The Colorful and Quirky City of Chiang Rai

Rounding out our northern Thailand chapter, Matt and I ventured next to Chiang Rai, a provincial capital with a population of about 70,000 known for its eccentric temples and quintessential Lanna tradition. Though Chiang Rai often serves as a launching point for further outdoorsy tourist experiences, we spent just two days in the city itself, bopping around local top sights before returning to Chiang Mai for our flight to Vietnam.

Our shuttle from Pai to Chiang Rai included a 30-minute stop at Wat Rong Khun, or the White Temple, located on the outskirts of town. To be quite honest, a single picture of the White Temple in the Lonely Planet guidebook is what convinced me to add Chiang Rai to our itinerary in the first place. The most popular attraction in the city, the White Temple is actually a privately-owned contemporary art installation that opened to visitors in just 1997. The artist’s modern take on Buddhism was a refreshing and fascinating departure from the more historically-significant and classic temple structures we have seen on out backpacking trip thus far. From a distance the structure’s white and silver colors and unconventional architectural style are eye-catching and provide an unbeatable photo opp. Close up, the White Temple is decorated with a vast range of surprising sculptures featuring provocative and pop-culture related imagery including a scene from The Matrix, the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, and hundreds of outstretched hands reaching from the earth that are meant to symbolize unrestrained desire. We also caught sight of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and a decked-out, full-size Iron Man—all incorporated into the art installation.

Outside the White Temple. No photos allowed inside, unfortunately!

Cool sculptures at the White Temple.

We piled back into the shuttle and proceeded to our guest house, Ti Amo Chiang Rai Central, conveniently-located in the middle of town. Famished after our long trek from Pai, Matt and I quickly ditched our backpacks and ate at Heaven Burger on our block. My mushroom and avocado burger and Matt’s club sandwich were so delicious that we ended up returning the next day for a repeat of the same exact meal! Perhaps we were just curried- and pad thai-ed out at this point, but the fresh-baked bun, potato wedges, and mixed berry smoothie served with my Heaven Burger meals still bring back happy memories.

Mushroom and avocado burger from Heaven Burger.

Mixed berry smoothie to go with it!

Ti Amo Chiang Rai Central was located near an iconic golden clock tower. Impressive even during the daytime, the clock tower sits in a roundabout and comes alive each evening with an hourly light show synced with Thai music. It was quite the fun surprise on our first night, considering we had no prior knowledge of the nightly entertainment happening so close to our hotel! We passed the clock tower and headed for the nearby night bazaar, noted as one of Chiang Rai’s many to-do’s in our guidebook. By this point we had noticed that everywhere we traveled in Thailand, night markets were always vibrant and bustling—a time for locals and tourists to gather, make and spend money, and eat street food after the intense heat of the day. We meandered around and people-watched but didn’t buy anything as we are trying not to acquire souvenirs aside from one keychain per country. It’s tough to hold back though—there have been beautiful textiles, home goods, and crafts everywhere we have been so far, and all for amazingly affordable prices.

Clocktower near our guest house in Chiang Rai.

We started early on our one full day in Chiang Rai, throwing back instant coffee, toast, and fruit at our guest house before heading to the modern Wat Rong Seua Ten, otherwise known as the Blue Temple. In my opinion, the quirky Blue Temple was even cooler than the White Temple! Construction began on the Blue Temple in 2005; the main hall was completed in just 2016. Admission was free (a rarity in the temple-touring circuit), and large statues of mythical and religious creatures such as dragons, tigers, and bird-men surrounded the complex. Mostly true to its name, the temple was an array of blue tones with gold accents. We especially loved the dozens of crystal balls affixed in sconces around the temple’s perimeter, as they flipped one’s reflection upside-down when looking into them. The murals inside the hall were spectacular, with vibrant blue, green, and pink images from the life of Buddha. Visiting the Blue Temple was the highlight of my Chiang Rai experience, and maybe of northern Thailand as a whole!

One of two huge statues near the entrance to the Blue Temple complex.

Crystal ball flipped Matt's body upside-down!

Golden main hall of the Blue Temple with statues of dragons around it.

Panoramic picture of the inside of the Blue Temple.

I don’t believe I have discussed the relatively strict temple dress code in this blog yet, but interestingly all Buddhist temples throughout our trip have upheld fairly consistent rules regarding attire allowed on the premises. Big signs with pictures examples of dress code violations hang in front of each temple, and on-site staff will pull tourists aside and provide them with rental clothing that meets these standards. Key rules: Women are not permitted to wear shorts or tank tops, and no one is allowed to wear shoes. Men technically aren’t allowed to wear shorts either, but the staff never take it up with male tourists. While the unabashed gender discrimination inherent in the shorts and tank top rule grinds my gears, I always adhere to the dress code; I have taken to bringing my own lightweight pants around on day-trips, slipping them over my shorts before each visit. The shoe regulation is a sign of respect for the Buddha, so I typically keep my socks on considering the idea of walking around barefoot where everyone else has been walking around with their bare feet gives me the heebie jeebies. It’s easy to wear socks when the ground is dry, but sometimes there are puddles and wet socks are no fun. After months of templing, these rules can become quite cumbersome and frustrating.

After the awe-inspiring Blue Temple, we followed another Lonely Planet recommendation and cabbed to Mae Fah Luang Art and Culture Park, listed as one of the top sights in Chiang Rai. Upon arrival and throughout our time at the park we were quite confused—there were no other tourists in sight! We strolled around the brownish lake, browsed a couple of sparsely-filled halls with Lanna artifacts, and popped into the gift shop, only to find a couple of staff members scattered across on the large compound. The facility housed a handful of unmarked buildings that were not included on the map, and it seemed they were setting up for some sort of reception in one area, but no one was there to answer questions or guide us around. It was a confounding and somewhat disappointing tourist stop, but you can’t win them all! Matt and I wrapped up the day with a visit to the more traditional Wat Phra Kaew Buddhist temple, complete with a small pond that was home to over 40 turtles, and ate at a northern Thai restaurant nearby.

Walking around the Lanna-style museum halls in the perplexing Mae Gah Luang Art and Culture Park.

Three fantastic weeks in Thailand came to a close as we caught a four-hour bus to Chiang Mai the following morning and hopped on a plane to Hanoi the next day. I can’t believe we wrapped up our fourth country already! Don’t forget to check out our full collection of Thailand pictures here. For ease of reference, I have linked all my blog posts to their respective city listings on our itinerary page, if you want to go back and read any of the old entries. Thanks again for following along, and we hope to stay in touch as we explore Vietnam!

Our only souvenir from Thailand - a handmade keychain!