LAMPANG TO CHIANG RAI

The chilly morning began with a visit to another WAT as my temple tour of Thailand continued. Wat Phra Tha Lampang  Luang displayed  graceful architecture with richly colored interiors along with 16^th century murals.

Afterward we stopped at Phayao to see Wat Sri Khom Kham. This one was situated by a lake and dated back to the 12^th century.

On the way to Chiang Rai, we stopped at a western style bathroom near an outside market. A little girl with her mom approached. The mother asked Ketsara in Thai if her 7 year old daughter could practice English on me. Well in perfect English, she asked where I was from. I told her, “Florida”. I’m sure she didn’t know Florida from Montana. But a week ago, I wouldn’t have known Lampang from Lop Buri!

I inquired what grade she was in and she replied, “First”. Now, I was really impressed! I remember myself in the First Grade; I was struggling to learn English too, only it’s my native tongue!

We arrived in Chiang Rai (Thailand’s northern most city) around lunch time. This is where I considered retiring. I liked the mountain scenery and the mornings & nights were quite cool. But the days turned hot fast and this was January!  During summer months temperatures can reach 100 degrees! And worse, many places such as restaurants have no air-conditioning. Instead, they are open on 2 sometimes 3 sides.

After our meal, we cruised in a long-tailed boat on the Mae Kok River. We stopped along the river bank to visit the Akha hill tribe residing there. This tribe dwelled in raised houses. The women wore elaborate headdresses decorated with beads, shells, & coins. I was told these people had migrated here from Tibet. A lady proudly posed in her outfit for my camera. Afterward, I gave her a tip in Baht.

I found myself quickly running low on film despite bringing along 4 disposable cameras. There are just too many extraordinary sites in Thailand! I tried being selective, but this was difficult.

My hotel was away from the city. This room had both a balcony and a terrace. The terrace overlooked water and the balcony other guestrooms. It was late in the day and quite warm. I like to walk around au natural, so I tried to pull down the shade over the balcony. It refused to budge! So I grabbed the shade and jerked it down! BIG MISTAKE!!! It wasn’t meant to come down. Later, I had to pay a fine for damage. – To my mind, a shade serves a purpose. It isn’t supposed to be just a decoration!

I don’t know what was going on outside, but that night I was kept awake by firecrackers in the distance. Ketsara heard them from her room, too! But wasn’t aware of any reason.

Early the following morning, we visited Chiang Saen, an ancient town on the Mekong River. Chiang Saen once served as the main city before 1262 when Chiang Rai became the province’s capitol.

And of course we visited another WAT! This one built in the 13^th century, Wat Phra That Chedi Luang.

7-Eleven stores are popular in Thailand! But most of the products on display were unfamiliar to me. The Thai equivalent to Walmart or K-mart is the Big C. But I didn’t go inside one because I was so enthralled with the outside markets.

Chiang Rai in days past was the main source of opium in this part of the world. This was where all the poppies grew. I toured the House of Opium Museum. I saw exhibits featuring tools for planting, harvesting, and trading. Ancient smoking pipes were on display. There were even pipes for sale! I thought of buying one for my friend Rose as a gag gift.

Ketsara thought it might create problems for me going thru customs. The last thing I needed was any more airport aggravation. Airports were the bane of this trip!

Next, it was on to Thailand’s northern most point where the Mekong and Ruak River meet, the world famous place where Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand all come together.