Chiang Rai--Trip Report

[Guest pete1969]

As noted in another thread, I recently spent a month in the CR area. I thought I'd share some insights.

 

First, of all, I HIGHLY reccomend that anyone visit this area of Thailand. CR is the largest Northenmost city in LOS. It is in a hilly/mountainous region that is beautiful. It is much cooler than the rest of Thailand. CM has a major airport, and a number of airlines have flights there. I flew into CR via Airasia. There are some major hotels in CR itself including a Dusit hotel as well as a number of nice (and cheap) resorts in the mountian region.

 

This area is beautiful. It reminds me a great deal in many spots of the California wine country but much more lush and green. There are many rice farms that dot the hillside and an astonishing array of fruits and vegetables that are grown in the area. The many orchards and farms mixed among the small hills and mountains that make for great scenery no matter where one drives.

 

It would be necessary to rent a car if one travels here. It is an easy area for driving (not as aggressive as other parts of LOS) and the roads are well maintained and well marked, so a tourist should be able to drive himself. However, there are also a number of car/driver hire packages in the region.

 

Chiang Rai itself is a nice sized city. There are a number of nice budget hotel options. The boy and I used a room at The Rose one night and the cost was only 500 baht. The rooms all have a theme and are very nice. CR has two gay bars. One is Regency which is a smaller bar with about eight boys. They dance one at a time. The three we saw were all nice looking. One of the boys came and sat with us after he danced. This would be a nice bar to open a bottle and get to know the boys. The other bar is Lobo Boy and is in the small soi that used to house a number of gay bars. This is a larger bar with more boys. They still danced one at a time. There was one stunning looking boy that the BF and I offed. He was well worth it. Drinks at both bars were 150 baht and the off fee was 200 baht. Both bars were pleasant. We only went one night, but I would go back.

 

CR has a great night market with a huge number of food stalls and an open air beer garden in the center where a jazz trio played. In the night market area are a number of Western restaurants and tourist services. CR also has a huge day food market near the night market area. There are no taxis in CR but a number of tuk-tuks. A great temple in CR is Wat Rungkun which is a monumnet to a man's dead wife. He is trying to make it into a Thai Taj Majal. It is all in white and has some lovely architecture and features. It is a must see in this area.

 

About 60 KM from CR is Mae Sai which has a gate to Burma. It costs 500 baht to enter Burma, and the checkpoint is very fast and easy on both sides (I did a Visa run here and was in and out in less than 15 minutes). The Burmese side has a lot of great shopping. There is also a big market on the Thai side. I think this was the best area I've seen in LOS for tourist shopping. I recommend spending a morning here (when it is cooler). Also, in Mae Sai is a fun temple called Tumputunpa. It is fun because there is a large tribe of monkeys who live there, and one can feed them bananas and peanuts. Several had nursing babies when I went, and it was a good time.

 

Also 60 KM from CM is Chiang Saen which is a very old religious city on the Mekong River across from Laos. There are a number of old temples, a museum, and parts of the old city wall to see. It is a very ancient part of Thailand and has been hotly contested for centuries. From here one can drive along the river to the Golden Triangle. Here is a first class casino, a large golden Buddah, and many restaurants and hotels. One can also rent a boat for 400 BT and go across to a small shopping village in Laos (no visas or passport stamps here). The area by the river and the river road is very beautiful. As an FYI, one can easily go to Mae Sai in the morning and take the river road the 30KM to Chiang Saen in the afternoon (stopping for lunch in the Golden Triangle). There is also an Opium Museum here!

 

By far, my favorite place in Thailand is Doi Mae Saelong. This is a small city set high in the mountains overlooking two valleys on each side. It is the famous tea growing area for Thailand. The drive alone is breathtaking. In the city, it is fun to wander the up and down streets and visit the many tea shops and tea farms. There is a great resort here called Flower Hill Resort which has great views and beautiful flower gardens (and soon a pool). I love Mae Saelong. It is beautiful and a whole day can be spent wandering this area.

 

If one goes to Mae Salong, one MUST go to Suntikere which is a new temple built on a mountain above the city. There are actually two temples, and they are beautiful. Their are my favorites in LOS. As well, the view is stupendous. The day we went, it was slightly raining, and we had it all to ourselves. I will never forget walking around the temple in the rains with the clouds seeming to hover around our heads as they rose above the mountains, and the mist shrouded the valleys below. I think I felt a bit like a god. One can make a circular path to Mae Salong, both on roads leading to CR.

 

Another great place to visit is the palace and gardens at Doi Tung. This is the best managed govt tourist attraction I've seen in LOS. The gardens are very nice, and take about an hour to wander through. Of course, we stopped for Iced Coffee at a beautiful Doi Tung coffee shop near one of the many fountains in the gardens. The Royal Villa is worth a look just for the walk up and back. The Queen Mother lived here, and it is very nice to see. There is also a museum devoted to her, a plant store, and several nice shops and a restaurant. It costs 300 BT per person to see all of it. If you like gardens, this is a must. There is also a small zoo on the drive down and a shopping area for the mountain people to seel their handiwork (although we did not stop at either).

 

My favorite thing to do was just to drive the country roads and enjoy the views. It helped that my boy had a car and knew every back road for 100 miles around. We visited hot springs, beautiful rivers, a winery, nice local restaurants set by mountain lakes, and more. It is such a beautiful area (and the mountain boys are nice to look at as well).

 

If you haven't been in the far north of Thailand try to go. It is well worth the trip.

 

Pete

[llz]

Having gone with my B/F to about the same places and also with a (hired) car, I second every word you wrote including the nice comments about the Chiang Rai gay bars. Thank you for this complete report which brought some nice times back to my memory.

One of the best-kept secrets in this region and in whole Thailand is the Phayao Province (just south of Chiang Rai). Not that my B/F comes from there (he is a proud Phrae citizen) but I found the town along its lake a great place to stay, with especially some of the most delicious thai food I ever found in Thailand.

[Guest letmetellu]

These Trip Reports are the life blood of any Forum this is what a forum is all about and yours is so interesting, it made me want to go there and may be soon I will, when I get back form a well deserved Holiday away from the LOS.

[Bob]

I too have visited the Chiangrai area a few times and really enjoy the laid-back atmosphere. I can echo many of the comments Pete has made.

Like Pete, I really enjoyed seeing Doi Tung, the Chalet/Garden for the Princess Mother (I think that's what they call her, she's was the current king's mother). Beautiful place about a 45 minute drive north/northeast of Chiangrai.. Unfortunately, rains a lot up in that mountainous area and it's rained both times I've been up there. Would love to see it in the early morning sun. Here's a photo I took in 2004:

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I also was fascinated with the "wedding cake temple". Have only been there once (if I recall, it's about 4-5 miles south of Chiangrai?) and it wasn't finished. Here's a 2004 photo of that:

[attachmentid=22]

(I can post a few more photos of some of the things mentioned by Pete but am worried I'm using up too much bandwidth here. Let me know if you think otherwise, GB, GT, Stef, or whoever).

[TotallyOz]

Pete, thanks so much for the great writing and the wonderful reports. They were a true pleasure to read.

 

Bob, feel free to post as many pics as you want. If you keep the under 50k in size and not larger than 400 pixels across, they will be easy for all to see. Thanks,

[Guest stef]

(I can post a few more photos of some of the things mentioned by Pete but am worried I'm using up too much bandwidth here. Let me know if you think otherwise, GB, GT, Stef, or whoever).

 

Hi Bob, please feel free to post as many photo as you wish.

The only thing I would ask you to do, if you don't mind, is to add the photos as an attachement.

You can add as many attachement to a post as you want. So instead of having a link of the actual photo, you will attach it. Of course it would mean you would need to have the photos on your computer. If you don't have the photo on your computer, then don't worry. I will edit your post and correct them as attachement. Just do it the way you are used to.

 

Adding a link, the way you did the first time, might be a problem for the code. If the photo is too wide, then you can see the top banner is cut in pieces and it will enlarge all the main column of the site.

 

Again it is not a big deal... I can edit them myself.. It just takes time

 

Thanks again for your participation.

 

Looking forward to seeing more pics.

 

PS : You can see the File attachement undernief each post you are posting. It is just above the " Add reply " button.

[Bob]

Edit: Well, guess the photos did attach. Anyway, first one is of the city watchtower, somewhat in the center of the business district. Second photo is a statue and small park at the north end of Chiangrai (if my memory is correct - don't bet on it - it's King Mengrai). Third photo is a shot of one of the many nice temples in Chiangrai.

There's one nice temple in Chiangrai which has a few ponds with hundreds of turtles, some rather large, and is worth a visit for those interested (unfortunately, can't find those photos at the moment).

[Bob]

Sorry, can't figure out how to attach and then continue with writing. So will do these separately I guess.

Doi Tung. As noted, the Doi Tung chalet, museum, and gardens are about 30 miles north of Chiangrai (best to rent a car for the trip there...and plan on about 4 hours for the whole trip). The King's mother, along with the present King, lived many years in Switzerland following the military coup in Thailand in 1932. She loved the swiss architecture and so, to honor her, the present King (with the government, perhaps) built the large chalet-style residence and museum at Doi Tung (which means "flag mountain"). The museum part of the chalet honors the Princess Mother who died in 1995 can has a fair number of video presentations of her work and passion for the hilltribe people and some agricultural processes. The gardens are not large, maybe 10 acres or so, but are rather beautiful.

 

As concerns the "wedding cake" temple (Wat Rawng Koon), you really need to see it (the outside is the speciality whereas the inner part of the temple is rather plain and unremarkable). Here are a couple more photos. Note in the first photo the cement sculptures below and to the left and right of the elephant tusks. The second photo is a closeup of one of those areas. Rather bizzare stuff.

[Bob]

With respect to other side-trips from Chiangrai, Pete mentions the border crossing into Burma (Myanmar). Many tourists go there and are allowed a day pass (a one-day visa as I think you must get a visa beforehand to stay in Burma any longer) and, if I recall right, the cost was $5.00 (although I think I read recently that the amount was raised to possibly $7.00). Lots of shopping within the small Burmese city across the bridge with many items quite different from the standard nightmarket stuff (junk?) usually found in Thailand. I have purchased a couple of nice wood carvings up there.

 

As to photos, the first one shows the bridge going across. Second shows the city center. Third, one of my favorities, shows three buddhist monk pals strolling through the shopping district.

[Bob]

I usually stay at the Wangcome Hotel in Chiangrai. It's above the average in town, costs about 1200-1300 baht per night, has a very good buffet breakfast, and, best of all, is within walking distance to everything. The Lobo boy bar mentioned by Pete is immediately across the street from the north side of the hotel. And the night market is about a 2 block walk from the Wangcome.

 

On one trip, I decided to splurge and stayed at the Dusit Hotel on Dusit Island (an island formed by the Kok River and tributaries at the very north end of town). Extremely nice place and the only drawback is that it isn't close to anything (and too far to walk to the two boybars or the night market). Here are a few photos (the last being a view from the room of the Kok River).

[PattayaMale]

Great reports and pictures, Pete and Bob.

 

I have a question about going into Burma. If you get the day pass, does that count as "leaving" Thailand as far as the Thai visa is concerned?

 

If a person is on a 60 day visa and goes there during the first 10 daysof his stay in Thailand, would he get a 30 day entry visa when he comes back after a day of shopping? Or would he continue with his 60 day Visa?

[Bob]

You know, I don't remember, PM; however, looking at my passport when I went into Burma on the day pass one time, I notice the following:

1) I first arrived in Thailand on February 1 and I see that visa stamp (admitted to March 2nd);

2) I see a "Departed" stamp on February 8th issued by Thai immigration in Mae Sai;

3) There's the Myanmar entry and exit stamps dated February 8th; and

4) I see a new entry stamp for Thailand that's dated February 8th (admitted to March 9th).

 

So, the answer is yes. Now I'm wondering if I paid the damn 500 baht exit fee or if that only applies at the airport......sorry, don't recall. Maybe Pete knows.

[llz]

So, the answer is yes. Now I'm wondering if I paid the damn 500 baht exit fee or if that only applies at the airport......sorry, don't recall. Maybe Pete knows.

I don't think you paid the 500 bahts (I did not pay either) because this is an airport tax and not a departure tax.

By the way the bar immediately facing the Wang Come Hotel is Regency ; Lobo Boys Bar is located a little further north when you go towards the clock Tower, in a small place right of the street among other girl bars.

[Bob]

You're right, Ilz.

 

I have a photo of the bar next to the Wangcome somewhere but can't find it at the moment. I recall it had a medium-sized sign at the time which read: BOY BAR. There wasn't any question what it was....

[Guest pete1969]

You do get a Visa stamp if you enter/exit Burma through Mae Sai. The 500 bt is for the Burma entry. There is no charge to leave or to reenter Thailand.

 

As noted before, I did a Visa run in less than 15 minutes. There was no line on the Thai side to leave (about 1 minute), a walk across the bridge (2 minutes), pay and get the Burma entry/exit stamp (4 minutes), wallk back across the bridge (2 minutes), fill out the Thai entry/departure card and reenter (4 minutes).

 

On the Burmese side, you enter a small office and give one desk your passport and 500 BT. They ask if you want to go shopping or if you want to return right away. Then you sit at another desk to get your photo taken. Then you get you passport back with entry/exit stamps.

 

Quick and easy.

 

Pete