The Trip to Chiang Rai - Tuesday

We woke up 6 am and had a great breakfast that is included in the price of the room. That is pretty much standard procedure here. My omelette was cooked to order and they had ham, pork, sausage, bacon, etc. to eat. They also had fresh juice, coffee and fresh fruit. All included in the $50 per night price. They also offered free shuttle service to the bus terminal. Got to the bus terminal at 9am but unfortunately they had no seats available on the VIP bus untIl 2 pm.  We got two seats on the 11:30 am first class bus which is not as nice as the VIP bus and has no bathroom. The bathrooms in the bus terminal only have one falang toilet and you have to pay 3 baht (10 cents) to use them. If you want toilet paper it costs extra. I cannot complain too much since the bus tickets for a three hour trip only cost a little over $4 each and the bus was very comfortable. It was a very curvy and hilly ride to Chiang Rai. I felt seasick because I was reading when we entered the mountains so I stopped using my iPad. Phai and I were worried about the lack of bathroom on the bus but it turned out they stopped about halfway for fifteen minutes at a “rest stop” (again had to pay to use the bathrooms”. I was able to buy a soda and Phai bought some fresh mango to eat on the rest of the bus trip.

We got to Chiang Rai at 2:30 pm. I knew the hotel walk close to the bus terminal but not sure how to get there and we had our suitcases so a TukTuk driver convinced us to pay him 40 baht (about $1.20 to take us). Well it was right around the corner. When we left Chiang Rai we simply walked with our suitcases back to the bus terminal. I can’t complain too much at a 60 cents each. The tuktuk driver has to make a living also.

Turns out it was a beautiful hotel. Built in 1975 but completely renovated a few years ago. We were starving so we at in the hotel restaurant and I had a  fantastic cheeseburger and fries. After eating we took a long walk around town near the hotel and then hit the night bizarre. It was really awesome. The weather was great. A nice cool breeze and probably 75 degrees. On thing we noticed at the night market was there were more Falange than Thais and more foreign languages than English were being spoken. Chiang Rai is a very popular destination for European tourists and backpackers. They have a huge food court at the night market so I had a Gyros sandwich (not good) and Phai had a fantastic dinner. They give you a basket with all kinds of veggies and another bowl with your choice of raw meats and seafood. You also get a whole raw egg that you crack open yourself. They bring a charcoal cooker to the table with a clay pot of hot water. You then cook your own meal. It was probably enough for two people and Phai ate the whole thing because it was so good. The whole thing with your choice of meat was only $2.00.

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Here is the price list for the cook yourself at your table meal. The exchange rate is currently about 35 baht per dollar.

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Phai gets ready to cook her own dinner.

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The food court was huge and surrounded by food vendors of all types.


 

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