Chiang Rai = Colorful Temples and Food

Our first Saturday in Thailand!

One of my coworkers lives in Bangkok, so he flew up to Chiang Rai for the weekend to hang out. We decide to meet up just after noon, since he works Pacific Time (like me) and wakes up at noon. On our way to meeting up with him, we run into some people selling pomelos (giant white grapefruits) off the back of a truck for 3 for 100 baht ($3). They cut us some free samples, and they are delicious, but we can’t even eat a single whole pomelo. Luckily a pair of Italian women are having the same discussion so we decide to split a single pomelo with them for 30 baht. They refuse to just take 20 baht from each of us and keep the change. They must feel bad that we can’t afford a single pomelo, so they even give us another pomelo for free!

Our first planned stop is... a temple of course. You really can’t go two blocks without hitting a breathtakingly gorgeous temple. Each one is unique and has something truly beautiful to offer. Wat Mung Muang is gold… Very, very gold. Every temple here has a pair of nagas (revered serpent-like beings that are depicted with anywhere from 1 to 7 heads) adorning the stairs up to the front. They come in all styles and colors. These are pure gold. The chedi in the back is also… pure gold. The heavy use of gold in Lanna-style (Northern Thailand) temples, from street signs to clock towers, is one of my favorite things about this region.

Blue Temple

Next we decide to visit the famous “Blue Temple”. One thing to note about temples in Thailand is that they are part of modern life, which is to say that they are not historical monuments (as many of the cathedrals we visited in Europe are). The Blue Temple, Wat Rong Suea Ten, was built relatively recently, with construction starting in 2005 and completing in 2016. This temple isn’t just blue—it’s bluuuuuue, with intricate golden accents that make it look like it moonlights as a celestial nightclub. While the temple keeps with traditional styles, it is also boldly modern in how it goes to the extreme to make a statement, staying true to the blue theme not just at the temple, but all the surroundings. It even has a museum on large public bathrooms onsite.

There is a nice organized line to take a picture inside in front of the white buddha. I find that in all these temple, I’m more impressed by the intricately decorated ceilings and walls than by the buddha itself. Here, every square inch of space is adorned with brilliant paintings and designs that somehow manage to avoid garishness and adds to the complete picture.

Insta-Lunch (the slow kind)

Next we decide to treat ourselves to a fancy lunch at Varee, a lovely restaurant along the river bank. The river itself is a muddy river and not much to look at, but the food is very good. Most importantly we get a special dessert that promises to “elevate your social media status”. It’s this amazing “chamchuri tree: The “tree” is made from chocolate with a pink cotton candy canopy. It’s planted in a delicious red velvet cheesecake surrounded by smooth river rocks. Yum!

Big White Buddha

Next we head to the “Big White Buddha” which is not actually a buddha, but the “Goddess of Mercy Guan Yin Statue”. It is big though, measuring 300 feet in height. We head inside and find that “white” is probably the more descriptive adjective as everything inside is completely white. It’s not simple, like the White House, but incredibly intricate, with sculptures and adornments, including disco balls, all in white, “mirror ball” being considered part of the white family.

Next door is the “red pagoda” (yes, this area is very color-oriented), which is done more in the Chinese style. We climb up to the top to get a view of the area while the sun sets.

Then we enter the “standard” temple next the the Big White Buddha and find that it is also completely white, all except for the rows of orange-robed monks praying inside.

Saturday Night Walking Street

We catch an EV tuktuk (so modern) back to town in time to catch the weekly “walking street” where several blocks of the main road are filled with street vendors. It’s chaos with seemingly the entire population of Chiang Rai province crammed into one place. People are selling everything you can imagine, but of course, we gravitate towards the food. People are selling bugs to eat (which we walk quickly past) as well as more delicious options like meat skewers, tiny fried quail eggs, mini pineapples, and much much more.

The Winter Wonderland is still going on, so there are two stages of very loud music pumping. We walk back to our hotel to rest after the long day. It’s the last night for Winter Wonderland, and just before we go to sleep, we hear fireworks! We look outside our window to witness the perfect end of a wonderful day.

Next up… Sunday Funday!