SEA 2023 (11/17) – Chiang Rai: Itinerary

Chiang Rai was a small city northeast of Chiang Mai, with an ambiguous identity as far as tourism was concerned. Serious travelers who talked about spending time in Chiang Rai often referred to the rural regions such as Golden Triangle, hill tribe village, coffee farms, etc. instead of the city itself. Other people regarded it as a mere extension of Chiang Mai and a day-trip destination.

We considered a range of options before deciding not to bother with Chiang Rai, because it required too much additional travel for little additional gain. Of course, it was after that decision Mah changed her mind and insisted on having to see the White Temple. Hong talked me into honoring her wishes, so we un-changed the plan.

Day 9 – Getting to Chiang Rai

We contemplated hiring a van to take us between the cities. It would have been fairly affordable. But I figured we’d better off using the public transportation to fully embrace the spirit of an adventure. Also, the bus looked more comfortable.

Having been recently scarred by that debacle with catching the train, we got to the Chiang Mai bus station (Arcade Terminal 3) extra early. Unfortunately, there was a series of reality not matching my online research: (1) there was no air-conditioned waiting room on the second floor of the bus station; (2) the mall next to the station was now a construction site; and (3) the nearby McDonald’s wasn’t easily reachable on foot, in part because of the construction site. We walked to a cafe instead, but they also didn’t have AC so it was a fail all around for the 1.5-hour wait at a bare bone bus station.

The bus got on the road shortly after 3:30 and rolled into Chiang Rai Bus Terminal 1 at 7pm. It was overall a pleasant ride with comfortable seating and great scenery. Then we proceeded to take a short walk to our next hotel.

The best way I could describe Chiang Rai was that it reminded me of “small places” in Taiwan from my childhood: too rural for my liking. The street leading up to the hotel gave off eerie vibes with a bus graveyard on the side.

We picked Nakaraj Princess Hotel for its proximity to the bus station and for its quirky decor… which looked like how an Indian Donald Trump would have decorated his home. The hostess (princess?) checked us in and brought our suitcases up the stairs with her own tiny arms. Over the next day and half, she’d be the sole person on call from early morning to late night, serving breakfast and greeting us whenever we walked by.

We had dinner at Chiang Rai Night Bazaar, a fairly large outdoor food court with performance on stage. It had great vibes and all sorts of fragrant food scents permeated the warm and moist evening air.

Day 10 – Colored Temples

After a brief breakfast buffet at Nakaraj Princess’s warm and almost not suffocating dining room, we headed back to the bus station and got ourselves a songthaew. Only two temples on the agenda today and this guy and his cute little vehicle was gonna take us to both.

We all enjoyed the White Temple and spent a decent amount of time traversing it. It was a major “okay now we can say we did Chiang Rai” checklist item. My favorite part was the giant golden Ganesha shrine to the side. The Blue Temple was aesthetically more interesting, in my opinion. It was also smaller so the visit didn’t take much time.

Then came my most anticipated part of the day… a fancy cafe next to the Blue Temple and by the Kok River. It was called Manorom, and occupied an entire European-styled house and estate. Walking down its quarter-mile driveway reminded me of La Gruta in Teotihuacan. Despite multiple signs along the way, Mah kept questioning how we knew there was a cafe there.

This elegant white house on a gigantic lawn would have been appropriate in Gone with the Wind or Alice in Wonderland, so it was rather bizarre to find it in the Thai summer heat. We were among the first customers and had our pick of table; Mah made sure we all sat directly in front of the big AC unit.

My idea was just to take a break and get some Instagrammable drinks here. Although Manorom had a full menu, it consisted mostly of western cuisine which I hoped to avoid. But everyone was starved at this point so we ended up eating a full lunch consisting of pasta, pizza, and modern Thai entrees. To my pleasant surprise, the western food wasn’t simply the Cheesecake Factory stuff. Even the Bolognese sauce had a kick, as one would expect of most dishes in this country.

After a very nice lunch in a cool space on a beautiful waterfront property, we found our way back to the hotel. There were technically more attractions in Chiang Rai that we could see, but not even I was interested at this point. Bah hung out with the girls while Mah, Hong, and I got a sweet 90-minute massage somewhere.

Dinner was back at the Night Bazaar, after some light souvenir shopping. Dad sat this one out. I had initially hoped to order a hot pot, which seemed quite popular. We ended up just sticking to a bunch of stir fries like yesterday, but with an addition of a grilled fish.

Day 11 – Farewell Thailand

It was sadly time to say goodbye. Today all of us were leaving Thailand. Bah and Mah were to return home (TPE) via Bangkok (BKK) while the rest of us continue on to Singapore (SIN) via Bangkok (DMK). Because our departing flights were 3 hours later than theirs, Bah and Mah got on a taxi first shortly after breakfast.

The rest of the morning was sort of Hong’s ideal way to vacation. We stopped by one fancy cafe, followed by a second fancy cafe, followed by McDonald’s. We had talked about trying Thai McDonald’s for a few days by this point, and this was our last chance. Getting there required a cab taking us a few kilometers out of town, in the opposite direction of the airport. It was worth it, though.

The Chiang Rai airport had a rather funky setup. Although only domestic flights were in operation, passengers with a connecting international flights got a “fly-thru” sticker and got to clear immigration. But then we were locked up at Gate 6 on the second floor, which was a holding pen segregated from the stores and lounges, until boarding time. It wasn’t the best airport experience.

That sticker did help us transfer more smoothly once we reached Bangkok. Although we didn’t have a ton of time, we managed to duck into the Coral Executive Lounge for 45 minutes. There food there was surprisingly satisfying, especially the chicken rice.

Southeast Asia 2023 – Index

1. Kicking Off 15 Intensely Fun Days in Thailand and Singapore
2. Attempting the Thai Language
3. Modes of Transportation
4. Bangkok: Grand Hyatt Erawan
5. Bangkok: Itinerary 1
6. Bangkok: Itinerary 2
7. Bangkok: Malls
8. Overnight Train to Chiang Mai
9. Chiang Mai: Itinerary
10. Chiang Mai: Elephants!!!
11. Chiang Rai: Itinerary
12. Wats in Thailand
13. Notable Eats in Thailand
14. Singapore: Itinerary
15. Singapore: Deja Vu
16. Singapore: Changi Airport & Flight Home
17. Notable Eats in Singapore