Chiang Rai - Oh My!

Arrived in Chiang Rai via a very comfortable bus, to then take a 6km ride into town via Tuk Tuk (still so cute!) to our accommodation. Got to the Garden House, to be told a double room that we had booked was not available, but a twin was. We inspected, it was a bamboo bungalow, very bohemian, simple but charming to Dave. I was a little less excited to see that a/c was now a fan, there was no fridge or TV. But they did have a very lovely outdoor garden relax area complete with Pets and hammocks.

That night we met an Aussie couple (Stew and Lara) from Sydney who had a really similar outlook to us about what they want from their travels and were really lovely - not the know-it-all backpacker types at all. They have already been to China and India which they raved about. Dave, Stew and Lara sank Leos’s till midnight while I fell in love with ‘spider’ a beautiful soft tiny ginger cat with huge balls and a stubby tail - the most cuddly and sleepy cat ever! We hugged each morning and night and I felt horrible saying goodbye today. ‘Lucky’ the dog and two other cats lived there too, but I wasn’t as in love with them. We hope to run into Stew and Lara again in Laos.

Chiang Rai boasts a Jade Buddha, but it has now been moved to Bangkok. It also has a very bright and shiny clock tower, that at 7pm each night puts on a light and sound show (very Melbourne Central with the big clock), a night Bizarre and a morning market which strangely also goes into the night. So we gave the temple/sight seeing a miss and just relaxed. We met two Aussie men in their 60’s who lived there with their new wives, both very lovely and Australian. A very intelligent ex-Thai navy Captain and his sweet wife.  A very talkative Thai Guest house manager. Uncle John a Thai man who has been living in the UK who served delicious food. And a very over-zealous, exaggerating, loving life, long-haired larrikan from QLD - who is going to surf 30 foot waves in Lombok?

We have decided once again to put off the trekking in light of greener pastures ahead in Laos and Vietnam. I am just excited that Laos is apparently the land of Elephants, so very happy to wait. 

Photos - our Garden House Guesthouse - the door to our room and Dave at the table. Spider the Ginger Cat and Lucky and his mate (some other cat). The clock tower turns into a light show at 7pm each night.