Storyline: Home to home westward
Our first full day in Chiang Rai was actually spent on sightseeing around the city and in the mountains far from the city.Because of shortage of time and too many things that were of interest, as we discovered upon arrival, we booked a private tour. Our driver picked us up in the morning, drove us from place to place and back to the hotel rather late in the evening.
The first stop was the White Temple (Wat Rong Khun), then the Black House (Baandam) – both of which we cover in another post – then through the mountains, with their stunning views but few safe places to stop for photos, to Mae Salong Tourism Village where we visited a tea plantation, a tea processing facility and tea shops. We also had lunch there.
Our last stop was at The Golden Triangle, where the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet. In the past, the Golden Triangle was infamous for the smuggling of opium, although we are told that this trade is all but dead. At the end of the day we wished we had booked fewer activities and had more time in our selected destinations.
Driving to Mae Salong was interesting and the scenery beautiful, but driving out of there was even more interesting. It for sure beats New Zealand’s mountain highways. Luckily our driver was very careful and for once I did not get sick on these definitely most twisty and steep roads that I’ve ever been on.
It was already late and we did not have time to walk through the village by ourselves. We first stopped at a tea shop, where we had to taste tea and felt pressured to buy some (but not by our driver).
Then we had lunch, after which we visited the tea processing facility.
Seeing how tea was processed I’ll think long and hard before I drink tea again. We also walked through a tea plantation before heading to our last stop.
Apparently, Mae Salong is a holiday destination for rich people from Bangkok who own villas there, as our driver said. And a tourist trap (they do call it Mae Salong Tourism Village) with hotels and hostels around.
Perhaps one could hike from there (there are definitely many hiking/trekking options in the area), we really didn’t have the time to explore the possibilities,
but all in all, I’d skip this village, the same way we skipped the “Five Tribes” village, which apparently is an artificially-created tourist trap – some have called it a “human zoo” – that has nothing to do with authenticity.
Rather late in the day after the twisty downhill ride we reached Sop Ruak (the Golden Triangle). Here, the Mekong River separating Thailand and Laos is joined by the Ruak, which forms the Thai border with Myanmar.
Again, we needed a day just in this area. It is was formerly known of being a center of opium production and trade in South Asia.
The 50-baht Opium House museum here, which we didn’t visit due to time constraints, is a reminder of past activities and recommended by many. And a giant Buddha seated in a boat overlooking the Mekong is unmissable. It is peaceful and beautifully quiet from the viewpoint, with a view of hill tribe villages, temples and markets.
Wat Phra That Pu is on the top of the hill. We wish we had time to visit it too. By the time we walked around it was already past 5pm.
We were more concerned about our driver, who had started coughing and sneezing, and we thought he might be getting sick. And although he would have waited for us, the sensible and safer thing to do was to head back to Chiang Rai. Besides, we still had street food markets to visit.
The ride back was on major highways, so we were at the hotel shortly after 7pm.
We wished the driver spoke more English so we could have some fulsome conversation. He’d indicate points of interest and say one word like “temple” or “rice”. Oh, about the rice he actually went further telling us that these were nurseries from where they will manually plant the rice, mimicking the action of planting and saying “one by one, millions…” He did understand basics, so when we asked if there was a safe place to stop in the mountains and take photos, he found a small space and stopped with a smile and a “Take photos”.
He also picked a tiny fruit from a tree, gave it to me telling the name in Thai and then added – plum. I had it, it was delicious and the smallest plum I’ve ever had. But if we asked a question that needed a more elaborated answer, he’d be just silent, leaving us wonder if he understood but had no words or didn’t get it at all. But again, most of the Thai people we met spoke very basic English with an accent hard for Alex to get.
The tour is good for people who want to check as many things from their list as possible, however if you are like us and want to spend more time at every site, select 2 sites instead of 4. Half-day, 2-site tours are offered.
But unless you only select the sites closer to Chiang Rai such as the White Temple and the Black House, there won’t be enough time for the more distant options. Better to pay a for full day and select just a few sites. Also, you can take a tuk-tuk or other cheaper alternatives to the White Temple or the Black House Museum, as they are in greater Chiang Rai and easily accessible.
We did take a tuk-tuk to the Blue Temple the next day. The hotel arranged for a round trip (150 baht, which is about $6 CAD). The driver waited for us and we had all the time we wanted to spend there (check the next post for our experience there).
All in all there are many good tours and activities for every age and group composition (family with kids versus young backpackers) or cultural interest offered in Chiang Rai. If a list of them is not at your room just ask at reception.
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