Our adventure continues...
After checking in to our Doi Tung hotel, we hopped on the back of motorbike taxis and raced up a steep hill to Doi Tung Wat, the highest temple in Chiang Rai province. The ride up was breathtaking. Partially because of the steep, narrow, winding road, mostly because of the stunning scenery that stretched out for miles in all directions.
 |
| View from the back of a motorbike taxi |
After climbing a winding staircase with axe-weilding idols and following a bell-lined path, we reached the Wat. It was pretty nestled in the trees and a typical design like many other Wats in the area. However we both agreed that the ride up and down was the best part!
 |
| A little disturbing! |
  |
| Smiling but slightly scary idols guarded the entrance |
 |
| The more peaceful bell-lined path |
 |
| Doi Tung Wat - the highest in the region |
 |
| Surrounded by elephants... |
 |
| ...and more buddhas |
 |
| Intricate designs and sparkly embellishments |
 |
| Dragons are popular designs on the Wat |
That evening, we were on our way out for dinner the same time as Ball - the owner of our hotel, and his wife. He offered to drive us to Mai Sae, a little town on the border of Myanmar about 12km away. Why not? A chance to see another town! The main road was lined with street food vendors, souvenir and clothing shops and colourful lanterns and we spent a relaxing hour or so enjoying our food and the constant movement of the border town.
 |
| Dinner outside on the street in Mai Sae |
 |
| More dragons overlooking the town |
 |
| Just through those gates is Myanmar! |
The following day, we hired motorbike taxis again to take us to the home of the Kings mother and Mae Fa Luang royal gardens high in the hills of Doi Tung. The gardens were commissioned by the Kings mother as she wanted to create a place where Thai people could enjoy plants not commonly found in the region and also relax. The gardens are beautifully maintained and it was a relaxing place to spend an hour wandering around.
 |
| Views around the royal gardens |
 |
| The focal point of the gardens... |
 |
| ...is this statue named Continuity symbolising continuous improvement and effort |
The chalet that the Kings mother lived in overlooks the gardens and is also quite stunning with intricate detail both inside and out. The grand entrance doors, the balcony railing, even carvings of the Thai alphabet were on one of the inside walls. Another hour passed quickly listening to a recorded tour about the chalet and the well-loved Kings mother. It seems that she really cared about the Thai people and set up things to get them out of the opium trade and into ‘healthier’ work. Like setting up nurseries to supply the Mae Fa Luang garden with plants.
 |
| Front garden of the chalet |
 |
| View from the balcony looking out to the hills of Myanmar |
 |
| My own clothes were too skimpy so I got to wear this! |
 |
| One of the many nurseries in the area |
The great thing up here is that all these little towns are only 20-40km apart and there is plenty of public transport to get you around. A songthew and local bus drove us from Doi Tung to Chiang Sean, then a tuk-tuk took us up to the Golden Triangle.
 |
| Old-school local bus |
 |
| In the back of a songthew |
 |
| On a spacious tuk-tuk |
This was a highlight of the week for me. Standing in Thailand, Myanmar on the left, Laos on the right and the swift-flowing, brown, murky Mekong River marking the borders.
 |
| The Golden Triangle |
 |
| And again with sort of a golden triangle |
The contrast between each country was quite striking. Thailand was covered in tourist shops, food vendors and different religious shrines asking for donations. Laos had a gaudy casino rising over the simple local huts, while Myanmar remained in a completely natural state. I loved watching the shadows on the Myanmar hills as the sun set and the fishermen hanging just out of the current in their long wooden boats.
 |
| Felt a bit like an amusement park! |
 |
| Buddha collecting coins |
 |
| Casino reminiscent of Las Vegas in Laos |
 |
| The beautiful, unspoiled mountains of Myanmar |
Chiang Sean itself is interesting to wander around. It is the site of a 14th century city and there are plenty of remnants to see - temple ruins, old city walls and of course the modern touristy souvenirs! Don’t expect flash western-style restaurants or much english to be spoken here either. It’s all very local but the people super friendly and you can always get food - even if you don’t know what it might be to start with.
 |
One of many abandoned temples in the town
 |
| And another home to packs of dogs! |
|
 |
| Young man casting his fishing net into the Mekong River |
 |
| The border - where you get on a boat to go to Laos |
Wat Chedi Luang is a focal point in Chiang Sean. It was originally the tallest Wat in Chiang Rai. It stood a staggering 84m high until an earthquake in 1545 reduced it to it’s current height of 60m. It also housed the famous Emerald Buddha for a while. It’s covered in moss and I often find myself wondering how people built these things centuries ago without the help of cranes.
 |
| Wat Chedi Luang |
 |
| Setting sun looking out to Laos |
After a week on the go, we arrived back in Chiang Rai town and took it easy for a couple of days. The walking night market on Saturday night housed some fabulous local food (no idea what half of it was!). There were good deals on t-shirts and souvenirs. And buskers added to the noisy atmosphere. You have to visit the clock tower at 7, 8 or 9pm too. Every night, it plays music, changes colour and is great for a laugh.
 |
| Walking night market |
 |
| Normal golden colour of the clock tower... |
 |
| Pinky-red... |
 |
| ...and blue were just some of the colours! |
On our last day, Kristian wanted some decent coffee. So our hotel owner directed us to a Swedish cafe on the bank of the Kok River. And it was popular! Good food, more friendly people and strong coffee. We thought it was quite ironic sitting in a Swedish cafe in northern Thailand eating NZ pavlova.
 |
| My 'butterfly-pea' drink |
 |
| Coffee and pavlova :) |
Chiang Rai. I so loved this small region of Thailand. While it is easily accessible and lots of tourists visit the region, it still has a very local, remote feel. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to get a bit off the normal tourist trail without too much effort.
 |
| Hot pot at the street market |
 |
| Entertainment at dinner time |
No comments:
Post a Comment