Chiang Rai, Thailand

Flying into Chiang Rai

Flying into Chiang Rai from Bangkok on a Thai Airways flight. The domestic flight between Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport and Chiang Rai is about one hour and twenty minutes.

Wiang Inn Hotel

We stayed at the Wiang Inn hotel in the center of Chiang Rai town. It is a decent 3 star-ish hotel, with a nice pool and massage facilities. Perfect for budget travelers. The taxi ride from the airport is about twenty minutes, depending on traffic. Below is a map of the Wiang Inn hotel taken off the website.

The hotel has a cafe restaurant that serves up a nice international buffet breakfast as there are many western tourists staying there. Those who are game for spicy stuff can try the delicious tom yam soup at the restaurant during lunch.
This is the view from my hotel room.
There's aren't many tall buildings around. The road you see outside is Phaholyothin Road. There are some nice eateries, massage parlors lined on each side. It is cheaper to get a massage outside than to do it at the hotel. The massage in the hotel, if I didn't remember wrongly is 500 Baht. If you do it outside, its only a fraction of that.
This is my room. As you can see, I'm not into making my own bed. The room service does a pretty good job.

The pool area. Throughout my 4 day stay I never saw one single person swimming there, so neither did I.
I guess these are the houses the locals live in.
A very empty pool. It looked much nicer on the hotel website though. The wonders of photoshop.
See the ghost? Nah just kidding!
My room. Room 521.
Some shots of my room in the evening.
The bar was decent too. But I didn't take anything from there.

There aren't a lot of TV channels to choose from. Just a selection of a few English cable channels and the rest are Thai channels. At least they have Australian Network and BBC.

Phaholyothin Road

This is Phaholyothin Road. The main road outside Wiang Inn hotel. If you walk out of the hotel and turn right and walk along this road for about 5 minutes, you will reach the night market. The reception at the hotel will gladly provide you with directions to get to the night market as well as operating hours.

Tuk-tuks are a common sight not only in Bangkok, but Chiang Rai as well.
A word of advise to travelers: Be very careful when crossing the road. Look out for traffic especially the motor bikes. There aren't many traffic lights for you to cross safely, and the motor bikes whizzing by can be quite dangerous.



Well at least its not as crowded like the streets in Bangkok or Phuket.

The Chiang Rai bus terminal. Here you can catch buses to other parts of Thailand.

Along Phaholyothin Road, the street lamps are decorated with these pretty lanterns.
As I walked along, I stumbled upon this hotel. The Wangcome hotel. I didn't stay here so I'm not able to provide a review. But judging from the website, it seem the same or slightly better than Wiang Inn hotel.
This statue of Ultraman was standing outside a video store along Phaholyothin Road.

Wat Jed Yod

Near the Wiang Inn hotel is a beautiful temple called Wat Jed Yod. It is only about a five minute walk from the hotel.
This is the satellite map from Google Earth. I've mapped out the route to take from Wiang Inn hotel to Wat Jed Yod.
The temple was built in 1844 by a Buddhist monk named Brakrubakuntha Kunthawungso.

The entrance to the temple
Inside the temple sits a beautiful golden buddha about three storeys tall. But remember to take your shoes off before entering.


What a beautiful sculpture of the guardians of the gate.
The gardens surrounding the temple.
I wonder who rings the bell and sounds the gong?
More of these pretty lanterns.
The temple from the outside.



Entry into the temple is free, but you can make a donation at the entrance if you like.




Anyone know what the sign says?

This is the small side road that leads to Wat Jed Yod. There are a couple of nice eateries along this road...
Like this one - bkk grill and the Korean restaurant on the other side.

The Hall of Opium Museum

This is the Hall of Opium museum. It showcases on the history of opium and the impact of illegal drugs. A very educational and informative tour I must say. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside, so I only took pictures of the entrance and the car park :(

To learn more, you can visit their website.

The Golden Triangle

The Golden Triangle is located at the northeastern end of Chiang Rai. It is the border between Thailand, Myanmar and Laos, separated by the Mekong river.

There are many ancient temples scattered around the area.
That building with the golden dome across the Mekong river is in the Laos side.
Some colorful fishing boats.
One of the main attractions at the Golden Triangle - a large golden Buddha, overlooking the border.
There's a row of souvenir shops across the road, catering to the travelers. Most of them selling T-shirts.





Looking towards Laos.
I was told that this building is where you clear customs in Laos.
Nice contrast with the clear blue skies.
I think you can make a donation by dropping a coin into one of the two funnels. The coin will then roll along the racks and into the laughing Buddha at the other end.



Is there anyone living there?


I'm guessing these boats along the banks of the Mekong river can bring you over to Laos or Myanmar.





Looking across into Laos
Myanmar on the left, and Laos on the right.



The Golden Triangle is the meeting point between the Thai, Myanmar and Laotian borders, separated by the Mekong river.
A view of the Mekong River from the Border View restaurant at the Imperial Golden Triangle Resort. We had dinner here, and the buffet spread was amazing!

Night shot of the Border View restaurant where we had dinner at the Imperial Golden Triangle Resort.

Wat Rong Khun
The White Temple

I never actually visited this place as we didn't have the time. But if you're in Chiang Rai, dropping by this temple is a must. Wat Rong Khun is a piece of art in itself, a beautiful temple painted all in white to symbolize the purity of Buddha. Its design and artistry brings fusion between traditional Buddhism and the modern world. This temple doesn't have a long history though, construction started only in 1997 and many parts are not complete yet. Nonetheless its a popular tourist spot and shouldn't be missed.
Directions to Wat Rong Khun