Rai’s City

***Storyline:* *Home to home westward***

A white temple, a black house, a tea plantation and factory, three borders and entertainment at a night street food market packed in a day was a bit much, but Chiang Rai took the nod for our time in Thailand.

I wish I had booked more time in Chiang Rai and less in Bangkok. If we were to ever come back to Thailand, it would be here in Chiang Rai that we’d spend most of our time. It is by far the cleanest of the three cities we’ve visited in this country. There is not much to do in the city itself, which is the capital of the province with the same name, however there are tons of things one can do or visit from this base.

Situated near the mountains and borders with Laos and Myanmar (formerly Burma), Chiang Rai lies on the plains of River Kok. It takes its name from its founder, King Mangrai. Chiang means city. And so, it is the city of Rai, founded in 1262, although people have lived here since the 7th century. It was the first capital of the Kingdom of a million rice fields (Lanna Thai). Later it was conquered by Burma and was under Burmese rule until 1786 when it became a vassal state of Chiang Mai. It eventually became a province of Thailand in 1910. Nowadays the main population is Thai. About 12% of the population in the province is of hill tribes’ origin. There is also a minority of Chinese settlers. Buddhism is the main religion (about 80%).

We arrived by bus from Chaing Mai. With late departure, construction delays and a rest stop, it took close to five hours through the mountains. Booking two days in advance had secured us the front seats, so we could see the lovely scenery.

Entering Chiang Rai, the bus stops first at Terminal 1 in the outskirts. Don’t get off. The bus driver will actually tell you to stay for the next stop, Terminal 2, in the city center some 10-15 minutes away. Upon arrival, a swarm of taxi and tuk-tuk drivers surrounded us offering a ride. Our hotel was located in the centre so we politely declined (as polite as one can be while trying to cut through the crowd of them shouting “Taxi” “Tuk-tuk” “Where you go?” at you) and continue walking. Alex took a map and a starting direction from the Information booth at the station, and we reached our hotel in about 15 min. As we’ve learned: walking, if feasible, is often the safest way (this is addressed in our Bangkok post) to get from point A to point B in a city. And as many of you know we love to walk regardless weather and street conditions.

The service at our hotel was fantastic, and the cost of the tours they offer was by far better than the cost of those offered in Chiang Mai. Arriving late afternoon, we had to make a quick decision on how to spend our precious 2 days here. One would be in the city.

There were the Saturday walking street markets worth visiting, the clock tower and a few more places in and around the city. So, we immediately booked a day trip for the Friday. Didn’t have much time to study all the sites and programs they offered, but the one we booked seemed appropriate for us, our age and cultural interest.

Pricing is for car and driver/guide for the day, and one can choose one’s own itinerary from a varied list, subject only to time constraints. There was a discount for the low season, too. Entrance fees are extra and fully disclosed when discussing the options with the hotel’s helpful reception staff.

We were tired, and next day was going to be a long one on the road again. So, our first dinner at Chiang Rai was at the hotel restaurant. I had massaman curry. It was good, however the one I tried in Chiang Rai set the bar too high with all the vegetables in addition to the potatoes.

Alex had a pork chop – he’s been sharing all the hot stuff with me, and needed a break. So, he didn’t touch the hot sauce that came with it.

The evening after the day tour we headed out for the street food markets. We’ve been told many times to go where it is crowded with locals. They know which food is good. We’ve been also told to eat only hot (temperature) street food. So, on our way to the market we noticed a fairly busy place. All was cooked outside, but more upscale. By that time, we were hungry and needed some filler to get us through to the market. We didn’t see an English menu, or photos, but they were quick bringing us one. The difficulty we’ve been having is that even when we saw a photo, we wouldn’t know the ingredients. To my intuitive nature a photo tells enough though. And this one was easy and explained the presence of many locals. It was somewhat westernised food. So, we tried a pork chop with fries and 2 lonely vegetables before continuing to the food market. It was good! And cheap!

The street food market is near the bus station in the night bazaar. It was a closed street with food stalls both sides and tables in the courtyard.

It also had a stage with a singer and dancers taking turns. We mingled with the locals, browsed the food stalls and eventually I selected Chinese-style greens for my plate.

Alex is more willing to get meat, but given the heat and the way the meat is handled with no ice or fridges around I have been reluctant to try anything but vegetable dishes at these markets.

So, it was a morning glory stir fry for me and chicken with rice for Alex. As we sat at the table the beer boy arrived and offered us drinks. We shared a big bottle of local beer.

It was at this market that we first saw the fried insects. We would try them the next day.

And so, we did! Saturday, we walked to the Tower Clock and found Yoddoi Coffee and Tea, a neat café with all organic products. In each medium- or small-sized Asian city we’ve visited, we’ve found at least one of these hipster or bohemian style cafés to make our favorite.

I could have spent the rest of my day in this one, catching up on my writing. But we still had a few things to see before the famous Saturday evening “walking street”. At the hotel I had a refreshing Mai Tai in a shady area near the pool, then we headed to the Blue Temple.

Around 5pm it was time to discover the “walking street”. It appeared to be the entire city centre that was closed with market stalls on several streets. It was where the locals spent their Saturday evening. We started from the food market of course. Walked around on very crowded streets with many stalls, locals taking out food.

At one stall we noticed the insects. A local lady was buying some. As we were looking puzzled and perplexed with “Dare we try some?” in our heads, she turned to me “Want try?” and quickly pulled a small wooden skewer from the cup of the vendor’s table, and speared a (fried) silkworm larva on it. “Try, this best for you” she said affirmatively. It only took a reassuring voice to convince us.

So I shared a silkworm with Alex and then she gave us a small cricket. She pointed to the big ones with “These…too much for you…”. And off she went to her own business. We shared a big black cricket too and decided they all tasted good.

Walked a bit more, to get the courage. Alex tried some bbq pork on a stick (we’ve had this before but it is too sweet for me) and I got a bbq sausage. As we walked down the street between food stalls, we’ve heard some shouting behind us, but ignored it. Then we’ve heard someone shouting in English – “Stop! Stop!” I turned back and noticed a police officer that was shouting in Thai, then looked forward -everyone was standing still while music was playing. At that moment I realised what was going on and told Alex – stop it’s their national anthem. After all was done locals start laughing at us. And so…we avoided being arrested by a hair.

So now we were ready for everything – why not try the insects. I asked the lady if I could have only half cup of silkworm and small crickets. She took a few from each cup (they were still full if you ask me, not even 2/3), dumped the two cups in a plastic bag and handed it to me. 10 baht (that is about 40 cents CAD), she smiled.

It was still early and there were tables available in the dining/entertainment area. We sat and slowly had a few of each.

We didn’t finish them all, though. Had to see the reaction on our bodies after all. We walked through the markets, food mixed with clothes and other stuff.

In the middle of all the action we found a (permanent) restaurant with a nice outdoor seating area. It was empty, but who would eat there when the entire city was out on the hunt for street food and market deals. We sat and had what they call a small bowl of Spicy Seafood Soup. It really was hot! I noticed the little green and red peppers and pulled them out every time I had a spoon. Alex however ignored the little green ones or sooner didn’t search for them and got really overheated, to the point that I had to finish the soup myself. Ever notice how a clear (no, this was full of seafood and veggies) hot broth can make you feel full. This is what we have been experiencing ever since I tailored my own soup (you select the ingredients, but they make it for you) in Singapore in an Orchard road mall.

After “dinner” we continued our exploration of the “walking street”. By now the entire city was out. Some were selling, most were of the walking cohort.

People actually walked one direction only and then turning to the opposite side of the booths as in one-way roads. It was so incredibly crowded that it only made sense. This was their weekend entertainment. Most were just walking, very few looking at the stalls and even fewer buying something.