Thailand

Chiang Rai

 

Chiang Rai is a small city north to Chiang Mai (about 180 kilometers). It is a good spot for nature lovers and the best shopping site in Thailand. Chiang Rai is also a nice stop if you are on your way to Laos.

 

How to get there: 

 

• An express luxuries tourist bus will take about 3 hours from Chiang Mai’s bus terminal. The ride will cost about 300 Baht for each direction (the round trip ticket will lower the overall price). The bus is very comfortable and you could almost lay horizontal.
• The local bus, number 166 will cost only 60 Baht but will take almost four hours and will be far less comfortable. The bus goes 11 times a day both directions from the cities main bus terminals.

 

What to do:

 

• The Night Bazaar – Functions both as a both local and touristic market and contains vast variety of commodities. Prices in northern Thailand are lower than in the other areas; Chiang Rai is one of the cheapest shopping sites for traditional and modern clothing, souvenirs, small furniture, bedspreads and more.

• Trekking - Chiang Rai is one of the best places to see Thailand’s nature and village culture. There is a variety of treks you could take in all difficulty levels. Most of the guesthouses will offer you organized trips to the mountains, including food, transportation and sleeping arrangements. You can choose the difficulty and length of the trek by your needs. The prices vary as the quality of the trips, but the average day will cost you about 600-700 Baht. The cheapest guesthouses will offer the cheapest prices for the same treks.
• Biking around town - The surrounding area of Chiang Rai is green and there are several agencies that offer a small selection of vehicles. A simple automatic motorcycle will cost you around 200 Baht a day. License is not required but the owner will ask to deposit your passport until the return of the vehicle.
• Wat Presinge and Wat Prekaew - These two ancient temples (1434 and 1390) are impressive and beautiful. Wat Prekaw has an Emerald Buddha statue, an almost exact replica of the famous Emerald Buddha in Bangkok. Both of the temples located in the center of the city, close to the boat pier along the Mae Kok River. You could visit both in a half-day since they are in a walking distance from each other.

Were to stay:

 

Chiang Rai has many guesthouses most of which are scattered around the town. There is a concentration of guesthouses along the river banks. The area is slightly more expensive but it offers bars and tourist travel agencies nearby.

A simple room with a fan, a shared cold shower and restroom will cost around 100 Baht. For a room with hot shower and air condition you will pay 200 Baht or more.

 

Where to eat:

 

Thailand is not a friendly place for vegetarians, it is difficult to avoid meet and sea food since the Thai people don’t have a vegetarian traditional cuisine. Noi is one of the best vegetarian places out of Bangkok. The owner of the restaurant truly understands the meaning of vegetarian. The restaurant serves amazing traditional northern Thai food.

The restaurant is located on the corner of Utarakit and Noam Meuang Road.

 

Tips:

• When shopping everywhere in Thailand and Chiang Rai, bargaining is a crucial part of the process. The price you are asked to pay for the commodity could be more than twice of the actual price.
• Some of the guesthouses have a concentration of tourists from specific countries: German, Israeli, Japanese and more. The owners speak your languages, so will the menus. Usually, the Tuk Tuk drivers will know which guesthouse to take you to.
• The rural areas have become very tourist oriented. Therefore, the experience is not as authentic as it used to be. The further you go, and the more difficult it will be to get there (the villages at the mountains), you would find more authentic villages and people.