Approaching the bus station we were surrounded by large shops and tall buildings. A modern city it seemed and a far cry from what we expected from the recommendation we had been given. Tuk tuk drivers gathered hustled around the bus doors to secure business and most spoke a reasonable degree of English when we emerged. We were trying to find Chez Nous a small “home stay” type place with just 3 rooms. Everyone obviously ‘knew’ it, and pointed around vaguely, discussing the place amongst themselves in a doubtful tone. Others showed us alternative accommodation, which we declined and when we were given rough costs of 60 Baht we walked off smelling a rat.
We walked in the direction they had pointed for the centre, but became doubtful. Carrying my heavy bag on a damaged ankle, complete with limp was tough, especially when you don’t know where you are going. After asking a travel agent en route where the cheapest place was we were given the same name as in the bus station- Chat House. After walking around for 20 minutes feeling it was close enough to deny the expense of a tuk tuk ride, while not finding it, Laura left me sat down and disappeared for 20 minutes longer to find it. We made it to Chat House after over an hour of searching, which amounted to grit and a battle with pain to save 60 baht or £1.25.
Chat House looked nice though, with a garden come restaurant, plants everywhere, a fountain trickling merrily and washing hanging in front of a large colonial building. We were given room one, which had the luxury of a balcony overlooking this courtyard. Driven by hunger but not by the prices we saw in our guesthouse, Laura mentioned a pizza place she had seen during her search for our accommodation- something we had been resisting all through Lao. We caved in and hired a motorbike (150 baht or £3), which was better value for two than a bicycle (80 baht each or £1.60) and headed for our western indulgence. Our justification is that Thailand has more access to and being a wealthier country consumes more western goods than the rest of Asia. So if you are going to buy western goods, including food then do it here, as the quality will be comparable. Do not expect to be in a small town in central Laos and be able to buy a good quality, cheap pizza, as some tourists do! It was a perfect pizza, but at 180 Baht you would hope it to be.
Next day was finally hospital day, to establish if I had broken my foot, after 12 days. Usefully there was a hospital opposite our hostel, so we went to see whether they could see me and establish the cost to see whether I should treat it or just rest it to let it heal. The door staff directed us in immediately and brought over a wheelchair, while I was being registered. The cost was quoted as 600 Baht or £12, which we were more than happy with for a consultation and X-ray. Soon I was being wheel around the hospital by a porter and observing the nurses in pure white uniforms, white socks pulled up and white heels. A crazy uniform, but I was not complaining!
Eventually, after a 20 minute wait, two X-rays and the conclusion that I didn’t break a bone it was time to pay. This is when the fun started, as a bill of 1,760 Baht is a slight inflation on the initial estimate. The bottom line is that there is a hospital fee for stepping into the hospital and the pharmacy costs are far higher than if you buy what you need externally. We were also charged for consulting fees, which we argued about and eventually settled on 750 Baht as final payment. The lesson is to ensure you agree a price cap up front and that anything you are given or anyone you see you ask how much that will cost. Have it added to an itemised bill as you go if possible and you will avoid being stung at the end.
After 3 hours we emerged back into the daylight. People looked confused as I stood up out of the wheelchair, on to a motorbike before driving off and we both smiled as we set off to buy the pharmacy goods I needed. With my feet now in bandages we set off for a drive around the city to have a general explore. Heading south and taking a few random turns we ended up by a hill with a Wat (Buddhist temple) on top. We wound up the spiral road to the top where a glitzy, we named it “disco stupa”, which under a clear sky and in full sunlight, was literally dazzling and too bright to look at for long. It was also interesting to hear the monks blasting out “Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits, especially as I had read earlier that 6 monks had been expelled for taking amphetamines. We admired a view over Chiang Rai and surrounding countryside, before heading down to continue exploring the city and after turning onto various random roads became suitably lost, cruising around country lanes and the quaint suburbs of Chiang Rai, which actually is not very big, just well developed and built up in the centre.
We happened upon an internet café on the NE of the junction of sridonchai road and sankhonluang road, which charged just 10 baht per hour, when the going rate was 30 baht, complete with a beautiful Art Deco interior and incredibly smiley and friendly lady who owned it to match. We stopped to watch some humorous looking aerobics being directed by a man in a leotard looking down 
from an ornate traditional Thai building and smiled- this is what it is all about. Then the rain started, we could see it rolling in at quite a pace and so sped home as it started spitting. As we arrived at the guesthouse huge droplets were pelting me in the face as Laura sheltered behind me. We were soaked through by the time we arrived back, but it didn’t stop there. After an hour the flood waters in our hostel was 18 inches high and the cockroaches all started piling into the restaurant as their underground homes became flooded. There were hundreds of all sizes and that set everyone off screaming, holding their legs up and for the boys to madly smash them into the floor with their flip flops. We retired but the rains continued throughout the night.
We learnt that our friends Dan and Fi were stopping in Chiang Rai en route to Chiang Mai to meet up, so left them a message and were excited when they turned up at our hostel, just before we were to head out. We had heard of a top quality beef soup restaurant on the main road (Baanpa Pragam), just 40 meters to the west of the clock tower, so we all headed there for lunch and what a top 
choice. Pictures adorned the walls with famous people who had eaten there and the tender beef with an intensely flavoured noodle soup didn’t fail to deliver. Later on we decided to stop off at a bar and grab a beer, but this is actually difficult in Chiang Rai, which surprised us, as it had been so easy in the rest of Asia. It turned out that only the tourist bars were serving beer at 5pm, so we headed there and started talking to two New Zealanders. Looking stereotypically like the older man who comes to Asia looking for ladies or a wife, our suspicions were confirmed, but they were surprisingly warm and friendly people, with something interesting to say. Today was to be Gary’s Birthday and farewell party and we were invited. We headed back for some rest before the night, as we senses it was going to be as big as it was. The crowd was generally men who had Thai wives and it was interesting to hear their perspectives, despite not agreeing with them. Yet it is these situations that gives you the chance to understand the world from far off perspectives, including one guy we met who had been a stage for U2 and other big bands. Gary pointed us to a sign on the bar saying “largest bar bill 9870 25/8/2010 – Kiwi Gary” and just said, “tonight I am going to smash that”. He did, the bar bell rang out all night which meant free drinks for everyone in the bar. This only stopped when 'stimpy' was sick over himself and Gary was carted out as he literally couldn’t stand up. Everyone was close and I couldn’t help but shake my head with a slight grin and say “bloody foreigners”.
Needless to say the next day was a “non-day”, where we drank coffee and started at the Internet investigating whether to catch a train or a bus to Bangkok, our final stop. We managed to get out and explore Chiang Rai’s very impressive weekend markets that take over one of the main roads in town depending on the day. Food stalls by the hundred it seemed all serving up unusual things, like a whole potato turned into a spiral on a stick deep fried, fried crickets, local sausages and loads more meat and fish stalls pumping out delicious BBQ smells. We walked until I started to hobble, nibbled a lot and started buying goodies for people back home.
guide, as a respectable looking couple we were ushered in when our faces dropped and we had respected the usual codes of conduct of covering up etc. The place looks amazing and truly unique, looking like a fairy tale palace. Predator half emerging from the ground and plaster cast hands reached up for you as you pass over a bridge guarded by large beasts wielding spears. Inside the walls were still, after 8 years, being painted in a modern day mural featuring characters from films, our current oil problem, Osama Bin Laden, George Bush, all interwoven with cartoon characters and telling the same story; Move away from the evils of the world and live a pure life to be delivered against misery and live in eternal happiness. How refreshing, the same morals but told in a way that people today would identify with, as opposed to the old renaissance paintings that are far removed from our modern day lives. We were in awe and afterwards purchased a few paintings and postcards to support the continued development, since entrance was free.
After a coffee we agreed to head further south a push ourselves to find some thermal waters we could relax in. The drive south for another hour and a half was great. We both realized how much we appreciate cruising along on a scooter, which, at top speed enables you to take in the scenery as you pass it, all in the warmth of the tropics and in a country where interesting sights await you around each corner. We felt like bikers, especially now that my hair was long enough to whip Laura in the face. After stopping at a local market to get directions and people looking confused, almost to the point that they were backing away we managed to scrape enough Thai together to get a coherent answer and found the “thermal springs”. The spring was essentially three concreted holes in the ground, each apparently containing different temperatures. The plus side was that there was no one else around, but the bad news was that it was only suitable to dip your legs into. This felt good for my ankle, but wasn’t really worth driving all the way for. 
Luckily it was a great drive and getting there was part of the pleasure. As we have concluded the best way to explore and experience things is to give yourself a direction or aim to start you off. Yet to realise it is the journey that is all-important, be open to any changes and diversions and make the ride the ultimate goal. This eliminates any disappointment, is truly random, completely flexible and you will always land yourself in situations of pure luck, when you shake your head and ask how you managed to get there.
We made the long drive back to Chiang Rai and ended up continuing past to visit “central plaza” mall… Why not? This is a huge centre for such a small city, which suggested that people here have money, as it housed all the western brands you would expect on a high street. We tried the Thai KFC, to delay our hunger and were blown away with the standard, before heading back for the day and visiting the second market, which turned out to be pretty identical to the one on Saturday. The masses of people made this highly unappealing however, so we ate a Vietnamese style prawn pancake and headed back.
Eventually, after a 20 minute wait, two X-rays and the conclusion that I didn’t break a bone it was time to pay. This is when the fun started, as a bill of 1,760 Baht is a slight inflation on the initial estimate. The bottom line is that there is a hospital fee for stepping into the hospital and the pharmacy costs are far higher than if you buy what you need externally. We were also charged for consulting fees, which we argued about and eventually settled on 750 Baht as final payment. The lesson is to ensure you agree a price cap up front and that anything you are given or anyone you see you ask how much that will cost. Have it added to an itemised bill as you go if possible and you will avoid being stung at the end.
After 3 hours we emerged back into the daylight. People looked confused as I stood up out of the wheelchair, on to a motorbike before driving off and we both smiled as we set off to buy the pharmacy goods I needed. With my feet now in bandages we set off for a drive around the city to have a general explore. Heading south and taking a few random turns we ended up by a hill with a Wat (Buddhist temple) on top. We wound up the spiral road to the top where a glitzy, we named it “disco stupa”, which under a clear sky and in full sunlight, was literally dazzling and too bright to look at for long. It was also interesting to hear the monks blasting out “Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits, especially as I had read earlier that 6 monks had been expelled for taking amphetamines. We admired a view over Chiang Rai and surrounding countryside, before heading down to continue exploring the city and after turning onto various random roads became suitably lost, cruising around country lanes and the quaint suburbs of Chiang Rai, which actually is not very big, just well developed and built up in the centre.
We happened upon an internet café on the NE of the junction of sridonchai road and sankhonluang road, which charged just 10 baht per hour, when the going rate was 30 baht, complete with a beautiful Art Deco interior and incredibly smiley and friendly lady who owned it to match. We stopped to watch some humorous looking aerobics being directed by a man in a leotard looking down from an ornate traditional Thai building and smiled- this is what it is all about. Then the rain started, we could see it rolling in at quite a pace and so sped home as it started spitting. As we arrived at the guesthouse huge droplets were pelting me in the face as Laura sheltered behind me. We were soaked through by the time we arrived back, but it didn’t stop there. After an hour the flood waters in our hostel was 18 inches high and the cockroaches all started piling into the restaurant as their underground homes became flooded. There were hundreds of all sizes and that set everyone off screaming, holding their legs up and for the boys to madly smash them into the floor with their flip flops. We retired but the rains continued throughout the night.
We learnt that our friends Dan and Fi were stopping in Chiang Rai en route to Chiang Mai to meet up, so left them a message and were excited when they turned up at our hostel, just before we were to head out. We had heard of a top quality beef soup restaurant on the main road (Baanpa Pragam), just 40 meters to the west of the clock tower, so we all headed there for lunch and what a top choice. Pictures adorned the walls with famous people who had eaten there and the tender beef with an intensely flavoured noodle soup didn’t fail to deliver. Later on we decided to stop off at a bar and grab a beer, but this is actually difficult in Chiang Rai, which surprised us, as it had been so easy in the rest of Asia. It turned out that only the tourist bars were serving beer at 5pm, so we headed there and started talking to two New Zealanders. Looking stereotypically like the older man who comes to Asia looking for ladies or a wife, our suspicions were confirmed, but they were surprisingly warm and friendly people, with something interesting to say. Today was to be Gary’s Birthday and farewell party and we were invited. We headed back for some rest before the night, as we senses it was going to be as big as it was. The crowd was generally men who had Thai wives and it was interesting to hear their perspectives, despite not agreeing with them. Yet it is these situations that gives you the chance to understand the world from far off perspectives, including one guy we met who had been a stage for U2 and other big bands. Gary pointed us to a sign on the bar saying “largest bar bill 9870 25/8/2010 – Kiwi Gary” and just said, “tonight I am going to smash that”. He did, the bar bell rang out all night which meant free drinks for everyone in the bar. This only stopped when 'stimpy' was sick over himself and Gary was carted out as he literally couldn’t stand up. Everyone was close and I couldn’t help but shake my head with a slight grin and say “bloody foreigners”.
Needless to say the next day was a “non-day”, where we drank coffee and started at the Internet investigating whether to catch a train or a bus to Bangkok, our final stop. We managed to get out and explore Chiang Rai’s very impressive weekend markets that take over one of the main roads in town depending on the day. Food stalls by the hundred it seemed all serving up unusual things, like a whole potato turned into a spiral on a stick deep fried, fried crickets, local sausages and loads more meat and fish stalls pumping out delicious BBQ smells. We walked until I started to hobble, nibbled a lot and started buying goodies for people back home.
guide, as a respectable looking couple we were ushered in when our faces dropped and we had respected the usual codes of conduct of covering up etc. The place looks amazing and truly unique, looking like a fairy tale palace. Predator half emerging from the ground and plaster cast hands reached up for you as you pass over a bridge guarded by large beasts wielding spears. Inside the walls were still, after 8 years, being painted in a modern day mural featuring characters from films, our current oil problem, Osama Bin Laden, George Bush, all interwoven with cartoon characters and telling the same story; Move away from the evils of the world and live a pure life to be delivered against misery and live in eternal happiness. How refreshing, the same morals but told in a way that people today would identify with, as opposed to the old renaissance paintings that are far removed from our modern day lives. We were in awe and afterwards purchased a few paintings and postcards to support the continued development, since entrance was free.
After a coffee we agreed to head further south a push ourselves to find some thermal waters we could relax in. The drive south for another hour and a half was great. We both realized how much we appreciate cruising along on a scooter, which, at top speed enables you to take in the scenery as you pass it, all in the warmth of the tropics and in a country where interesting sights await you around each corner. We felt like bikers, especially now that my hair was long enough to whip Laura in the face. After stopping at a local market to get directions and people looking confused, almost to the point that they were backing away we managed to scrape enough Thai together to get a coherent answer and found the “thermal springs”. The spring was essentially three concreted holes in the ground, each apparently containing different temperatures. The plus side was that there was no one else around, but the bad news was that it was only suitable to dip your legs into. This felt good for my ankle, but wasn’t really worth driving all the way for. Luckily it was a great drive and getting there was part of the pleasure. As we have concluded the best way to explore and experience things is to give yourself a direction or aim to start you off. Yet to realise it is the journey that is all-important, be open to any changes and diversions and make the ride the ultimate goal. This eliminates any disappointment, is truly random, completely flexible and you will always land yourself in situations of pure luck, when you shake your head and ask how you managed to get there.
We made the long drive back to Chiang Rai and ended up continuing past to visit “central plaza” mall… Why not? This is a huge centre for such a small city, which suggested that people here have money, as it housed all the western brands you would expect on a high street. We tried the Thai KFC, to delay our hunger and were blown away with the standard, before heading back for the day and visiting the second market, which turned out to be pretty identical to the one on Saturday. The masses of people made this highly unappealing however, so we ate a Vietnamese style prawn pancake and headed back.Enjoyed this story?
Read more stories from Thailand→
