Asian Adventure: Chiang Rai

Day 4 – Chiang Rai

Accommodation: Wangcome Hotel Chiang Rai

Contiki Guide: Emmo

Local Guide: Mr. Boonie

Highlights: The White Temple, Hill Tribes

Contiki in Asia is different from Contiki in Europe for one major component, there is no bus transporting you every day. So going from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai via a private bus brings back memories for those of us who are “repeat Contiki offenders” while for others it is a new experience. Buses often seem cumbersome and time consuming but the luxury of a private bus is the ability to travel at your own pace and make stops wherever you wish.

Getting a late start (well after 9 o’clock) we load ourselves onto our underwater themed bus. Our first stop is lunch at C&C’s. C&C stands for Cabbages and Condoms; they have restaurants all over Thailand and they strive to educate minority tribes on family planning and STD’s. The restaurant itself serves good food in an outdoor marquee and the surrounding garden has displays to educate both locals as well as tourists about the people they help and the work that they do. This information gives some context for the hill tribe villages that we will visit later that day.

After a satisfying lunch we head onto a bucket list worthy temple. The White Temple is a modern temple built to modernise aspects of Buddhism for children. The exterior glistens in the sun with ornate oriental beauty. The architecture of the temple manages to capture the wonder of Narnia, Tolkien and every other fantasy novel that filled your childhood. Journeying up the path to the temple you are quietly asked to remove your shoes, put away your cameras and enter the temple. The interior is something of the abstract and bizarre. It takes modernisation of Buddhist concepts to the extreme. A (freakily) realistic wax monk meditates in front of you at the far end of the small room, a man is repairing part of the decor destroyed by an earthquake earlier this year and the wall from which you enter and exit is covered with depictions of modern TV super heroes (including Ben 10, batman and Spiderman) inserted into Buddhist stories. For a group of travellers under the age of 35 this is an absolute wonder as it brings back memories of our not so distant childhood. The rest of the stop is spent by looking at Chalermchai Kositpipat's, the artist who designed the temple, other work in the nearby gallery.

Loaded back onto the bus our day is only half over. We quickly arrive at our hotel in Chiang Rai. We have but a few minutes to freshen up and we head onto the optional excursion to visit the Hill Tribes. The villages we visit are groups of people who have been invited down from the mountains to get medical care and education. The four tribes which then live in this area educate people on their lifestyle and sell traditional goods. The visit itself can be seen as controversial as the demonstrations of traditional life at times come across as a human zoo. If you (like ourselves) do not have time to visit the actual tribes and wish to visit this area remember that these people are here voluntarily and you should still ask their permission to take any photos of them (as well as their parents if they are children). Buying items from the tribe does support these people as well as give you a great souvenir/gift.

Our day is not yet finished as we head onto the Chiang Rai night markets. Some of our group brave a traditional hot pot while others try out some freaky meat..... The rest of us on the other hand get Pad Thai (a safer and by now a familiar option). Our last night in Thailand is then brought to a close with a very brief lady-boy show (or what looked like regular girls dancing- thanks to the wonder of modern medicine).

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