Chiang Rai was interesting, to say the least, both Mick and I have mixed feelings about this town. However, we are glad that we took the time to see it and we ticked it off our list of visited places. The airport is approximately 8 km away from the main town. It is a tiny airport in comparison with other airports in the region but well laid out, making it easy to catch transport to wherever you may be heading upon arrival. Having arrived just after midnight we didn’t expect to find anything open….and we were right as everything was closed, including the money exchange. As we didn’t have enough Thai Baht on us we needed a solution and luckily there was an ATM that accepted our credit card and we were able to withdraw cash to pay our taxi and hotel.

We stayed at the Le Terrarium Hotel, one word describes this place…Wonderful!!!! The whole set up, the welcoming, the room, the grounds, all just perfect. The staff were exceptionally nice, however, I don’t expect anything less from the Thai’s. Our room was of a very good size and it came with everything that one needs during a stay. The location was perfect, very close by to everything. We decided to hire a motorbike to explore further and decided to book it through the hotel as we felt more comfortable and secure doing so, within an hour we had our bike delivered to us for 150 Baht (€4) per day, remember to take lots of photos before signing any documentation, just in case they try to blame you for any damage.

The White Temple was definitely the first thing we wanted to see and without a second thought we set off to explore. It’s approximately 12 km out of the city centre and it took us about 30 mins on highway 1. Once we got there we immediately realised it’s popularity as the place was full of pic taking tourists. I can understand why as this place is really unique. The grounds were immaculate along with other temples to see and admire. The person behind the design and construction of this temple is Chalermchai Kositpipat, the famous Thai visual artist. We took as many pics as possible and walked through the temple, ladies remember to cover up, I didn’t and I needed to rent a skirt, available for a small refundable fee. I loved this temple so much that I didn’t want to leave, the grounds were so lush, surrounding the temple were other small temples you could visit. Entry for foreigners was 50 Baht (€1.30) and it’s open from 8 am till 5 pm. There are small eateries and gift shops along with a museum which is free to enter.

Khun Kon waterfalls were not in our plans but decided to explore anyway as we noticed signs pointing the way as we headed towards the temple…..and glad we did. The signs indicated it was a further 18kms so we ploughed on. Along the way, there was beautiful scenery and small villages, this area felt quite remote and I am glad we took the time to stop every few kilometres as we were able to see how Thais really go about their day. We also noticed it was decidedly cleaner here than in the main town, which, we found to be rather poor in terms of cleanliness in comparison to other parts of Thailand. In fact, Chiang Rai seems to have more of a rodent problem than other parts of Thailand and this was an issue as I am not a fan of them at all!! Having reached the edge of Namtok Khun Kon forest park, we needed to park up and take the 1.4km trail to reach the falls. The trail was pretty straight forward and it was lovely to encounter many locals along the way, one of which was a family of six that had come to enjoy a picnic on the water’s edge…..and we then realised why……It was absolutely stunning!! Along the way we found so many beautiful spots to take wonderful photo’s. Once we reached the waterfall I jumped straight into the water which was freezing cold but so so refreshing. We sat there admiring nature and after 15 minutes or so the Thai family also arrived and did exactly what Mick and I did, jumped into the water. This place is totally worth it and the beauty of it all is that there were only a few people…..people, it seemed that come to appreciate it’s beauty.
I would suggest good sturdy shoes, water and sunblock as it becomes really hot and humid.

Night Bazaar and street food. We spent a couple of our evenings meandering through the night bazaar which was small compared to other night markets that we have been too, but big enough to spend a couple of hours…..I did manage to find the loveliest dress and elephant bag which I couldn’t resist buying and which I treasure. You can find the usual trinkets at very reasonable prices. The markets are set up every night from about 6 pm till around 11 pm….. unless a storm is about to hit then all hell breaks loose and the traders hurriedly pack and get ready to get out as quickly as possible……something we witnessed one evening, it was phenomenal how the whole night bazaar disappeared within a manner of minutes. We ate at a Thai restaurant at the night bazaar, the food was delicious and we were lucky as we had live entertainment that evening too. Beautiful Thai dancers, and a very sweet Thai gentleman strumming his guitar playing old English classics, it was a lovely setting and we highly recommend it for an evening out. The second night we decided to eat at the Hawker centre which was also near the night bazaar, we opted for Thai food again but this time it was a disaster, the food was bland and there was nothing authentic about the meal, perhaps it was the store we chose, but it was really disappointing.

Elephant Valley Thailand. As you would have gathered by now Mick and I love Elephants and we try to see and be around them on every trip. Often spending a portion of our trip’s to Asia working and volunteering for organisations that have been set up to protect them. After extensive research, I found the Elephant Valley Thailand. This sanctuary opened to save elephants that had been used for illegal logging, circuses and elephant riding tourism. They seemed like a small sanctuary but one that believes, as we do, that these majestic creatures need to be protected and given a better quality of life. The process for visiting was easy enough. Following our booking, we were picked up from our hotel by taxi and driven directly to the park, which was approximately a 20-minute drive. We were expecting to be collected by a minibus which would then proceed to other locations in order to pick up others, instead, we were taken straight to the gates of the sanctuary where we were greeted by John, a young American charged with the everyday running of the park, and Pop, who would be our guide for the day, both of whom were extremely nice and friendly. To our surprise, we were the only guests for the morning which was great….and explained our direct route….We paid 1800 Baht (€50) each and after a safety briefing, we were taken around the park to meet the herd. The elephants roam freely and have lot’s of land to themselves and lots of food to munch on which was great. Our only concern was that the mahout had bullhooks and we weren’t happy at all, something we were very quick to point out to John. He reassured us that the hooks are used for protection and not used on the elephants, we were both a bit sceptical and made sure we kept a close eye on them as we would not in any circumstance condone or support any mistreatment or abuse of elephants. We can say that during our day at the park, we didn’t witness anything inappropriate. Pop was great, giving us so much background information on the entire herd, she named each elephant and their different and varied character traits and we were happy to admire them from afar. Lunch was included in the price and it was a vegetarian meal which was absolutely fine for both Mick and I. We felt that we wanted to do more in the park for these beautiful giants, so we requested if it would be possible to volunteer our time to help with some chores around the sanctuary, so John organised for us to join up with Peter who was working at the park that day and would give us various jobs to do. Peter was an absolute rock star!!….literally, as he was in a band that played in various venues around Chaing Mai…. he spoke perfect English and we had lots of fun. We helped him collect sugar palm and grass for the bubbas as they love to munch on them and then we collected elephant poo from all areas of the park in order to keep it clean, which for some people may not be the most enticing chore, but Mick and I loved it….anything to help our beloved elephants and we are happy to get stuck in. Whatever we can do to make a small difference in their lives then we are happy to do just that. After a couple of hours of helping out, we witnessed the elephants take showers by each of the mahouts, then all 6 came to eat their snacks which was my favourite part as we got to feed them their favourites. As the elephants munched away we sat with John once again talking about the different projects they had lined up, I believe in my heart that they truly want to make a difference in the lives of elephants. A word of advice as the exploitation of animal abuse in Asia is a big problem. Do your research as much as you can. Do not ride elephants or watch or support owners that use them to entertain humans as this is not normal and should not be acceptable. Choose a place that truly cares about animals and spread the word….. Do not use elephants for entertainment, they are not on our planet for our amusement. Please read more at www.savetheelephant.org

The Clock tower is quite famous in Chiang Rai, designed by Thai artist Chalermchai Khositpipat the same artist that designed and built the White temple. The clock tower serves as a traffic roundabout and due to that can’t be missed during the day as its a landmark in town. During the evening at 7, 8 and 9 pm it lights up in different colours so you can’t really miss it. Right near the tower, there is an amazing Thai place for street food. You can sit on the tables provided or on the stairs and watch the world go by. Check it out if you are in the area.

The Monmueang Lanna Massage was a place we visited twice during our time in Chiang Rai and I must say the staff were extremely polite, professional and we both had great massages. They offer a range of treatments with really reasonable prices. Always bear in mind that massage staff do work long hours and Mick and I always leave a tip as the salaries are often quite low and offering a tip of 100 to 150 Baht will not change our lives but can make a difference to their daily earnings. We always like to give something back, even more so if the service is really good as it is here. They are situated on the main road near the night market. If you are in the area check them out. 

The Roast Cafe was the place for our daily caffeine dose and I could easily say that it’s one of the most popular with locals. They roast their own beans so you know that the coffee will be great. One thing that Mick and I have noticed throughout Asia is that the coffee and cold beverages are really sweet by default so finding a place like roast cafe was fantastic….. this cafe is highly recommended.

The Wanderer Although Roast Cafe was our daily, the Wanderer was probably my favourite cafe in Chiang Rai. We used maps.me to allocate this place, it was slightly out of town but not too far. The service and food were fantastic. Mick had beef, rice and egg dish and I had the stir fry with mushrooms and shrimp. We shared a Banofee dessert along with two fresh juices we paid 675 Baht (€17). The cafe’s gardens are so lush and green the perfect setting for a nice peaceful lunch or evening meal.