Chiang Rai, 27th-28th March

Chiang Rai was our next stop as we made our way to the Thai-Laos border crossing. Chiang Rai itself we didn’t find particularly exciting. As in Chiang Mai, it’s a good place to go trekking and do hilltribe homestays, but we didn’t have time for this. We did see the large golden clock tower in the centre of town, and watched the show it put on as it struck the hour.

Outside of Chiang Rai is a wat known as the white temple. This is quite impressive and quite different from other temples we’d seen. This one was somewhat fantastical – you walk over a small bridge towards the temple entrance, and below are a multitude of roiling and writhing hands and heads cast in stone reaching towards you. Inside the main temple building, three of the four walls are covered with a colourful mural. The mural is the work of an artist, Chalermchai Kositpipat and his numerous disciples, and is an impressive work of art. Fire-breathing dragons fight modern movie characters, like Neo from the Matrix, Darth Vadar, Superman, and all sorts. Not at all what I expected to see inside a wat but quite a sight. Alongside the temple is a museum housing more of his work, and a little of his history.

From Chiang Rai, we had a night in Chiang Khong. Chiang Khong is a small town bordering the Mekong river. The river isn’t particularly wide here and you can see across to the Laos border town – Huay Xai.