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Published: November 5th 2010
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We flew to Chiang Rai 11.40 Monday morning and got a Taxi straight to the S.B Hotel which we had pre-booked (sort of) and checked into our room. Room was a bit run down and grubby however more than adequate for £16 with free WIFI which was a bonus, however there was a loud annoying beeping alarm coming from somewhere. We dropped off our bags and headed out for in search of Chiang Rai City Centre, hoping the noise would go by the time we returned.
After walking for about 45 minute in the 30ºC heat, we found a small local market, where there was not another westerner to be seen. Great place if you like your fish to be fresh, or in other words still flapping around inside your shopping bag! All the freshwater and seafood selections were still alive and kicking including Toads in net bags, fish in trays, terrapins and eels in buckets and mealworms in bowls. Mmmmm, plenty to wet your appetite! Lol. After deciding our legs probably wouldn't last the whole way to the centre we headed back to the hotel to catch a Tuk Tuk.
After a 15 minute journey we arrived in
the old town outside another market. This one however was HUGE and full of everything from clothes and shoes to Knives and jewellery. All we came away with however was a tiny padlock for Jays backpack. We started to get peckish so decided to search for somewhere to eat but the old town wasn't best suited for tourists. We saw the famous gold clock tower in the distance and headed towards it for a closer look. We found a gorgeous little cafe that was right up our street. Probably the best meal we've had so far and the amazing smoothies topped it off. Jay would have liked it even more if I'd have let him watch the Liverpool match that was playing upstairs but it was time to head back, which was easier said than done. By now the market was rammed with food stalls, local Thai people buying their tea and the crazy rush hour traffic. We walked around in a circle for about an hour but there was no Tuk Tuk in sight and they don't have normal taxi's in this part of town. Eventually we found a Tuk Tuk but no driver, he'd obviously gone to get
his tea aswell. Finally another Tuk Tuk drove towards us and we flagged him down to head back to the hotel.
We got back to the room only to discover that annoying alarm was still going off. We tried to explain to the Thai receptionist but she didn't speak any English so we managed to convince a porter to follow us to the room. None of us could work out where it was coming from so he took Jay with his backpack, to check out another room. As he walked down the corridor the noise disappeared with him. I then realised it was in fact our torch panic alarm that was in his backpack, so called him back. The porter must have thought “stupid English tourists.”
The Next day we caught a Tuk Tuk to Wat Rong Khun (The White Temple) for around £8.50 return. Mr Pang even waited in his vehicle for over two hours for us, whilst we explored the beautiful temple and its surroundings. It looked just like a snow palace out of a fairytale, pure white and covered in tiny mirrors that make it glisten in the sun. You'd have never imagined that
it had built in the last decade until you went inside. The walls were covered in stunning, religious looking, hand-painted murals, however there was one wall which was dedicated to modern culture. Images depicting the battle between good and evil covered the wall. The good represented by the likes of Batman, Spiderman and Superman and the bad by Terminator, Predator, Jabba The Hut and many more. There was also a large image of the terrorist attacks on the twin towers, with the terrorists depicted as snakes. Not your typical Buddist temple material. Outside there was also a beautiful gold building, which we later found out to be “The Most Beautiful Toilet In The World.” Only in Thailand! Lol.
We hopped back in Mr Pang's Tuk Tuk and went back to the hotel, ready for our 4pm pick up. After picking up some snacks and cuddling a little Thai baby, we were on route to The Akha Hill House in the mountains of Chaing Rai, which was to be our home for the next two nights and where we would carry out our hill tribe trek and Elephant riding.
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