Chiang Rai is about three and half hours north of Chiang Mai. It is the northern most city of Thailand and gateway to trekking in this deeply forested and mountainous part of the country. The soccer team that was lost and rescued in the caves was from this city. We went there primarily because this is where they pick you up for a two-day ride on Mekong River to Luang Prabang in Laos.
We took a VIP bus from Chiang Mai. It was a very comfortable bus and the fare was under $10. By about noon, we were in Chiang Rai. We took a tuk-tuk to our hotel, which was far from the city center. Amazingly we could take our luggage in the tuk-tuk. The place we stayed, PanKled Villa was nice but a little too far from the city center.
We spent the first day exploring the tourist sights, one of which was very touristy, but the other was not. The White Temple, located a little distance to the south of the city is really quite new. The brainchild of an artist, it is an amazing place. A work in progress, there are several sculptures and buildings with a white temple dominating the scene. In it is a statue of Buddha and paintings of all kinds of events, including 9/11! Very eclectic. Another temple is devoted to Ganesha but the image is quite monstrous (in our opinion). In all, a place worth going to, but expect it to be mobbed by tourists, especially from one specific large country. One has to push ones way when a busload of their citizens arrives.
Another place well worth a visit is an art and cultural center that houses a couple of museums and is located in a huge park with a pond. It has practically no tourists.
The best thing to do in Chiang Rai is to hike. We selected a full-day hike which was tough but well worth it. We went along a narrow and steep trail through a dense jungle for more than an hour. Then we stopped for lunch. It was a very unusual lunch in that everything was made out of freshly cut bamboos…the cooking, serving and eating utensils, as well as chopsticks. These bamboos were cut by our guides on the way and chopped into desired shapes. The menu was omelet, Tom Yum soup, and roasted meat. Next we hiked through a couple of villages and then a tea plantation.
It was really hot and uncomfortable but we kept going. The next part of the hike was to an impressive waterfall. After that we went through another couple of villages before reaching our destination. This 13 km hike felt like it was longer. Not having proper hiking shoes made it more difficult than it should have been. However, it was one of the more memorable days of our trip.
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