November 28, 2016 to November 29, 2016
Sightseeing in Chiang Rai: 2 days
I rode out to the White Temple today. The temple is a modern work of art, not really a functioning wat. I understand that the artist would like it be some day, and that it is an evolving project. Its the top tourist attraction in Chiang Rai, although about 20 km out of town. I took the back way in, and was shocked at the crowd that was there. It was really a mob scene with buses and cars and motorbikes packed around it. You can see much of the temple without going inside. The line going inside kept getting jammed up with people taking selfies, and a guard kept telling, in English, to keep moving. So it lacked any sort of spiritual feeling, but was truly beautiful.
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Back at the guesthouse, I showered, walked down the street to do some laundry, and hung out for a bit. Then I walked to the night market, about a mile from here. I was a bit early for dinner, but hungry, so I ate at a little vegetarian restaurant outside the market. Then I wandered around a bit, and let someone talk me into buying some mango ice cream. At least I thought he was selling me mango ice cream. When I got it, it was a scoop of mango ice cream, a scoop of coconut ice cream, fresh mango, green sticky rice with the crunchy bean things they put on it, and a topping of lychee fruit! I enjoyed it, but, man, am I full! I should mention that it cost 35 baht, which is less than I've paid for just mango and sticky rice other places.
I liked the night market. It was well-organized with a separate food area with lots of seating. There were 2 different stages that I saw, set up for music but both playing recorded music while I was there. I didn't stay too long, as I didn't want to be walking home too late and it was already quite dark.
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The next day (which is today for me now) I visited a couple of historic wats, Wat Phra Singha and Wat Pra Kaew. These were both built in the 1400's. Wat Pra Kaew was the original location of the emerald Buddha that is now in Bangkok. They found it inside the stupa after the stupa was damaged in an earthquake. This way was busier with tourists, but was a nice cool, quiet spot and I especially enjoyed it.
After visiting the wats, I stopped for coffee. That seems to an important part of a visit to a Thai city. Then I went for a Thai massage. I asked for an hour, but was told that 90 minutes is much better, and I ended up doing that. Massage is not as easily found as in Chiang Mai. I had asked at my guesthouse, and the owner sort of shrugged and said he didn't know, and handed me a brochure from the desk. It was Getdhawa Massage, and a quick check online made it sound okay, so I gave it a try. It was clean and I think I got a pretty good massage!
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I stopped by the Hill Tribe Museum on the way back. It had a nice video about the tribes in Thailand, and a small exhibit. There was a woman weaving. I asked her which tribe she was from. She spoke very good English, and told me she was from a tribe that wasn't mentioned in the video because her tribe did not come from Burma or China or another country, but was originally from Thailand. The video was only about migrant tribes.
By the way, I'm staying at the Baan Pordeedin. It's a bit off the beaten path, but close enough to walk around. My room is large, clean, and air-conditioned. The bed is comfortable with crispy white sheets. I got a better rate on Agoda than I could get for cash in person, something I really don't understand, and I'm paying 673 baht per night, including breakfast.
Today's ride: 38 km (24 miles)
Total: 996 km (619 miles)
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