After spending 3 days in Ao Nang, we travelled to Chiang Rai via a local AirAsia flight from Krabi International Airport to Chiang Mai International Airport. The flight lasted less than 2 hours and the experience was generally good and seamless.
Our recent eight-day journey through Southern Thailand, encompassing Phuket and Ao Nang, was a delightful adventure.
With those memorable experiences behind us, we eagerly set our sights northward, ready to discover the wonders of Northern Thailand.
What's Covered in this Post
A First Taste of Northern Thailand…
We headed to a restaurant at the airport as soon as we got off the flight and had our first taste of the northern famous Khao Soi.
This meal, which is typically a combination of soft noodles in coconut milk-based curry soup, topped with crispy noodles, was a spicy and delicious break from the endless plates of fried rice I consumed in Phuket!
I knew I would love it here and not even the grey skies from the lingering haze of the burning season would dull my experience.
After our meal, we called a taxi using the Grab app to drive us to our hotel in Chiang Rai, located about 3 hours away from the Chiang Mai International Airport.
Getting to Chiang Rai…
In hindsight, if I were to plan this journey again, I might have had us spend time in Chiang Mai first, before travelling to Chiang Rai and flying directly to Bangkok from there.
Planning the journey out this way would have saved us a few dollars and the second 3-hour journey we had to make back to Chiang Mai.
Nevertheless, the journey there and back was quite painless. Besides, I had my sights set on a particular ecolodge in Chiang Mai that had availability for dates that worked with our planned itinerary.
As we drove towards the city, we could see the remnants of months of seasonal crops burning all along the countryside. I had applied for my visa to Thailand and booked our flights before I learned about the so-called “burning season”, and was worried that this would ruin our entire trip.
Burning Season in Northern Thailand
The burning season in northern Thailand typically occurs between February and April, although from what I read, it could start as early as December. This is an annual phenomenon that sees farmers clear their fields through slash-and-burn techniques, while dry conditions exacerbate wildfires.
The result is bad air quality during these months and a smoky haze blanketing the entire region…
When we arrived at the end of March, it seemed we had just caught the tail end of the season. So, while we did not see any active fires, the air, for the most part, was still hazy. Luckily, it did not affect our plans as much.
Where To Stay in Chiang Rai…
In Chiang Rai, my main interest was to visit some famous temples there and I was particularly intrigued by photos I had seen of Wat Rong Suea Ten, aka The Blue Temple.
So, I booked us a stay at The Imperial River House Resort, which was only a 5-minute walk away. This way, we were able to visit this temple multiple times, as we walked past it to get to other places.
The hotel served as a good base for most of the places we wanted to go to and I enjoyed our stay here. We spent our mornings and evenings exploring Chiang Rai when the weather was cooler and the rest of the day lazying about in the resort’s large pool.
What To Do in Chiang Rai…
As with all of Thailand, there are several temples spread across the country but during this trip, we stuck to a few on the beaten path, which included the Blue, White and Red Temples. My favourite one to visit was the Blue Temple.
Wat Rong Suea Ten – The Blue Temple
I enjoyed walking around this temple and admiring its unique architecture and façade. Staying close by meant that we could visit during the best times of the day to enjoy the atmosphere without the crowd – although there were barely any each time we passed by.
Wat Rong Suea Ten is a small temple, that sort of merges with its parking lot. While reading visitor’s reviews online, I saw the word “kitsch” thrown around several times. But I did enjoy my visits here plus, it was the site of quite the hilarious event…
The Monk and The Tripod…
On our last morning in Chiang Rai, I arrived alone to take some photos in and around the temple at sunrise but I was feeling self-conscious about using my tripod inside. While the temple might be aesthetically pleasing, it’s still a religious building and I didn’t want to disrespect anyone, even though there were no worshippers inside at the time.
I had resigned to leaving without getting my desired shots when a monk walked in to pray. Lo and behold, right in front of me, he set up his tripod! I couldn’t help but laugh when this happened and once he was done, I summoned up the courage to get my tripod shot too!
My Recommendation for a Pleasant Experience Here:
If you do choose to visit Wat Rong Suea Ten temple, I recommend getting there early or later in the day. If this isn’t possible and you see a crowd when you go, just wait around a bit, and enjoy some blue coconut ice cream, until it becomes less crowded. Most people visit as part of a combined tour from Chiang Mai and leave after a few minutes.
Wat Rong Khun
Another famous temple we visited was Wat Rong Khun, aka The White Temple.
The White Temple is an unconventional Buddhist temple gleaming with intricate white structures adorned with mirror fragments that glisten under sunlight. The temple is the work of a Thai artist, and is quite strange and fascinating in equal parts!
Fun fact: his student designed the Blue Temple. I guess the apple does not fall far from the tree!
The last temple we visited in Chiang Rai was Wat Hua Pla Kang, aka The Red Temple.
Wat Huay Pla Kang
Wat Huay Pla Kang is a striking Buddhist temple complex renowned for its immense 9-story pagoda and its giant Buddha statue that can be seen from several parts of the city.
We planned to ride the elevator in the Buddha Statue up to the top for stunning panoramic views of Chiang Rai. However, with the haze, it didn’t seem worthwhile to do, so we just walked around the premises for a while before heading to a stunning cafe close by.
A Stop at Lalitta Café…
Lalitta Café was a rejuvenating respite from the relentless scorching of Chiang Rai’s midday sun. It felt nice to cool off in what seemed like an enchanted garden.
We settled for drinks and cake and they were quite good. Later in the day, we visited Singha Park for a sundowner overlooking a tea plantation. I thought this park was a good alternative for Choui Fong Tea plantation since we couldn’t get to it during this trip and a great way to end our stay in Chiang Rai.
Many people visit Chiang Rai as a day trip from Chiang Mai and while this is a feasible thing to do, I think spending a night or two in the city is certainly worth it.
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