Chiang Rai Thailand Travel Guide A Vagabond Life
Chiang Rai Thailand Travel Guide
For a few years there we spent several months of the year living in Chiang Rai Thailnd and it became a place we came to call home.
Chiang Rai is not really on the tourist trail, although it does get its share of visitors. What we loved the most about Chiang Rai is its normalcy, there are no touts harassing you – its just a mid size city with everyone getting on with their lives. This gave us a sense of living in a Thai town and seeing real life, not one skewed to tourists.
Chiang Rai is in far north west Thailand close to the Burmese border and an excellent jumping off point to Laos.
Chiang Rai Thailand Table of Contents
Chiang Rai Thailand

Chiang Rai Thailand
Things To See & Do In Chiang Rai Thailand
The White Temple



The White Temple
Wat Rong also known as the White Temple, privately-owned art exhibit in the style of a Buddhist temple. It is owned by Chalermchai Kositpipat, who designed, constructed, and opened it to visitors in 1997. The White Temple complex consists of several buildings; The main building or Ubosot, is reached by crossing a bridge over a small lake. The bridge is known as “The bridge of the cycle of rebirth” In front of the bridge are hundreds of outreaching hands that symbolize unrestrained desire.
The bridge proclaims that the way to happiness is by foregoing temptation, greed, and desires. Ubosot: The principal building, the Ubosot is an all-white building with fragments of mirrored glass embedded in the building’s exterior. The ubosot embodies design elements from classic Thai architecture such as the three-tiered roof and abundant use of Naga serpents.Inside the temple, the decor swiftly moves from pristine white to fiery and bewildering. Murals depict swirling 800 series Terminator.Images of nuclear warfare, terrorist attacks, and oil pumps hammer home the destructive impact that humans have had on earth. s the message somewhat, but the overall moral is clear: people are wicked.
The Golden Building : “A structure that stands out because of its color is the toilet building. Another very ornately decorated structure, this golden building represents the body, whereas the white ubosot represents the mind. The gold symbolizes how people focus on worldly desires and money. The white building represents the idea to make merit and to focus on the mind, instead of material things and possession. The structure is open year-round. Admission for Thai nationals is free, foreigners are required to pay 50 baht.
The White temple is 13 km south of Chiang Rai. Lahaul-Spiti | Pa O Don Chai Subdistrict, Chiang Rai 57000
Wat Klang Wieng

Wat Klang Wieng
Wat Klang Wieng houses the original city pillar shrine as well as a spectacular temple complex. Built in 1432, the temple boasts ornate grillwork, roof finials and gilded decorations.. Damaged by a storm in 1903 the temple underwent extensive renovation including the main chapel and assembly hall. On each level, there are small niches housing golden Buddha images or amulets.
Location: Corner of Rattanaket and Uttarakit Roads, three blocks northeast of the Clock Tower.
Wat Mung Muang



Wat Mung Muang
Wat Mung Muang



Wat Mung Muang
Chiang Rai Clock Tower

Chiang Rai Clock Tower
Sitting grandly at the intersections of Phaholyothin Road and Banpapraka Rds and designed Chalermchai Kositpipat, the artist who conceived and built the White Temple the clock tower was built in 2008 to honour His Majesty King Bhumibhol Adulyadej. Every evening, at 19:00, 20:00 and 21:00, the clock tower comes to life in a light-and-sound display
The Chiang Rai Night Market

The Chiang Rai Night Market
The Chiang Rai night market is is my favourite place in Chiang Rai. We have spent many pleasant hours dining on some of the local delights at the night market…. the green mango som tum & local home made sausage are delicious and well worth trying. Along with food the Chiang Rai night market sells a large range of hand crafted items and clothing.
The Night Bazaar is held nightly between 6pm-midnight and is situated in the centre of town near the bus stop.
King Mengrai the Great Monument
King Mengrai the Great Monument
The Great Monument is a life-size monument dedicated to King Mengrai the Great (r. 1262 – 1311), founder of the Lanna Kingdom. He established the first capital in Chiang Saen (1262), before relocating it to the west bank of the Ping River in Chiang Mai (1296). Backed by three giant golden tungs (Lanna flags), the King’s monument is the first thing you see when approaching the city from the Paholyothin Road.
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