud language. Fortunately, they weren’t too loud. Rather inexplicably, they were primarily interested in filming themselves doing a group dance to the Mandarin equivalent of Three Blind Mice. They did it over and
over.
The Ban Daam grounds and the buildings were very interesting. Almost all the buildings were black or a very dark brown, and the artist made interesting use of items such as buffalo skulls and horns and crocodile skins. Overall, the ambiance was dark. I‘m not quite sure how to interpret the exhibits other than to speculate that the artist was expressing his thoughts about how humans interact with their environment and one another. After over an hour on the grounds, I made my way back to the highway. Although it was only 10.30am, I was already hungry. I didn’t want to eat at the touristy restaurants immediately adjacent to Baan Dam, but the only nearby place I could find along the highway was a little cafe selling overpriced fried rice. After eating, I waited along the highway for about 10 minutes until a Chiang Rai bound bus came along. The highway was Highway 1, also known as Pahol Yothin Road. The mind boggles to think that this road goes all the way to Bangkok, right up to the apartment I lived in back in 1994-95.
Back at the bus station, I enquired and learned that a southbound
bus would soon depart, and that it would stop at Wat Rong Khun. I boarded that bus and disembarked along the highway after a 20 minute ride. Wat Rong Khun is also known as the White Temple. It was certainly very spectacular, but I couldn't decide if it was cool or if it was kitschy. The white temple was designed to reflect Buddha’s purity. To get to it, one had to walk through a nightmarish sea of hands protruding from the ground. Once past the hands, one crosses a bridge to the dazzling white temple with tiny mirrors inlaid. I guess this was a metaphor for rejecting temptation or evil, and then crossing a bridge to achieve purity. Anyway, the temple was quite spectacular, if a bit overrun with tourists. Indeed, it took ages to cross the aforementioned bridge because there were so many tourists taking pictures or selfies on the narrow bridge.
After exiting the temple, I chanced across a
sawngthaew (a covered truck with two (
sawng) benches (
thaew) at the back) driver who had just dropped off a passenger and was willing to accept a reduced fare so that he did not return to Chiang Rai empty.
I took his offer - it sure beat standing by the highway waiting for a bus. He took me back to my guesthouse.
Wandering Chiang Rai
After freshening up a little, I set out on foot to explore Chiang Rai a little. I set off first to the clock tower, where, according to my guesthouse owner, there was a good noodle place nearby. I found the noodle shop easily and had a soul warming bowl of noodle soup. I’ve missed eating authentic Thai food, especially street food. After eating, I walked around just enjoying being on the streets in Thailand once again. Along the way, I explored two temples. I was mindful to not get templed-out so early on this trip as the World Heritage Site of Luang Prabang was just a few days away.
After all this walking and wandering around, I treated myself to a latte and dessert at Cup N A Cat. The kitties were cute, of course, and many were friendly. There were quite a few exotic looking cats in the cafe, which in turn led me to believe they were not rescues. Unlike other cat cafes I have been to, there was
Cat Cafe
This orange scottish fold slept next to my backpack. But, he didn’t like to be petted. no backstory provided on the kitties.
After short afternoon nap, I set out for the night market. There, I walked around, ate a hotpot dinner where I cooked my own food in a charcoal-fueled pot of spicy broth, bought some snacks (including a nutella-slathered roti), and then called it a night.
Hill Trekking
I spent November 8th trekking in the hills north of Chiang Rai. I booked this trek through my guesthouse. After picking up the various trekkers, I sat in the back of a pickup truck for a 30 minute ride north. The trek started off with an easy 0.75 mile hike to a Lisu Village. The Lisu are Christians from Yunnan province in China and they fled after the revolution. From there, the hike went up a very steep hillside with a barely visible path first through tea plantations, then through a lychee grove. The payoff at the end was a great view of the surrounding hills and Chiang Rai in the distance. After that, we hiked downhill, stopped at a spectacular waterfall, and then we ended up in an Akha Village where our lunch was cooking. Most of lunch was made in the hollow center
Hill Trekking
Walking through tea plantations before hitting an extremely steep uphill trail. of bamboo poles, including sticky rice and an egg, tomato, and onion mix. There was also chicken, pork, vegetable noodles, and fruit. The guides made our utensils from bamboo, including our little bowls and chopsticks.
After lunch, we hiked to a spot where we each planted a tree (some kind of local fruit) and then hiked to a Lahu Village. Our trucks were waiting for us at the village to take us to our final destination of the day, a hot spring. After a good soak, we made our way back to Chiang Rai in the early twilight. Total hike distance was about 5.75 miles.
Chiang Mai’s Snotty Little Brother?
Travelfish describes Chiang Rai as Chiang Mai’s snotty little brother because it defies comparison to the bigger city by striking out on its own and establishing its own unique identity. I have yet to visit Chiang Mai, so I can’t determine if this is true, but if Chiang Rai’s funky monuments and cool vibe (cat cafe, anyone?) is anything to go by, then it is most certainly an accurate description. I really enjoyed my stay here.
These few days, my mind has wandered to my
Hill Trekking
In the pickup truck with my new Spaniard friends. friend Mike, who would have turned 45 (or maybe 44) two days ago. Mike’s death is a constant reminder to me that life is unpredictable and to never take anything for granted. After the hike, while sitting in the back of the pickup truck, feeling the cool breeze in my face, and after that eating dinner at a street noodle stall facing the clock tower, I had this feeling of contentment. I am so grateful for everything I have - love, health, kitties, the means to travel, the ability to navigate foreign cultures (more or less) easily, and a sense of adventure. I have felt so alive throughout much of this flashpacking trip. I just know I am meant to be right here, right now. I wish Mike were reading this blog. Maybe he is. Happy birthday Mike. I miss you.
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RENanDREW
Ren & Andrew
The black and white of life
Sorry to hear about your friend Mike, life can indeed be unfair and unpredictable. That feeling of contentment you speak of, comes through in your blogs...and I love that you listed the kitties third on your list! I wonder if that orange cat may have smelt your cats on your backpack? It certainly doesn't seem impressed with the human :) Looking forward to reading about your trip into Laos