Chiang Khong and Chiang Rai (7 - 9 November 2007)
Crossing the border into Thailand had me caught in a well of mixed-emotions. I was excited to move into Thailand, the Land of Smiles, but at the same time I was saddened knowing that we are leaving Laos, Land of smiles and Beer Lao
The border crossing at Huay Xai/Chiang Khong is one of the easiest I have ever had - you show your passport to the Laos official who greats you with a friendly smile, you pay him 5000 Kip (about R3,50), then you jump onto a long-tail rowing boat and after a five minute ride you are standing in front of the Thai official who quickly checks you passport, hands it back and wishes you a happy stay in Thailand. Mozambican border officials could definitely learn something from these guys!
Chiang Khong is a small border town in the North East of Thailand. There is not much to see or do here, but we decided to spend the night and take the bus to Chiang Rai the next day. That evening, as we were walking down the street looking for a place to eat, a friendly Thai ‘oompie’ invited us to have dinner at his small restaurant. Being polite, we had a look at his menu which had only about 10 dishes. Then Eon spotted the beautiful roast over an open fire and he was hooked. Eon asked the guy what the roast was and how much it costs, on which the guy replied “it is pork leg and it costs 30 Baht”. Turns out the pork leg was served as something called ‘pork leg soup’ and it is delicious! It is very far from soup though - it is tender pork served with rice and a lovely sauce and, in a side plate, fresh garlic, lime and chillies. The man also asked us to write our names on his name-covered walls because he only has one entry from a South African so far
The next morning we caught a tuk-tuk with an ever-giggling driver to take us to Chiang Khong bus station and we took a 3 hour bus to Chiang Rai. The tuk-tuk’s in Thailand are something for the eye - they all, very proudly, have the word ‘Thailand’ embossed on the rear of the tuk-tuk and then the vehicle is pimped-up in one way or the other with colourful leather seats, neon lights, ribbons and other paraphernalia.
Chiang Rai took me by surprise as it is a full-on city with sky scrapers, traffic lights, busy traffic and many, many people. When we arrived at the bus station, we had no idea where to go as we still had no Thailand guide book (Chiang Khong is not too big on book shops…). Luckily we were travelling in the same direction as one of the girls from the Gibbon Experience, so we glanced at her Lonely Planet to find a place to stay.
After what felt like a lifetime, we finally found accommodation in Chat House - very basic rooms with shared bathroom facilities. After checking in, we set of on ‘the hunt for a Thailand guidebook’. The trip down town to the eccentric Orn’s Bookshop, took us passed a couple of Wats (temples) and ended in disappointment as even this (in)famous bookshop had no guidebooks. Just as we got a bit despondent, we were referred to a bookshop on the other side of town, closer to the bus station (please remember that we are doing this guidebook search on foot). Then, as we were getting closer to the bookshop, we saw that we accidentally came across the ‘backpacker area’ and that our current accommodation was miles away from the actual hub! Serendipity? I think so! We found a guidebook and some interesting restaurants, shops and many, many lady-boys hitting on Eon
So, with renewed hope for Chiang Rai and a guidebook in hand, we set off to explore the town. That evening we visited the famous Night Bazaar, a night market with all kinds of souvenirs, food and live music and dance performances. We met up with another guy from the Gibbon Experience, Gunter, and we had some street food (yum-yum!!) and beers. That night, Eon regretted enjoying the street food and he was constantly running between the bedroom and the down-stairs shared bathroom facilities.
The next morning, I packed our bags and set off looking for a tuk-tuk to take us to a more comfortable setting, as Eon was still meeting with the toilet and he was in desperate need of some luxury and pampering (in other words, I was looking for a place with an en suite bathroom). We moved to The Orchids Guesthouse - and for only 150 Baht more (R30,00) we had a stunning room with aircon, TV and en suite bathroom. Coffee and tea was free and you could have toast with banana, butter and jam for 20 Baht. Eon used the day to recover and I used the day off to treat the patient and do my nails Yes, I know it sounds like an easy task - treating the patient, but try to find something like dry toast and marmite, or even just plain steamed veggies or a boiled potato!!! The restaurant where I went by myself to have dinner was in pandemonium when I asked for a boiled potato for take-away after I had my dinner. The menu very proudly stated that they have mashed potato, fried potato, baked potato, French fries, and even pan fried potato - but would you believe that they told me “sorry, we do not have boiled potato”. I ended up giving Eon mash potato (with butter, even though I asked for NO butter) and steamed veggies that could just as well have been raw. At least these experiences make one appreciate the small luxuries of home…
All and all, Chiang Rai was a pleasant town, but it was time to move inland to Chiang Mai.
Click on image to view the very small Chiang Rai gallery: