Chiang Rai was founded in 1262 as part of the Lanna Kingdom (modern-day northern Thailand). It was the first capital of King Meng Rai’s principality. It is not visited as much by tourists, who usually only go as far as Chiang Mai. We spent ten days in Chiang Rai because we made plans to be in Laos, and it is an easy 2-hour drive to the border from Chiang Rai. We are glad we chose to spend time in Chiang Rai.
The Airbnb we chose is not great. It is like a modified shipping container that looked cooler in the pictures. It is perfectly adequate, and the price is low, but you get what you pay for. The beds are as hard as a rock. Michael slept on the couch, which was a little better. Every seat is a wooden bench. We have sore butts. The microwave sounds like an air raid siren. The kitchen is not inviting to cook, but luckily, food is cheap and easy to order. When it rains, the sound is deafening inside the house. All of our accommodations cannot be winners. Luckily, our stay in Chiang Rai was not a month-long stay.
The area of Chiang Rai we are staying in is quiet. Restaurants, markets, and many attractions are within walking distance. We frequented the night markets while we were here. Two dollars for dinner is hard to beat. There was a car accident in front of our place. The boys ran out to see the damage. A car drove into a pharmacy and hair salon before hitting another car and sending it into the intersection. The drivers appeared to be ok. We even got debris on our second-story balcony!
We did a half-day bike riding excursion to Wat Rong Khun (the White Temple). The White Temple was opened to visitors in 1997. It was created by master Chalermchai Kositpipat. It is stunning, but the boys are still unimpressed at this point with temples. We have seen a lot.
The bike ride was phenomenal. We went with a family-owned company called Chiang Raid Bicycle Tour. The owner Bee, and his family, took great care of us. We had virtually new Trek bicycles. Our friends Kristian and Dexter were able to ride on a tandem bike. We biked 26 km to the White Temple. We learned about rice and pineapple farming and rubber and teak plantations.
One night, we walked to a flower festival just down the street. It is smaller than the one in Chiang Mai but still beautiful. The parents went out one night for Indian Food. Michael, Kristian, and Chloe stayed out late playing pool.
We did a full-day tour traveling further north. Our first stop was Wat Rong Suea Ten (Blue Temple, but Suea means tiger). The temple got its name because a large population of wild tigers used to roam the area.
Our next stop was the Baan Dam Museum (Black House). It used to be the home of artist Thawan Duchanee, but now it is a museum that showcases his art collection and exhibitions from artists and tribes around Northern Thailand. We used our phones in his art gallery to make his paintings come to life. The Black House also boasts a random collection of animal hides/skeletons and, curiously, a lot of penises. That sparked conversations and giggles amongst the kids.
The most exciting stop for Lucas and Henry was Tham Luang cave. This is the cave where, in 2018, 12 young Thai boys (the Wild Boar football team) and their 20-year-old coach got stuck for 18 days back in 2018. We recently watched the film “13 Lives”, which dramatizes the ordeal. All 13 made it out alive. We were only allowed in the first two chambers. If you want to go further, you must book an expensive tour, and have a guide and special gear. There is also a museum with information and paraphernalia from and about the rescue as well as a memorial for the Navy SEAL who died during the operation.
We were so close to the borders of Laos and Myanmar, that we had to visit the Golden Triangle. It is a place where we could see Myanmar and Laos across the Ruak and Mekong rivers. While we were there, we visited the Hall of Opium. A museum telling the stories of opium growing, using, and dealing in Northern Thailand. Our guide Jay, originally from Myanmar told us about growing up in the jungle and how his village used opium because they had no other drugs for pain. We all learned a lot about how to grow and smoke opium. We also learned about the different tribes around the area, as well as how drug wars started by outside countries caused a lot of problems and suffering in the area.
Our last stop was visiting Wat Chedi Luang, a bell-shaped temple from the 14th century. We all got to hit a gong, and Michael, Lucas, and Dexter took a moment to meditate.
We have also had a lot of downtime. We have been hanging around the house reading, watching movies, playing games, and travel planning. The last several months were full of activities and friends, so we are recharging our batteries.
