Chiang Rai and surrounds

Chiang Rai

Wiwat invited along his friend Milton to come out to tour the Golden Triangle with us. Milton is from the US as well and has retired to Chiang Mai. Considering his lifestyle dramatic lifestyle change, you’d think he’d be more chilled out. Ah well, hopefully the chill feel of the place will finally win.

A bit of the countryside taken in en route

Wat Rong Khun or "White Temple"

On the way into Chiang Rai, we stopped to visit the White Temple. Designed by one of the foremost artists in Thailand, it is a sight to behold. It is done entirely in white, symbolizing Buddha's purity. Not yet complete, it looks like an ice castle straight out of Narnia. Stunning isn't a strong enough word to describe it.

A word of caution: You may be unimpressed by my excessive number of photos of it, but it was truly unique and stunning. If you don't want to look, don't. :)

The views from the bridge

The entrance into the main temple. We couldn't take pictures in there, but the inside was definitely a bit controversial for a Buddhist temple. It was painted with scenes depicting Osama bin Laden and George Bush as the devil. Haha. Good resemblance. They even had a Madame Tussaud's style wax likeness of a monk in meditation. I stared for a good 5 minutes trying to work out whether or not he was real.

Even a temple has it modern rules.... No smoking & no alcohol.

Even the bathroom was impressive

A flying turtle?

The Behind the Scenes Tour by Wiwat

Maybe it's just that he's a native, but he had a special knack for taking us to places that it definitely felt "no access". In this instance, that happened to be behind the scenes where all the artists were working.

"And these are the artists doing their thing."

"Go on. Get in there for a closer look. Yeah, you can touch it." (Haha.)

"I don't think we're really allowed in here, but it's really cool that they haven't kicked us out yet."

Watching an artist at work

Wat Phra Kaew aka “Temple of the Emerald Buddha”

The temple was originally known as Wat Pa Yeah (วัดป่าเยี้ยะ or วัดป่าญะ), or the Temple in the Golden Bamboo Forest, as it was surrounded by bamboo. It was renamed Wat Phra Kaew when the Emerald Buddha was discovered.

According to legend, the Emerald Buddha was created in 43 BC in India, but other theories suggest origin in Cambodia or Sri Lanka. Over time, it made its way through Sri Lanka, Burma, Cambodia and Laos, and it was rediscovered by chance in 1434 in a chedi in Wat Phra Kaew when it was struck by lightning.

When the plaster-covered Buddha fell, the monks discovered a perfectly formed Buddha made of solid jade hiding underneath. The originally thought it was made of solid emerald hence the name. As the original was moved to the Grand Palace (in Bangkok) in 1784, this replica was made in China of Canadian Jade in honor of the Queen’s 90th birthday.

Randoms around town

The golden clock tower at the end of our street

Eggs in various stages of fertilization. Ewww.

Self explanatory. (I’m sure it was probably more innocent than it sounded.)

I will never cease to be amazed by how many people can fit in the back of a pick-up!

Doi Mae Salong Tea Plantation

Situated on Doi Mae Salong mountain in the northernmost province of Thailand, Mae Salong (aka Santikhiri) is sometimes referred to as Little Switzerland due to it’s mountainous landscape.

The area is also known for it's tea plantation, hill tribes and cherry blossoms. The area has a distinctive Chinese feel to it as it was largely inhabited by Yunnanese asylum seekers from the early 1950s. In the early 1970s, it was home to one of the largest heroin refineries in Southeast Asia. However recent times have changed the big cash crop of the area to tea as the number of tea plantations has increased steadily since the mid 1990s.

Santikhiri is most famous for its High Mountain Oolong, a high grade traditional Chinese tea, which is said to make up some 80% of the tea production in Chiang Rai. According to Wikipedia (my favorite source!), the province produces about 200 tonnes of tea a year.

"What kind of trouble can we get into here?"

Not quite sure exactly what this means, but it did leave us with a burning desire to pluck the top to see what happened. (Don't worry, we didn't do it.)

There were butterflies everywhere!

Milton beginning to look a little worse for wear. I think that the speed of Wiwat's tour was starting to get the best of him…. Better go have some tea and rest.

The amazing oolong-lactating village woman

Taking a peak in at the tea processing center

"I’ve got some very special tea for you..."

The tea tasting center

Is that mean that the water temperature should be exactly 100 degrees Celsius? Christ, that is hot, hot, hot to drink!

Enjoying a little oolong

After the tea plantation, we headed to town and a fancy hotel for a nice Yunanese lunch.

The spectacular gardens

The view from the restaurant of the gorgeous hillside resort

Next stop – Doi Tung Royal Villa

This villa was the final residence of the Princess Mother (the official title of the Thai King’s mother).

Queen’s Swiss-chalet style Summer Palace

Bunnies everywhere! The Queen must be the Year of the Rabbit…

No shorts allowed + one size fits all = pants big enough to fit 2 Wiwats in!

The balconies and serene views from the palace

Pretty flowers everywhere

Last stop of the day… Mae Sai

Mae Sai is the home of a major border crossing into Myanmar. Also home to lots of junky markets. It’s in a lovely spot to take in the views across of the river to Myanmar.

Giant Buddha at the top of a monstrous set of steps

The Bridge to Burma

Apparently you could get a one day pass in without the long and arduous process of attaining a visa, but your passport is confiscated at the border. Hmm, I don’t know if that’s a great idea. The better plan was to get up as high as possible and take in the view across the river.

Town of Mae Sai

Looking across to Myanmar (formerly known as Burma)

Burmese cemetery

After a particularly exhausting day of activities, we headed back into Chiang Rai for noodle soup dinner.

Dessert was an ice cream sandwich which was, quite literally, a sandwich with coconut ice cream in it! People were lined up outside for these. No joke.

Our last day in Thailand started out with a typical breakfast and then a bit more exploring.

A common Thai breaky was soup. Very tasty!

”Black Palace”

In stark contrast to the White Palace sits the unofficially named “Black Palace”. Still under construction as well, it has been created by an eccentric artist and is relatively unknown. Not set up as a tourist site yet, it more like a crazy artist’s hideaway that you can visit – if you know a local who not only knows about it but can find it…. As we were the only ones there apart from the workers still working on construction, I wouldn’t say it’s on the typical tourist trail.

I’ve been looking around online for more information on it, but can’t seem to find it anywhere. The Black Palace excursion is exclusive to Wiwat’s tours!

The evil guard-cat

I’m guessing this one is the boys’ bathroom…

There were intricate carvings galore.

This place is kinda creepy…

So that’s what I'd look like with horns!

I wonder where you can pick up dining chairs like that?? Very Fred Flintstone.

Croc skulls as the centerpiece add a nice touch…

A tiny bit of more traditional “temple opulence” in the midst of the Doom’s Day decor.

And back to the weird shit…

The secret mouse cave

“The Hatch”

Wiwat peering in after prying the door open.

And all that’s inside is a throne. How odd.

After our touring around, we made our way to Chiang Khong for our final night. Chiang Khong sits on the Mekong River with Laos on the other side. It acts as the main departure point for those willing to risk their lives to travel to Luang Prabang by boat.

And on the last night, I made a new friend – the “guard dog” that lived in the hotel we stayed at in Chiang Khong.

My new “Foof-like” friend - a little Thai Shih Tzu. Ahhh, give us a snuggle.