Chiang Rai * 20 - 22.03.19

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I arrived in Chiang Rai in the evening. I forgot to make a screenshot of the hostels and outside I don't have internet, so I had to walk around and look for a place to stay. Ofcourse the hostels on the mainroad are the most expensive ones, so I took a road that led me away from it. It was a bit dark there and I wasn't sure if I would find anything, but then I saw a sign. When I walked closer, it seemed like a normal house and the lights were off, but it was the only entrance and the sign sure said it was a hostel. When I walked past the house I saw the reception. The person behind the desk was super friendly. When I left my stuff in the room I went back outside. They had a big tree with lots of hammocks in it and there were still some people awake. One of them had just bought a ukulele and I played the one and only song I never forget. It made me realize that I really have to start learning other songs, haha!

The next day I went with a guy from the hostel (Nico) to visit some temples. First we took the bus to the white temple. The temple was made by an artist and it had a lot of details. It was very pretty and we walked around there for a while.
Then we went to the blue temple which was made in sort of the same style, but not by the same artist. Both artists did have the same master though, which explains it. The blue temple was also very impressive and when they asked me at the hostel which one I like most I couldn't really tell.

Before going back, we had some delicious fried rice and a smoothie at a stand near the hostel. Later I just chilled with the others at the hostel. Nico told me that he was going to Luang Prabang as well the next day so we planned to go together. There are 2 options: take a slowboat along the river or take the night bus. We looked at both options and decided to take the bus. The boat seemed to be a bit of a tourist trap and sitting for 2 days on wooden seats didn't really appeal to me either.

Chiang Rai is a really nice place and the people in the hostel were so nice. I probably would've stayed longer for the vibe if I wasn't on this tour.

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