After an early morning flight, we found ourselves in Chiang Rai in Thailand’s north. Before this day, I was beginning to think that all temples in Thailand were basically the same. I was in for an eye-opening experience. Wat Rong Khun (White Temple) could not be more unique. Wow. It was stunning and jaw-dropping. It felt somewhat like a fairy tale land…only with dark undertones suggesting an unforgiving afterlife. I was stunned by its brilliance and sparkle.
a first glimpse of Wat Rong Khun – White Temple
The whole thing was surreal. There was really no way to categorize it, or describe it. It had all the Temple stuff going on, but in the midst of it all, you would find superheroes from virtually every comic book imaginable, along with souls reaching desperately out of the earth attempting to crawl back up out of the depths of hell. It was categorically one of the weirdest most fascinating places I’ve ever been.
Hello, my guy. What brings you here?Help! I’m stuck in this purgatory of nonsense and I can’t get out!Proof we were actually there in Bizarro Land.
The purgatory display was startling, terrifying, and absolutely the COOLEST.
Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline immediately sprung to mind. These were hands touching hands and, hey, they were reaching out. They were NOT going to be touching me, though!Is the dude with the pot trying to offer me something, or was I reading this moment incorrectly?
At every turn there was something sparkling in the sun. When we got up close to the temple, we could see why…
It was like they took the secrets of the disco ball and ran with it!Mirror, mirror…Such a fairy tale temple…
Photos were forbidden inside the temple. There was a creepy man sitting lotus who looked real…you could see people staring at him waiting for him to move. When they couldn’t see movement, they held their breath looking for him to take his next one. Then, there was speculation that he was dead and stuck forever in that pose. Friends, he was bonafide FAKE. Inside the temple was also where all the superheroes were painted on the walls. The photos being forbidden was probably their way of avoiding the huge copyright infringements they were pulling off. ALL the superheroes, as well as some historic cultural persons, were splashed about those walls.
The Gang – We could not have asked for a nicer group of fellow tourists. We were all Canadian and everyone was SO nice!
Buddha Baby…
There was also a golden temple on this sight.
Gold temple…
Oh…and a short bus ride away…a blue temple. After a quick lunch at a local buffet, we went to Rong Suea Ten Temple (Blue Temple). It was quite stunning. Not like the mysterious and obscure White Temple…but it had subtle beauty where the White Temple had shock value.
The ceiling inside the blue temple…
Buddhist artwork is always stunning. You can see the essence of mandala artwork in this…Where chaos and fear reigned at the White Temple, the Blue Temple suggested peace and silence…
Our hotel in Chiang Rai was gorgeous! I loved it. The Heritage Chiang Rai Hotel and Convention Centre. It was quite beautiful.
a staircase in the hotel lobbyStepping out of the hotel lobby…The room was SO lovely!
The group, having dinner on our first night in Chiang Rai. I was out of sorts at this dinner. I don’t know if anyone realized it or not, but I was just not having it. I felt miserable…but I don’t know why. Just grumpy and I did not feel like eating at all.
I didn’t eat much here. Just was NOT in the mood…
Another day in Chiang Rai was in store for us. I’d have to get out of my funk and get out of my own way in order to enjoy it. I don’t think anyone in our group realized I was in a mood, but I knew I needed to shake it.
We were going to the Golden Triangle…that place where Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), and Laos meet near the confluence of Ruak and Mekong rivers. It promised to be a big day. There were Buddhas, river cruises, an opium museum, and the Karen tribe in our futures. Chin up!
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We woke up the next morning in Bangkok. But we would not be staying there much longer. We all got up extra early in order to stop at the famous Train Market. We were warned ahead of time by Rio that the people in the stalls don’t really like tourists. He explained that we come to take our videos and photos, stepping over everything, causing havoc, and blindly walking in front of the train, etc. Picture clueless stampedes of migrating wildebeest charging through a market while a train barrels through it. But they’re all holding phones and talking to their Instagram followers in live Reels. He also suggested that all the vendors know we are not there to buy anything, and that mostly we do not.
We were warned to be on our best behaviour, and not to be stupid.
The narrow path of the Train Market…
With practiced disdain for the ‘other tourists’, we blended ourselves into the market and waited for the train to arrive. We were not like the other tourists. We were orderly and polite and aware.
And if you believe that hocus pocus, I have a tree farm in Albuquerque to sell you.
I immediately saw the reason the vendors have grown weary of tourists. We’re like a plague of locusts spreading over something, making it untenable, and then disappearing forever…not caring about the chaos left in our wake.
See the train go down the tracks…
Turns out there were tourists ON the train as well. Tourists taking photos and videos of tourists taking photos and videos. Makes you think…
It was quite a thing to see, however. I’m glad we did the sideshow side trip.
Chaos!!!
Just imagine how chaotic this is several times a day for the vendors. People stepping all over their stuff trying to watch a train go by. Thousands and thousands of pounds of metal capable of ripping them all asunder. It’s no wonder they’re tired of seeing tourists.
After the Train Market we stopped at a coconut farm. It is absolutely astounding how many things one can make with coconuts! As it is with all tourist locations, there was a souvenir shop…resplendent with coconut merchandise.
spoons…
It was a gorgeous place, too. So much to take in.
memories of Monet’s gardens in Giverny…Sitting on a swing at the coconut farm…Just a swingin’…
After the coconut farm was the big event of the day…the floating market.
boarding a boat for a ride to the floating market.
This event was a little misleading. We did not really participate in the floating market. Rather, we were taken to where it is and then dropped off on land. It was definitely a gorgeous boat ride, though.
We made our way through various canals until we came upon the actual floating market…
The floating market…
Once we were dropped off on land, inside a market, we could look down into the floating market from a little foot bridge. But we did not participate. We had a walking market. Talk about false advertisement. Oh well.
The Floating Market – as seen from a foot bridge.
After the floating market, where we had an amazing lunch, we went for a river cruise. As you can see from the photos below, it was a little wet. It wasn’t the greatest weather during our trip. It was warm, but the sun didn’t come out so much and there were occasional rain showers. Anything is better than snow and cold, though.
Later that evening, a few of the tour group took the dinner cruise option. Our group of four among those who chose this option. It began at the iconic Iconsiam shopping centre. This place was the literal lap of luxury. They had every high-end store you could think of…including boutique car dealerships right inside the mall.
ICONSIAM MALL
We had some time to snoop around the insanely upscale mall prior to boarding our dinner cruise. They had a gorgeous rooftop lounge. Of course we imbibed.
The troop…atop the ICONSIAM.
We had GORGEOUS views of Bangkok from the top of the Iconsiam…
gorgeous views and perfect selfie opps!
The dinner cruise was buffet, which was a little chaotic. Not a lot of space for the buffet and everybody wanting to get to it at the same time. Rio guided us into a little nook and we were able to attack it before it got too overcrowded.
dinner cruise…
There was lots of entertainment on the dinner cruise and lots of fireworks on the shore. It was nonstop wonderment.
Singers and dancers abounded…The views were stunning…the world was all lit up.fireworks…The shore looked like a magical wonderland. Not a thing was not lit up to the nines.Rio and I being super silly…
With my guy sometime during the night…I want Rio’s camera. Takes such great shots.
It was a brilliant night and such a great way to end our time in Bangkok! The next morning we would leave Rio (and Bangkok) behind. It was time to move on! We all wished Rio could follow us for the rest of the tour. What a great guide!
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We ALL know the song ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK by Murray Head, right? At least those of us who grew up clubbing in the ’80s. Let me tell you, I was humming this song quite a lot this past fall. I was so eagerly anticipating our November trip to Thailand (nee Siam), that I couldn’t quite get the song’s jingle-y chorus out of my head.
I did the same just before we went to Kathmandu in 2018. I had Bob Seger’s Kathmandu in my head the entire summer before that trip! I never in my life imagined I would one day find myself in that beautiful far-off city. Seger’s chorus burned into my head for weeks before that trip.
The view from our hotel window in Bangkok.
When we finally arrived in Bangkok on November 14th, 2024, after about 24 hours of travel, one of the first things we saw in the streets outside our hotel was a signpost from home.
Tim Hortons, a Canadian icon…in the heart of Bangkok.
That’s right. Just a half a block from our resting place at Mandarin Hotel Bangkok in the heart of Bangkok, Tim Horton’s was waiting for us. Canada to the core, Tims is an institution you can’t get away from at home. Or, it would seem, when you’re away.
A quick note about the Mandarin. At first glance, it seemed pretty opulent. The entryway and lobby scream money. Once you get to the rooms, however, it’s a different story. They’re quite basic. I’m not complaining here…they were absolutely fine. Better than fine when I think of some of the places we have stayed in. But the lobby does not match the rooms.
We were pretty discombobulated that first day. We had a 16-hr flight to Taipei, Taiwan, followed by a layover, followed by a second flight to Bangkok. Our only venturing that day was by foot in the neighbourhood surrounding our hotel. No worries, though…we found a super huge mall and ate our first meal on Thailand soil.
It had to be green chicken curry!
And our first Thai beer…
It had to be Singha!
This was a fully planned out tour we took, so I won’t break it down the way I break down the trips we plan on our own. We were with guides most of the time in Thailand, with a few exceptions, until we got to Phuket at the end of the trip. Our guide in Bangkok was exceptional. His name was Rio and he might just be the tape measure with which I will rate all future guides to come. The trip we took was offered by Tripoppo here in Toronto and it was called ALLURE OF THAILAND with Phuket 16 Days.
Our full first day with Rio and the rest of the tour group was amazing. We were taken to Golden Mount Temple.
Wat Phu Khao ThongRing dem bells…found along the way up to the top of Golden Mount Temple…
The Golden Stupa at the top was gorgeous, not to mention all of the wondrous treasures we saw along the way to it!
Vultures standing prey…
Reclining Buddha…
The enshrouded stupa…So many beautiful things to see throughout the temple…an ocean of offerings…peekaboodha…
Our next location was the nearby Wat Po, which is Bangkok’s largest and oldest temple.
We made a stop along the way at Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan), which is a beautiful stupa reaching up to the sky and fully inlaid with pottery imported from China. It’s breathtaking!
Temple of DawnIntricate and whimsical…the broken pottery pieces that make up the facade of the Temple of Dawn stupa…
A short boat ride across the river, and we were ready for the biggest reclining Buddha I have ever seen.
Crossing Chao Phraya River.
Wat Pho. The Buddha is almost 150 feet long and 40 feet high.
It was impossible to get a photo of the entire Buddha. Here’s some glimpses as we made our way alongside it…
Buddha, at first glance…I didn’t know whether to sing One Night in Bangkok or The Neverending Story…The feet. Quite the feat!Don’t look at my socks. I SAID don’t look at my socks!Looks like my crazy eyes strike again with this one…Buddha got back…
There was so much to see at this temple. It was filled with treasures.
We had more than one night in Bangkok. And did we ever pack a lot into it.
We did the pool back at the hotel after our full afternoon out and about. Temple hopping is definitely a thing in Thailand, something we were about to get extremely used to…as the country is FULL of temples. We took our down time when we could.
Yes…I went to Tims. Don’t judge. I had to see it with my own eyes. It was quite different than the Tims at home. The coffee was made as you ordered, like a latte. And it was not very good. It looked the same, but definitely did not taste the same.
After our first full day of touring, we decided as a group to give the famous and infamous Khao San Road a go. 10 of us (the full group was 11, but one of the party bowed out of the first day activities) fetched a van through the GRAB APP (Get the app if you go, it’s the Thai Uber and it works grand). I somehow led the way on this one…though I never actually know what I’m doing. My party of four, along with our six new friends in the tour group, put their trust in me to get them to Khao San road and back. In one piece, if possible.
As soon as we stepped inside this Grab van, I was ready to play CASH CAB. To the chagrin of all, we weren’t being filmed for the popular in-cab game show. It was just a light show, after all.Proof that Michael and I made it to one of the most notorious streets in the world!
We had a lovely meal in Khao San road. I think it was a great idea to go out with the group that first full day. It went a long way in forming the bond we would share for the rest of the tour. Friendships were made. Bread was broken. Tales were shared.
Breaking bread with our fellow travelers…at BUDDY BEER on Khao San Road. Table for ten, please. I expected push-back, but they said, “Right this way!”It is definitely one of the most wild streets I’ve ever been on. Something to see at every turn!Hordes of people from all over the world coming to catch a glimpse of the Manic Mile…
It was a wild night…so much fun was had! It felt like we had packed the universe into that day. So much for jet lag. We were fully immersed.
The next day, Rio promised us–if we were really good–that he would take us to see a train that was not scheduled as part of the itinerary. We had to be up and ready early. It wasn’t just any train…but one that has become Instagram famous. I couldn’t wait to see it!
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KEVIN CRAIG 