tl;dr Long day trip to Chiang Rai, the White Temple, and a pit stop in Laos – 5 activities
Activity 1 – The White Temple:
Early wake up call – had to hop on a minibus for a 4hr bus ride to the White Temple. The White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) is a contemporary Buddhist temple. This place is very cool – the temple is intricately designed and is quite unconventional. There is a mural on the inside wall of the temple that has depictions of modern day ‘heroes’ – Batman, Pikachu, Superman – among other things.
There is also an art gallery (showing pieces from the Temples ‘designer’) and a ‘golden toilet.’
Activity 2 – Golden Triangle:
We hopped back on the bus to head to the Golden Triangle – a region notorious for the production of Opium (although not as much anymore). From here you can see three countries (Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar). There is also an island that is not claimed by any of the three countries, so it is a sort of no mans land.
We did not set foot in Myanmar, but we did take a boat to Laos. The boat dropped us off at a market in Laos (on an island). There is a special type of whiskey that is worth trying if you go to the island (I won’t spoil the surprise).
China and Vietnam are accessible from other parts of the river.
Activity 3 – Karen Long Neck Village:
Have you ever seen pictures of the tribe of people that have gold rings around there necks? Well, they have a village near Chiang Rai and we stopped by it. We learned about how much the rings weigh, if they have to wear the rings, and other details. According to our guide, any money we spent at the market goes directly to the women that sell the goods – so I bought a souvenir.
Finally, it was time to hop back on the bus for the four hour ride back to Chiang Mai.
Activity 4 – Night Market:
Had another delicious meal at the night market (Pad Thai) and then went back to my hotel to shower before going out.
Activity 5 – Warm Up Cafe and Zoe in Yellow (again):
Warm Up Cafe was highly recommended as a top night spot. It is not a great place to go as a solo traveler. The dance area consists of stand-up tables and limited area to dance. The online reviews suggest getting there early to get a prime table location. I walked around and took it all in (it is also a restaurant) before heading back to Zoe in Yellow.
Andrew's Activities 