Black and white Chiang Rai
Chiang Rai is the most Northern city in Thailand we visited. Chiang Rai came to my attention because of one attraction: Wat Rong Khun. Now, this temple is not the only amazing thing you can see or do in Chiang Rai. We also visited the Golden Triangle, Wat Rong Suea Ten, the Baan Dam Museum and enjoyed the facilities of our hotel.
It is easy to reach Chiang Rai from Chiang Mai, the trip takes around 3 hours if you go by bus and there are also a lot of tours that bring you to Chaing Rai for a day. Since we were staying for a few days and had planned to continue our journey to Sukothai we drove ourselves.
Wat Rong Khun
Wat Rong Khun is also known as the White Temple. I later learned that the White Temple is not just an attraction, it is a privately-owned art exhibit in the style of a temple. Every part of the nine buildings has its own meaning and can be quite surprising. I, for one, did not expect the murals in the temple to be that modern compared to the rest of the buildings. The buildings twinkle in the daylight so the place has something magical. It’s not possible to capture this on camera so if you are ever in the area, just see it for yourself.
The biggest tip I can give: If you want to visit, be there when the doors open. It is really, really, really crowded so if you want to take pictures be prepared to wait.
Funny thing about this picture: A big group of Chinese people where trying to make a group picture, that didn’t work. I offered to make a picture for them. They wanted to repay the favour which resulted in cheering and us posing other than normally.
Baan Dam
The total opposite of all the white and sparkle at Wat Rong Khun, is Baan Dam. This museum is occasionally, and mistakenly, called the ‘Black Temple’. Baan Dam is a well maintained and beautifully laid out parkland, with a mixture of constructions in very dark wooden designs. Baan Dam is not a religious site but should represent the darkness in mankind. If this is true, it’s not clear because there is a minimum explanation about the museum. Strolling through the parkland is peaceful and calming since the number of tourists was a lot less than at the White Temple.
Wat Rong Suea Ten
It looks like the color is kind of a theme in this post, so the next attraction I want to tell about is also unusual in terms of appearance. Wat Rong Suea Ten, better known as the Blue Temple, is a temple that we stumbled on by chance. This temple is not one of those temples with a history that dates 200 years back since it was just finished in 2016. The details in all those temples are so perfect, it is not normal.
Golden Triangle
Another early morning on the last day of our stay in Chiang Rai gave us the time to enjoy the breakfast of the resort and plan our day to the Golden Triangle. The Golden Triangle is the area where Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar meet. You won’t have a piece of land where you can stand with your feet in all three of the countries at once. The borders of the countries are separated by a river. If you have a clear day the view is amazing, but we had a darker day so the view was okay-ish.
Karen Long Neck Village
The Karen Long Neck Village is one of the numerous villages in Thailand. The mystery that surrounds the tradition of using brass rings for jewelry is something that intrigued me from the start. There are still around 40.000 Karen members today, but thousands have had to flee Burma over the decades due to political unrest.
The village is known for their Karen women that wear heavy brass rings around their necks, forearms, and shins. It looks like the Karen women have unusually long necks, but the brass rings actually smash their shoulders and rib cages down just making their necks seem longer. Some women wore over 25 rings on their necks. The villagers live a simple lifestyle, but the fruits of their labor are colorful and very lively. I bought one of the most beautiful self-made white scarfs off one of the women.
A visit to a Karen tribal village as a tourist isn’t without its own ethical questions. You need to pay to enter the village and some tourists will be looking at people as if they are animals in a zoo. But surprisingly, it was a very pleasant experience. When you talk to the women you will see that they like it when you ask questions about their life and the goods they sell. Just overcome the gawker mode and you will see that you are able to connect with the locals.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Chiang Rai by car, we checked into the Chiangrai Green Park Resort. The resort is little bungalows formatted in a U shape outside of the center. We settled into the bungalow and went into the city to eat. Tripadvisor recommended Norn Nung Len Café&Hostel. This place is cozy and the food is so good, especially the tortillas.
Day 2: The next day was a full day with a visit to the White Temple, Baan Dam and Wat Rong Suea Ten. In the evening we ate at Sanfran Burger & Beer, a food truck on the side of the road.
Day 3: On the last day have we visited the Golden Triangle and the Karen Long Neck Tribe. We also stopped for some smaller Temples on the way back to the resort. We planned to visit the market in the evening but one of the biggest rain showers came down so we opted for an extensive dinner. For Thai standards Hungry Wolf’s Steak & Ale-House is expensive but if you want to experience something different pay it a visit.
