Chiang rai

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Chiang Rai

Last night I headed out for tea with a girl i met by the pool. Adele, originally from Burnley but now living in Edinburgh. I had Thai green chicken curry & rice. Cost about £1.50 with a drink. Was tasty. However I still find it unusual how real Thai curry (from Thailand that is) is more like soup consistency than a thick curry base. However still very nice. After getting back to the hotel packed up my things and had an early night.

Imm Eco Resort gets my vote, a perfect Hotel in a perfect location, just outside of the city with a relaxed atmosphere. It was a pleasure to stay there and I would recommend to all.

After breakfast this morning I got a tuk tuk to the bus station. I was pleasantly surprised at how relatively easy it was finding the right ticketing booth for my journey to Chiang Rai, after being told there are 3 bus depots that is!

The 3hr trip cost around £3. Traveling 'x' class, one up from a local bus, although I was still the only 'farang' on the bus. Still it meant I didn't have to sit with my backpack on my knee! See I get some luxuries!

The journey was bumpy, the roads had sharp bends all the way and the driver was a maniac! I had been warned and now I warn all other travellers... be prepared if you get travel sick easily! Green bus, the bus company I used offer free water and biscuits on the journey which is a nice touch & stop half way thru the journey for a toilet stop. Although knowing the typical toilets already, I opted to wait..:-)

I arrived into Chiang Rai at around 12noon and took a songethaw to Ben Guesthouse. A really nice place on the edge of town, costing around £3 per nt, with free wifi & pool. It's a traditional teak wood building set in nice gardens just off soi 4 (Soi's being roads)

They work on an 'honesty system', you pay up at the end of your stay and help yourself to drinks, then make a note of what you had and pay up at the end. It's a more traditional accommodation to imm resort, basic but clean and so far the staff seem friendly.

I have been into town for a few hours and have fallen in love with the place already. The streets are lined with small coffee shops and are surrounded by local wats, monuments and of course the large clocktower( I'll load photos later) I stopped off for lunch ( veg fried rice & iced mocha) in a local cafe & then visited the fruit market. I bought 1kilo of rambutan for 30baht ( it's a Thai fruit with a red prickly outer, which you peel to reveal a clear soft fruit, not unlike a grape, it has a stone in. the centre which you discard) delicious!! I doubt we have it in England, but if you happen to see it, again another must try.

I chatted with some locals and got told the best places to visit and then booked a tour for tomorrow.

I'm being picked up at 8am and then visiting the infamous white temple, the black house, monkey cave, Mae sai, the golden triangle ( on the border of Myanmar, burma) and long neck tribe. It's a full day tour with lunch included. I'll upload the photos tomorrow after the trip.

I'm also now trying to decide whether to go to phayao or Lampang after my 3nts here before I head to Chiang khong for my crossing to Laos.

I may even stay on a little here, Chiang Rai really is a lovely, quaint place with warming people, also quite easy to get around on foot. Which makes a change.

Anyway off for a dip in the pool, I'll upload photos later

Love to all xxx

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Photos

Guesthouse Room
Ben Guesthouse