Chiang Rai & Chiang Rai, Thailand 2017

29 June 2017 – Thursday

Wat and I are headed to the north for a few days in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. The short flight from Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport was good. Unfortunately, like each of my previous trips to SEA, I managed to have some allergy/post nasal drip issues which meant a lot of coughing. Just what everybody wants around them on a plane. I wore a mouth mask to try to manage that. — We picked up our rental car, a Toyota Altis, then drove to the hotel. The Nak Nara Hotel is very nice with very friendly staff. They met us at the car, carried our bags to the lobby where we were ushered to a desk where we sat and registered while having a cup of tea. I took a long nap; Wat walked around the town. We went to a pharmacy for some cough medicine and then to dinner where I had some great hot soup.

    

30 June 2017 – Friday

Good Friday morning from Chiang Rai. It’s actually quite nice to be sitting in our hotel’s outdoor restaurant veranda having breakfast listening to the rain on the roof. 

We drove to Doi Tung Royal Villa in Chiang Rai, Thailand. The drive up the mountain had light rain and we were in the clouds so the view was somewhat limiting but by the time we got to the top and the Villa, it was dry, warm, and quite beautiful.

Click for video ->Mtn to Doi Tung.

I learned during my first visit to Thailand in early 2014 that the King and Royal Family are very revered by the people and visitors are expected to behave similarly. It is unacceptable and even illegal to disparage the name of the King or his likeness. When one travels through Thailand it is very common to see portraits of the King on buildings, along highways, and elsewhere throughout the kingdom. Although I appreciated this love toward the King, it really wasn’t until my visit with Wat to Doi Tung that I began to better understand it. At the entrance to the grounds of the Royal Villa which was the home of the King’s Mother was a sort of welcome center/museum. The center spoke of the King’s love and devotion for the country and its people and showed displays and information about the great work that he had accomplished for the people during his reign. He was king from 1946 until his death in October 2016. As Wat and I walked through the exhibits and read of the works of the King and his mother, Princess Sangwalya Chukramol, I noticed tears on Wat’s face. It was very touching for me to see his reaction. He has always spoken very highly of the King.

   

After our visit to the welcome center we went to see the villa where the Princess Mother lived.  The view from the veranda of the mountain border with Myanmar was spectacular. Unfortunately photography was not permitted in the house or on the veranda.

These pix show the villa from the front elevation as well as the lower elevation looking back toward the veranda.

1 July 2017 – Saturday

Tea is grown in the mountains around Chiang Rai. We stopped in this shop this morning for samples and purchases. Sorry for the video flip; I turned the camera after starting.

 

Went to see Wat Rong Khun, the White Temple, in Chiang Rai on Saturday. This place is pretty amazing. The hands reaching from the depths and the skulls were pretty bizarre! I have to say the bathroom was maybe the most amazing thing! Adding link to history… http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2014/07/22/wat_rong_khun_or_the_white_temple_in_chiang_rai_thailand.html

Each of these “medallions” has the name of the visitor or perhaps a loved one. The breeze made them more beautiful. There are thousands and thousands of them used to create other art pieces around the White Temple that can be seen in other pix.

I’m rambling and rambling but it’s the night market walking street which is another term for pedestrian zone in Chang Mai, Thailand. If you’ve never seen anything like it you just can’t imagine what they have. The scents in the air, all the different people here having a great Saturday night.

2 July 2017 – Sunday

Can’t believe McDonalds, Subway, and 7-11 are the only places open for Sunday breakfast other than hotels in Chiang Mai.

What an amazing climb up the mountain from 315m to 1050m. Thank goodness for a good car!! The serpentine road is very well paved but unreal turns. About half way up we stopped at an overlook and met three walkers from China. One woman, two men aged 25-40. Saw them again at the temple. They weren’t even tired. We drove and then took the tramway up to the temple itself because the ~300 steps were just too much for me. Fat and aching back!! ? We had clouds and rain all the way up but then it cleared very nicely. The pagoda temple and views are quite spectacular.

This was at the point where Wat asked if I wanted to do the stairs. You guess my response! ?

3 July 2017 – Monday

OMG! First mini heart failure just now… Monday noon… went to get money from the ATM and it says transaction cancelled after I select my withdrawal. ? Slight panic. Tried second time… SAME! Third time same and now I’m very panicked because I had used this same CFE card twice already with no problem!!! I’m afraid to try again because this machine is one that sucks in your card and I’m worried it will keep it! WTH?!? Others were having no problem with this ATM. Went to another ATM, no problem. Heart is now recovering!! ?

Had a great long weekend in the mountains of the north. Headed back to the chaos, also known as Bangkok.

Another new experience… we’re in Bangkok’s #2 airport. It’s rainy season here, like home. Traffic is horrendous in good weather so you can imagine in the rain. Waiting for a taxi in a pretty organized queuing area for 50 minutes but so long! Our ticket is 602! They were at 450 when we got here. It’s now at 589! Each tkt is a taxi!!! Is there a system like this in NYC, LA, etc.? It’s long but at least fair!! ?? AND I’m sitting in a/c!