Off On Our Next Adventure

The three and a half hour bus journey to Chiang Rai was very comfortable on the Greenbus coach and only cost us about $13 each. The road was very steep and windy at times as we drove through the mountains, but the scenery was gorgeous, with lush green jungle and rice fields for miles as we approached Chiang Rai. The kids were very well behaved for the entire journey, lasting almost all the way before getting cabin fever, which resulted in them giving each other fits of giggles for the last 15 minutes, which was simultaneously cute and annoying on a quiet bus full of adults. At least they were happy, and not fighting, which was a blessing.

On our approach to the city, we drove past our Airbnb accommodation, which was right next door to Wat Rong Khun – the White Temple. We cursed the fact that we hadn’t asked the driver if we could get off the bus early, to save us doubling back in a taxi or Grab. It was another 15 minutes drive into the Bus Terminal in the centre of town, during which time we worked out that it would probably be cheaper to hire a car for 24 hours to get out to our accommodation and then go sightseeing to all the attractions we wanted to see the next day. A quick Google found several car rental places just down the road from the bus station so when we got off the bus we made our way there.

The first place we stumbled upon was a tiny office, with everything written in Thai. Sitting at the lone desk was an elderly man who Shaun questioned about car hire costs. The man had very few teeth and appeared to have previously suffered a stroke of sorts.

We used Google translate to help negotiate cost and details, but his speech was poor so the translation app wasn’t able to understand what he was saying. Shaun persisted with him and in the end we agreed to an overnight rental paying 800 baht – a total bargain, even if it was a rent-a-dent. Shaun showed his NZ license, filled in a very basic form, and was given the keys…no credit card, no deposit, no excess fee…it was the easiest, most bizarre car rental experience ever!

We asked about returning the car with a full tank of petrol, but he said no. When we turned the car on, it became clear that the tank was completely empty, so our first stop was at a petrol station. It took a couple of tries to prise open the petrol cap, but with me pulling the lever and Shaun using the key, we got there in the end. I must admit, I was feeling rather apprehensive about the condition and safety of the car. The air conditioning wasn’t the best either. Shaun assured me that it felt like the car was running just fine. I reassured myself with the thought that it was a Chevrolet, a reliable brand of car. You can see from the photo below that the kids weren’t too impressed. Shaun (still feeling gleeful from the negotiated bargain) was amused and snapped the photo!

We stopped to get a very late lunch on the way (KFC to keep the kids happy) before arriving at our Airbnb. As mentioned, it was literally right next door to the White Temple, and the view of the steeple type structure from our bedroom was beautiful.

Furthermore, the house itself was gorgeous, modern and well equipped with two spacious bedrooms (with AC) and bathrooms upstairs, and a large living area, kitchen and laundry downstairs, as well as a third bathroom. We were all very pleased with our accommodation, even if it was a wee way out of town. It was so nice to have a proper home all to ourselves for a few days after so much hotel living over the previous month.

That evening, we ate across the road at a street food stall selling yummy pork noodle soup. We ended up eating there again a couple of nights later because it was so good. On our way home, we got this glimpse of the full  moon, which was a blue moon and a supermoon.

Exploring Chiang Rai by Car

The next day, we got out the door nice and early so we could explore a few attractions around the outskirts of Chiang Rai.

Singha Park

Our first stop was Singha Park, as it was near our Airbnb. We had a quick look around but didn’t do the full farm tour because we had lots of other places to visit.

We decided to try and get a family photo with the Singha Lion using the timer on my phone, and Shaun thought it would be funny to get an unco photo of me running to pose. You know that feeling of lining everything up, then dashing to enter the frame? Captured right there. A pity the front facing camera on my phone is a bit rubbish, so our family photo isn’t too sharp.

Then we got told off by the security guard for climbing on the statue. Oops. Anna jumped down straight away, and he was mollified, but we decided we’d better move on quickly!

Wat Huay Pla Kang: The Goddess of Mercy

On our way back towards Chiang Rai, Anna spotted the enormous white Buddha statue on the hillside. We decided to make a detour from our original route to visit, and we were so glad we did. This is one of the joys of having a rental car for the day.

The statue is often called the ‘Big Buddha’ however, it is actually a depiction of Guan Lin, the Goddess of Mercy, and is rather appropriately situated opposite a public hospital, bearing the same name as the temple.

The temple itself was beautiful, influenced by Chinese architecture (the adjacent pagoda), and built in the Lanna style, with exquisite detailing and rhinestones speckled throughout the interior so that it literally sparkles.

We walked up the many steps leading up to the statue to find that we could go up 25 floors in an elevator to the top for 30 baht each (although the baby was free).

At the top, we emerged from the elevator to find these beautiful sculptures lining the walls.

At the front, you could look out of the Goddess’ eyes and forehead to see the spectacular view.

Wat Rong Suea Ten – The Blue Temple

Chiang Rai seems to have a thing for coloured temples, and the most famous two, the Blue Temple and the White Temple, were created by local artists. Both of them are fabulous places to visit.

The day that we visited the Blue Temple, or the Temple of the Dancing Tiger, it was very hot, and the tiles out front where you take off your shoes were scalding on the feet…we had to quickly make a run for it across to the entrance.

The exterior of this temple is breathtaking, and it is very well looked after and maintained. It is also relatively recently built, with construction completed in 2016. It is the result of a project conceived in 1995 and started in 2006 by the local villagers to replace the ancient temple that had stood in this place. Legend has it that wild tigers freely roamed this site when they were plentiful, which accounts for the name.

The interior is beautifully decorated with incredible murals and ornate embellishments throughout.

Outside, the surrounding courtyard area is also very inviting, with shady trees and seats, although Leo and Anna were close to melting by then!

A Japanese Lunch

One of the tricky parts of having a car was that we had to find somewhere to park it while we ate lunch, and we eventually found a little Japanese place called Hashi. The chef was Thai, but she had lived in the US for 12 years, and we enjoyed having a good chat with her. Her food was delicious, and we were very full by the time we left because we hadn’t realized that each meal also came with a dish of wee appetizers and miso soup.

Baan Dam Museum

Our last stop of the day was the Baan Dam Museum, or the Black House Museum, about 10km outside the city centre. It is the creation of the reknowned Thai artist Thawan Duchanee, who took more than 25 years to complete it.

It is literally a museum comprising of 40 black houses, most of which are traditional Thai style houses, although there are also some excellent post-modern additions, including one structure that had the most amazing echo effect inside.

The interiors of these houses were used as exhibition spaces, and many of them are inaccessible, to be viewed by looking in through the windows or doors. The exhibition items range from stunning art on the walls to unusual indigenous art, as well as animal skins, countless crocodile skins, many, many animal skulls and skeletons, the occasional item of taxidermy and a huge assortment of phalluses and phallic representations. The latter elicited a lot of giggles from Leo and Anna, as you can see from the photos! We discovered that as in Indonesia, the penis is a representation of fertility in Thai culture.

There were a few houses that you could enter, including the biggest structure, called the cathedral, at the entrance to the museum, where a lot of Duchanee’s paintings are displayed.

Artists are also given residencies here, and work on their own art inside this building. We met one such artist during our visit.

Chiang Rai Night Market

While much smaller than the night markets in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai has its own offerings, and the food section is excellent because everything is situated in one central courtyard, with lots of chairs and tables. The kids really enjoyed the freshly cooked, crispy roti with condensed milk for dessert.

Wat Rong Khun – The White Temple

The White Temple was created by Chalermchai Kositpipat using a combination of Thai Lanna and modern architectural style and completed in 1997, so this too is a recently constructed temple. It is a work of art, decorated with incredible intricacy and attention to detail.

While we weren’t able to take photographs inside the temple, you easily get a sense of its beauty from looking at the exterior. The surrounding gardens are beautifully landscaped with amazing topiary, statues, sculptures, and plantings.

We enjoyed getting this funny family photo, which a fellow tourist kindly took for us.

There was a wishing well there, and both kids, fascinated by the glittering collection of coins below, also threw in their own coins and made a wish.

They also used what has to be the world’s most beautiful public toilet block, as you can see below.

Anna’s Chiang Rai Highlights

NZ Father’s Day

The next day was Father’s Day in NZ, and the kids were all prepared with their homemade cards. Anna had spent a couple of hours drawing hers and crafting various items out of water bottles for Shaun (which we couldn’t take with us), and Leo had made his at the Elephant Poo Poo Paper Park in Chiang Mai.

Anna also put together this impressive breakfast for Shaun (and a bowl for me), of yoghurt, muesli, and sliced bananas.

With a yummy breakfast in our tummies, we were ready for our day of travel to the Thai-Laos border.