Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai is a sleepy town in Northern Thailand close to the borders of Laos and Myanmar. It used to be famous for its opium trade but today is more known for its unique temples.

Technicolour Temples

The White Temple (Wat Rong Khun), is like the fluffy icing on a Christmas cake. It is privately owned and is in the style of a Buddhist Temple.

The Blue Temple (Wat Rong Seua Ten) is another Buddhist temple built around a colour theme. It has very elaborate carvings in vivid blues and gold.

The Black House (Baan Dam) Museum has a unique collection of skins, bones, teeth, horns and taxidermy from a wide variety of animals as well an impressive selection of phallic objects.

Wat Huay Pla Kang is 6 km outside Chiang Rai. It is a monastery complex with a massive statue of the Goddess of Mercy,  Guan Yin. Though not actually a Buddha image, locals call her the “Big Lady Buddha” for the benefit of tourists. She has an internal elevator to her head with a view across the countryside through her eye slits (kind of weird). Adjacent to her is a unique 9-story pagoda and a temple.

Around Chiang Rai

We rented bicycles for two days and wandered off into the countryside around the rice paddies. We got wonderfully lost when we had a disagreement with Google Maps – it showed roads where there was only jungle and rice paddies.

To add to the adventure, George got a flat tire in the middle of nowhere. We thought we’d have a 20 km hike back to the hotel. By chance, around the corner, literally, was a motorcycle repair shop that miraculously had an inner tube to fit the bike tire. $6 and 10 minutes later we were back in action.

Akha Kitchen

We enjoyed a terrific day at a cooking class. It is run by a young woman from the Akha hill tribe. From the age of fifteen she put herself through school to become a chef. After working as a chef she founded the cooking school. She’s enlisted two other struggling young women from the Akha tribe to assist her. Between them they have created a great business.

We don’t usually endorse businesses but if you’re visiting Chiang Rai you really have to take a cooking class from Chef Jaru and her team at Akha Kitchen Cooking School.

https://www.akhakitchen.com

And Finally…

There’s lots more to see and do in and around Chiang Rai – trekking, lots more temples, the Golden Clocktower, the night market – but one highlight, as cheesy as it is, is the Cat Cafe. Go for a coffee and cake and play with the cats. Very therapeutic.

Next Stop: Laos

For more photos click on the Photo Albums menu above and select the Chiang Rai gallery.