Chiang Rai

We used Chiang Rai as a staging post for our escape from Thailand into Laos. After a bit over three weeks in Thailand, we were excited to move on and also felt like we had to have as many Pad See ews as we possibly could before it was too late!

We liked Chiang Rai well enough and made the most of our day there. We hired a scooter and went scouring the country side in search of an intriguing temple called Wat Rong Khun. As we drove further out of town, the english tourist signs stopped appearing and we went way too far which turned out to be great since we ended up following signs to a waterfall instead. When we got to the carpark area, we were faced with a staggering 1400m walk between our beloved scooter and the promise of a refreshing swim. After weighing the pros and cons mainly cold flowing water versus physical exertion in 40 degrees heat we decided that it was worth it and, actually, it was. We had a lovely swim and felt much better for it. The walk itself was really nice, surrounded on both sides by vertical corridors of bamboo forest.

After a bit more looking and enquiring we finally found the temple and that was also worth the trouble. Wat Rong Khun is the love project of a local artist who has dedicated his life to creating a complex of 9 buildings dedicated to his vision of Buddhism. So far, one building is well under way and the completion date is planned around 2070. What makes this temple quite unique though is that it is entirely made of white stucco adorned with small pieces of mirror, ressembling a big snow flake in the sun. And although quite traditional in many aspects, it has many interesting contemporary touches including an arresting sculpture at the entrance with dozens of hands sticking out of a pond as well as an usual mural in the stuppa mixing traditional representations of buddha with various action heros and depictions of futuristic cities.

We then spent a great evening at the local night bazaar which is full of touristy things to buy as well as a large food court popular with Thai people where they serve hotpots, a meat and vegetable fondue dish which we enjoyed very much. To top it off, we even enjoyed some interesting live entertainment which reminded us a lot of Priscilla queen of the desert.

The next morning, we set off on a very local bus for the border town of Chiang Khong where we waved Thailand goodbye and crossed the river into Houay Xai, Laos. There, we spent a night before embarking on a two day boat trip down the Mekong to Luang Prabang which deserves it's own entry.