Chiang Rai, Thailand

After our whirlwind of visitors in November, I treated myself (to be truthful, Jeff treated me) to an AWA trip to Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand.  I was hoping that this excursion would be as interesting as our trip to Chiang Mai and Bangkok last January, and I was looking forward to seeing minority villages, the mighty Mekong, and interesting temples, as well as shopping for local handicrafts.
We left "dark and early" one Friday morning, and flew from Hong Kong to Bangkok, and on to Chiang Mai.  There were only nine of us in the group - eight tai-tais and one miserable-looking husband, henceforth known as the UA (Ugly American).  We were supposed to have several hours of free time in Chiang Mai before bussing up to Chiang Rai, but the UA couldn't find his suitcase at the airport (why he had to check baggage for a three-day trip is beyond me, but I digress ...), so the group wasted the better part of an hour searching for it before he realized that he was looking for a different-coloured bag from the one he actually brought.

So ... scrap the exquisite shop, Sop Moei Arts, which specializes in high-end handicrafts made by the Keren tribe, and head off to a "paper factory" - in reality, a smelly, dusty hut where they sold paper boxes, paper flowers and paper bags.  

Next stop - the umbrella factory in Bo Sang village on the outskirts of Chiang Mai.  Since I had already been there last January, I spent my time getting an elephant decal on my tank top (eek, I realize that I've posted photos of me in that top on almost all of our trips!  Time to buy new clothes!) instead of shopping.  The other ladies enjoyed buying paper and silk umbrellas of different sizes to decorate their flats in Hong Kong.  The UA glumly sat outside, smoking and drinking beer.

About four thirty, we boarded our comfortable bus and set out for Chiang Rai.  According to our itinerary, this was listed as a 1.5 hour's drive, but in reality, it was 3.5 (welcome to Asia).  Most of us dozed off as night fell.  All of a sudden, we beheld bright lights as we drove through a small village.  There was a beautiful parade passing along the side of the highway, celebrating a lunar festival.  Pretty girls in native dress seated on gaily-decorated floats (photo taken from moving bus), groups of women in costume holding lotus-shaped candles, and even marching bands!  Some of us shouted "Becky, please ask the driver to stop so that we can watch the parade and take photos!"  Alas, our group leader, Becky, nixed the idea, since she didn't want to be late for dinner at our hotel.  I realized that this was not going to be the trip I thought I had signed up for.

Our hotel was empty.  We were the only guests!  After dinner, we had a wonderful surprise.  Our guide had bought some lanterns, and we gathered around the pool and set them off into the pitch-black sky.  What fun!

The next morning, we boarded two minivans at 7:30.  The dizzying, zigzag roads outside of Chiang Rai are too narrow for large busses.  Hours passed before we reached our first destination: a hill tribe village in the hills.  In the past, locals in this area grew poppies for the opium trade.  Nowadays, the fields are full of tea and coffee plantations.  The countryside reminded me of Ecuador and parts of Yunnan, China.

The village was poor, as expected, but the people were so interesting!  They also did not mind having their photos taken.  My pictures are of a grandmother and her young grandson.  A hard life.
Many of the people in this part of Thailand are descended from the soldiers of the 93rd regiment of the Kuomintang Nationalist army who settled here after the 1949 Chinese revolution.  You hear Chinese spoken here more than Thai, and there are Chinese temples and restaurants in the villages.  The UA asked why these people do not speak English.  Enough said.

We stopped at a tea store to taste the local tea and browse the flea market.  I couldn't stop snapping pictures of the villagers.

Back on the bus.  Hours later, we reached an agricultural centre where we were given a boxed lunch.  I was feeling rather queasy and would have preferred Gravol!  I do love the way many foods are presented in bamboo baskets of all sizes.

Back on the bus for a few more hours (are any of you enjoying this trip yet?).  Nap time.  When I regained consciousness (as Sgt. Renfrew used to say), we had arrived at the White Temple.  Next to the Cao Dai Temple near Ho Chi Minh City, this was the most astonishing place of worship I've ever seen.  It was designed by a famous Thai Buddhist artist, Chalermchai Kositpipat, and is entirely glazed in gleaming white paint and glittering pieces of mirror.  The Temple was begun in 1996, and is expected to be completed in 40-60 years!

What left the biggest impression were the horrific sculptures all over the temple grounds.  Grotesque heads hanging from trees.  Warnings against the evils of smoking and drinking.  And ghoulish hands reaching up from the pits of hell.  One blogger has described the sight as follows:  "If a savant on suicide watch could throw up the contents of his mind, (this) would be the result!"

On a lighter note, I was pleased that a young monk posed for a photo with me.  He was touring the temple with his parents.  The clean toilets were a welcome surprise, as was the ornate sign in front of them.
Our last stop of the day was the Hill Tribe Museum and Education Centre in Chiang Rai City, where we watched a very informative video about the six major tribal groups in Northern Thailand, and then shopped for souvenirs in the gift shop.

We finally arrived at our hotel, the Meridien Resort, about 6 o'clock.  We were pooped and asked Becky if we could delay dinner until 8 p.m. so that we could have time for a swim at the beautiful infinity pool, but Becky insisted on sticking to the itinerary.  My roommate, Tamara, and I did have time to bond over red wine in the bar, a "tradition" that continued over the next few days.

Dinner was at a local restaurant that served Northern Thai/Burmese cuisine.  Spicy and delicious!  As I've often written, food is one of the best parts of travel, and the longer I live in Asia, the more adventurous I've become (note: this is foreshadowing for the next blog on Hanoi).  We had a TIA (this is Asia) experience at the end of the meal when Tamara tried to pay for the wine with her credit card.  Although the wall behind the cashier was filled with decals from Visa, Amex, and MasterCard, she was informed that credit cards were not accepted.  Jane (seated next to me) used her "authoritarian voice" to summon the manager, and the matter was soon resolved.

After dinner, we strolled through the colourful night market.  I bought some souvenirs, and also learned how to tie a scarf!  Short end over long end, flip the long end around the neck and pull it through.  Easy peasy!  Markets are interesting, and for me, stressless shopping experiences.



The next morning I asked our guide if we would be taking the minibuses again - the answer was yes.  Then I asked if we would be spending more than eight hours on winding roads again.  The answer was yes.  I decided to move on to Plan B.  Spend the day on my own in Chiang Rai, and miss out on the boat trip along the Mekong at the Golden Triangle.  Plan B was also influenced by the poor reviews on Tripadvisor, warning travellers to skip this destination.

I had a grand day!  Our excellent hotel provided a free shuttle to and from the centre of town.  Chiang Rai is small, and a very nice tour guide saw my lost look and handed me an excellent free map of the major sites.  Local architecture is interesting and colourful.

The flower market is beautiful - smaller than Mong Kok in HK, but less crowded.  When I walked into the covered food market, I noticed this toy poodle, wearing a frilly red dress, sleeping in her plastic basket in the middle of the table, surrounded by the vegetables that her owner was trying to sell.  So cute! so unhygienic!

Two favourite photos - a butterfly (not bad for my little point-and-shoot camera!) and more flowers in a shady park.

Thailand is a great destination for backpackers looking for cheap accommodation.  99 baht = $3CDN!  Not for the "senior" crowd.   I remember when Europe was that cheap ... 1970, a lifetime ago.

Another good (cheap) meal - lunch at Cabbages and Condoms, an NGO run by the Population and Community Development Association.  Profits from the restaurant are used to promote family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention in Thailand.  On their website, The PDA boasts that they have "contributed tremendously to lowering the average size of Thai families."  The cool, dark interior of the restaurant was a respite from the blazing 33C outside temperature.  There was even live music!

Back at the hotel, I had time for a workout, a relaxing read by the pool, and a nap, before our group returned, looking haggard and informing me that most of their day was boring, and that much of the time was spent in the bus.  Fortified by much wine, we had a lot of fun at dinner, especially the "purple ladies", Jane and Kathryn.  My favourite Thai dessert (in fact, my favourite Asian dessert) was served - mango sticky rice.  Divine!

The highlight of our last day in Northern Thailand was a visit to the Black House, an unusual and bizarre estate built by Thawan Duchanee, a pupil of Kositpipat!  There are over forty buildings (not all are black) and monuments on the site, many featuring animal skulls, bones, and skins.  I have to admire the artist's imagination, even if I don't quite get it.  An article in the December issue of Business Traveller mentioned that neither the White Temple nor the Black House "is a place to pray - rather they are there simply to appreciate life and art."

We made a short stop at Doy Din Dang Pottery (too expensive, too big to carry) before one last spicy Thai lunch and the long four-hour bus ride to the Chiang Mai airport.  On my next trip to Thailand, I'd like to stay at a beach resort - no more bus rides into the jungle!