17th October, 2023.
Hitchhiking in Thailand: Chiang Rai
It takes only a few minutes for a car to stop. Namtan and her father Tun (which looks more like her brother) are going all the way to Chiang Rai, a bit after actually. Yay! They make room for me and The Hulk in the backseat of their single cabin pick-up. Because of the rainy weather, we decide it is better if my backpack stays with me inside.
Namton is only 17 years old, and she can speak a little English. They have two recently born baby animals in the car, which I cannot really identify which species is. They stop to feed them, with a syringe, half away to Chiang Rai, and I get to watch. They are so tiny and cute!
Namton tells me they will drop me off at the White Temple even before I ask her for that. So that’s what they do. No need to say that the drive up here from Chiang Mai is gorgeous!
The White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) is located a bit before the city. The other big attraction, the Blue Temple (Wat Rong Suea Ten – the dancing tiger) is across the city, after downtown, and in between then you have the night bazar and downtown. I decide to drop off my backpack somewhere at the White Temple, go and explore a bit of Chiang Rai, including the blue temple, of course, and then come back in the end of the day to fetch my backpack and camp somewhere outside Chiang Rai.
There is a fee of 100 Baht to visit the White Temple, so I don’t go inside or closer. You still can see the temple very clear from outside though, because there are no walls surrounding it. It is a beautiful construction, I will give you that, but for me, it looks more like a tourist attraction than an actual temple, mostly when you have seen many other Buddhist temples, and you know that is not exactly how do they like or their original style. One little tip I can give you is: if you are coming by the end of the year (I was here in October), come early morning so the sunlight strikes the temple frontways, and you can get the most of it. When I came back in late afternoon, the sun was behind the temple, making photographs a bit harder to take. Plus, early morning there will be way less people.
I drop off The Hulk at a mini market, where I also change into a dress. I have never done this before in my travels and it felt quite nice and liberating to be able to wear something not only because it is practical but because I like the way it looks. The owner of the mini market is a very kind man.
A lady stops for me but as she is going only halfway, she drops me off at a gas station / intersection. From there, a man who cannot speak English but understand when I tell him I want to go to Wat Rong Suea Ten, tells me he is going all the way up there, so he can take me. Yay! Sometimes, Thai people surprise me and the person who you less expect to understand what you are saying or doing, gets it very quickly.
The Blue Temple is amazing! And I am not only saying that because it is for free, no! Or because blue is nowadays my favourite colour, no! I really think it looks gorgeous! The many different shades of blue, in contrast with the golden brushstrokes, looks terrific! And that’s only from the outside, where the traditional style also magnifies the whole structure. When you walk inside you are struck by the surreal beauty of the place. The images painted all over the walls, the many different shades of blue, blending into purple and pink, the mandalas also painted, the patterns, all together with the pictures hanged and ornaments, makes the place looks stunting! After some pictures, I just sat in there and stay for a while, admiring such piece of art.
I walk to the night bazaar, for about 45 minutes, and when I get there, it is closed. I’ve been to other night bazaars which open earlier, so I thought it could be the case here too. Nope! Laugh.
At least I finally manage to eat some Khao Soi, which is said to be the most traditional Northern Thailand dish. I tried very hard to find some when I was leaving Chiang Mai, but apart from the tourist restaurant near the Old Town, none of the food stalls outside the city were serving this “traditional” dish. It consists of a curry dish, with chicken and bot soft and crispy noodles. I asked to have mine without chicken. I love it! A bit spicy but delicious! I feel like having a coffee after, so I ask for some hot water to the ladies from the shop. They are very kind to me.
Beside the night bazaar is located the downtown bus station, the busiest one in town, I’m guessing. While I am eating, I see many tourists coming out and going in. There are several local shops selling clothes and shoes around these streets. And even though I brought myself to visit almost all of them, I couldn’t find something which I was really looking for: a floral dress and a sandal.
Because I don’t really have anywhere else to go, I decide to go back to the White Temple, fetch The Hulk, and try to get a lift of at least a few hours towards my next destination, Sukhothai. It is a long drive, of about 6 hours all the way there, so if I manage to travel about 2 hours today, when I arrive tomorrow, I will still have plenty of time to explore the ancient monuments in the same day.
10 Years Around the World 