Chiang Rai

Thailand Topics

All you need to know about the land of silk and smiles

Chiang Rai and The Golden Triangle

This is Thailand’s most northerly city, the gateway to the golden triangle, which is anxious to swap to its opium-growing image of days gone by for an up and coming tourist town. Slowly it moves in that direction with some new and luxury hotels but it remains a typical provincial capital. I particularly enjoyed the night market where everything is much more subdued than other Thai night markets. It was pleasant sitting between the upmarket shops and stalls listening to Thai music and watching traditional dancing. And there is not the hustling – but the bargaining was just the same.

Getting here by road is a three hour scenic pleasure. It is 190 kilometers from Chiang Mai on Highway 118, a good, fast road passing through the villages of Mae Khachan, Wiang Pa Pao and Mae Suai before joining Highway 1 just south of Chiang Rai. The more adventurous can travel here by raft along the KokRiver which flows gently through the city. That journey takes three days.

Things to see: Temples:Wat Phra Sing, on Singhakhlai Road near the town hall was home to a major Buddha statue, the Phra Buddha Sihing which is now enshrined in Chiang Mai. A special feature is the Lanna-style ubosot, the ordination hall where new monks are ordained and other important ceremonies take place, and the wooden door panels carved by contemporary Chiang Rai craftsmen.Wat Phra Kaeo on Trairat Road was home of the Emerald Buddha which is now enshrined in Bangkok’s Wat Phra Kaeo. The temple also houses a 700 years old bronze statue, Phra Chao Lan Thong, which is in the Chiang Saen-style ubosot. Wat Phra That Doi Chom Thong,located on Doi Chom Thong, on the banks of the KokRiver, contains an ancient holy relic pre-dating the time when King Mengrai built Chiang Rai. If you go to the golden triangle you must visit the Hall of Opium. This is a new multi-million dollar world class museum. Sadly, because you need a minimum of two hours here to take in the exhibits, few tour groups have the time. Entrance to the museum is through a long, mist-filled tunnel with eerie carvings of distorted people on the walls. Then out into a sun filled field of poppies. And the story of opium, the good, the bad and the scary begins. Boat trips to Laos take part all day long from the riverside in Thailand and show you just how easy it is to visit the three countries in a matter of moments.

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