Browse Tag

thailand

Thailand 2010: Golden Triangle in Mae Sai; Chiang Rai’s White Temple (Wat Rong Khun)

By Mithun Divakaran
/
Jul 06, 2011
/
Chiang Rai, Thailand, Travel

Date: 24th November 2010

Woke up at around 6am today. I re-packed my bags and checked out of my room as by the time I would have come back, it would have been past 12 noon. I left my bags at the hotel reception and walked to the bus station after having tea from stall serving early morning office goers.

I boarded a bus leaving for Chiang Saen at 6:30am. Mae Sai is the northern most town in Thailand. Located in Chiang Saen (which is in Chiang Rai province), it is from here you reach the Golden Triangle.

What’s the Golden Triangle you ask? It’s the point where three countries – Thailand, Myanmar & Laos – all meet, with only a river separating them.

The journey to Chiang Saen town takes one and half hours.

Small town Chiang Rai school parade Thailand — Passed through a small town

Small town school kids north Thailand — Cute kids were all dressed up and marching somewhere

Bus ride to Mae Sai town Chiang Rai Thailand — Concrete roads gave way to untarred roads. A sign of how remote a place I was heading to.

By around 8:15am, I was in the town of Chiang Saen. Now, I was expecting to see the ‘Golden Triangle’ right as soon as I got down.

Mae Sai town Thailand — But I was told it was still further away

The awaiting moped taxis offered to take me there… for ฿100. I said ‘No way!’ and instead got into a pick-up taxi going to the Golden Triangle. Cost around ฿30.

Mae Sai river road to Golden Triangle — It was still a bit chilly in the morning

Mae Sai river town Chiang Rai Thailand — That’s Mekong river

Road to Golden Triangle Chiang Rai Thailand — It’s a 10 minute drive to the Golden Triangle

Golden Triangle sign Chiang Rai Thailand — And finally, here I was

The Imperial Golden Triangle Resort Chiang Rai Thailand — The Imperial Golden Triangle Resort, the only major hotel facing the Golden Triangle

Golden Triangle entrance Chiang Rai — I kept walking to see where the ‘triangle’ was

And here it was…

Golden Triangle Mae Sai Chiang Rai Thailand panorama — That’s Myanmar to the left and Laos to the right

Hmm, that’s it. That’s what I came all the way for 🙂

Myanmar Burma from Golden Triangle view Chiang Rai — Not sure what this building in Myanmar was

Golden Triangle special economic zone Laos — Across in Laos, this was some special economic zone

Mekong river Myanmar Laos view from Golden Triangle — The Mekong river flows all the way from China

Now, I didn’t come all the way here just to see a river. After all, Myanmar and Laos doesn’t look all that different from here.

There are boat rides that take you along the Mekong river and up to the shores of Myanmar and Laos. I approached one boatman and he told me I’d have to wait a bit for other tourists… or pay ฿1000 for the ride. Needless to say, I told him I will wait.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t waste any time and so, I decided to check out the surroundings.

Golden Traingle temple park Mae Sai Chiang Saen Thailand — There was a temple-slash-park nearby

Golden temple coin rolling buddha statue Mae Sai — This was some contraption where in you roll a coin down to the smiling Buddha statue down there and you can hear the coin roll all the way down into his tummy

Mekong river Golden triangle boat tour — I could see one group boat tour on their way

Temple entrance near Golden Triangle — Checked this place out next

Wat Phra That Ku Phao temple Mae Sai Thailand — Wat Phra That Ku Phao temple

Golden Triangle view Mekong river from hill Mae Sai Chiang Rai — You get a better view from up here

Wat Phra That Pu Khao old temple Mae Sai Chiang Rai — Checked out what looked like an even older temple

Wat Phra That Pu Khao tourist Chiang Rai — Got back down

Once out, I went back to the river banks to see if there were enough tourists in a boat ready to embark on the river tour, but there still wasn’t any.

I waited a little bit.

But the heat was getting to me, and time wasn’t on my side. There was one attraction I just had to see before I left Chiang Rai. My Orient Thai Airlines flight was at 4:25pm, which meant I had to be at the airport at least by 2:30pm. Given that the journey back to Chiang Rai town was going to take one and half hours (now considering traffic), I couldn’t hang around much longer.

I boarded a passing by pickup taxi (which itself aren’t that frequent on this stretch) and made my way back to Chiang Saen town.

Laos across Mekong river Chiang Rai — Was I disappointed I couldn’t do the boat ride? A little bit

My friend Sawmteii (whom I would meet up with in a few days) did the Golden Triangle boat tour from Chiang Mai, which cost them around ฿2000 per person. They told me the boat tour basically takes you to the shores of Myanmar and Laos for a few minutes. Doesn’t sound that exciting I know, but if I had managed to get a spot on a boat from here for a reasonable rate, I would have done it just so I can check off the ‘Golden Triangle tour’ from my list of things-to-do in Thailand.

Chiang Saen town bus stop — I got into a bus heading for Chiang Rai

Bus Chiang Saen to Chiang Rai — Bus ticket cost ฿74 (Taken on the Nokia E72)

Leaving Chiang Saen for Chiang Rai Thailand — The bus left at around 10:30am

Chiang Saen outskirts farmland Thailand — Since I woke up early, with the sun hitting my eyes, I quickly dozed off

But I woke up to see the bus stopped and a police officer inspecting the passengers. He approached me and asked me where I was coming from. I quickly realized it was a check for illegal immigration, in case somebody from Myanmar or Laos just waltzed right into Thailand. I had a copy of my passport and showed him my driver’s license. That was it, the officer got down from the bus and we were on our way again.

Chiang Rai new bus terminal Thailand — This is the new bus terminal, which is a bit far from the main town

I got back to town just past 12 noon, so I was good on time. I decided to have lunch from The Pizza Company, which is Thailand largest and most popular pizza chain. They have a lot of value for money meals and their pizza was quite good too (my meal cost ฿179).

Soon after lunch, I decided to quickly head to Wat Rong Khun, also nicknamed the White Temple. I approached a tuk-tuk and told him I needed to quickly visit the White Temple and then be back in town to head to the airport. He offered to drive me to the White Temple, wait for me there, and then drive me to the airport — all for ฿250. Figuring it sounded like a time saver, I considered it a good deal and we first went back to Ruangnakorn Hotel to collect my bags.

Chiang Rai tuk tuk driver Thailand — The journey takes around 10 minutes from the city

Once I reached the White Temple, I left my bags in the tuk tuk and entered the premises. There isn’t an entrance fee for Wat Rong Khun.

Wat Rong Khun white temple Chiang Rai Thailand — It’s an art masterpiece for which construction began in 1998

White temple Wat Rong Khun tree heads Chiang Rai — The temple is designed with a theme of passing through hell during rebirth, a chance to purify oneself. Thus the colour white.

Wat Rong Khun White Temple hands from hell sculpture — Wat Rong Khun is easily one of the coolest works of art I’ve seen!

Wat Rong Khun White Temple buddhist hindu temple — The temple was designed by the same man behind the Golden Clock Tower in the city, artist Chalermchai Kositpipat

White temple Wat Rong Khun Chiang Rai Thailand — Photography inside the main hall, which houses the Buddha statue, is prohibited

White Temple Wat Rong Khun no alcohol Thai cut out — No alcohol allowed inside Wat Rong Khun… so says this cut out

White Temple Wat Rong Khun Chiang Rai panorama — Panorama comprised of 6 shots

White Temple Wat Rong Khun white fish pond Chiang Rai — Even the fish are white!

White temple Wat Rong Khun front Chiang Rai Thailand — It was time for me to leave

I went back to my waiting tuk tuk and we headed back into the city, because the airport was in the other direction.

While in the city, I saw a sign pointing to Chiang Rai beach… which made me wonder how there is a ‘beach’ in a land-locked district. Turns out it’s just on the shores of a river.

On the way to Chiang Rai airport — The drive to the airport takes around 30 minutes

Chiang Rai international airport Thailand — I arrived by 2:10pm, early enough

Chiang Rai International Airport is enough to serve the district and offers nothing fancy. I got my window seat and sat in the departures lounge.

Orient Thai one-two-go airlines Chiang Rai to Bangkok — My Orient Thai flight was on time as well

The ticket was cheap and the time suited me fine. Initially I was reluctant to fly Orient Thai, because they don’t seem to go by One-Two-Go Airlines anymore, because the airline apparently had a poor safety record in the past.

Aerial view Chiang Rai Thailand — But the flight was just fine

Clouds Thailand aerial photography from plane — The scenery gave way to the clouds

Thailand bangkok at night from flight — By the time I was over Bangkok, the sun had set

My next stop was Pattaya but in the flight, I was contemplating whether I should stay on Khao San road tonight and leave for Pattaya early morning tomorrow. But after I got out of Don Mueang Airport (the old airport), I decided to try and get to Pattaya tonight itself so that it’ll save me the trouble of waking up early again. I took a taxi and headed to Mo Chit bus terminal. En route the taxi driver asked me where I was headed, and when I said “Pattaya,” he told me “Oh, you won’t get bus now!”. Which I didn’t pay much attention to as I figured it was his way of making me consider taking a taxi ride all the way. Once at Mo Chit, I easily got a bus ticket — though most bus companies were on their final trip for the evening. This was around 6:30-7pm.

Sukhumvit Bangkok MRT pillars at night — The bus set off past 7pm, passing Sukhumvit

Rama highway to Pattaya at night — We mostly rode on the elevated highway, the longest in the world

Bangkok port on way to Pattaya — The journey took more than 2 hours

I arrived in Pattaya, not knowing where in the city I was. This was my first visit to Pattaya, as I had zero interest in visiting the place last year on my first trip to Thailand. I only had a hotel reservation for tomorrow, so I still needed to find a bed for tonight. I got into a pickup taxi and asked the driver to just take me to a “cheap room” for tonight. It was already past 10pm and I was eager to crash, as I have been up and about since 6am today. The driver took me to a place called Little Court. A single room cost ฿250 and I checked in. After freshening up, I went out to pick up some dinner and to buy some credit for my local SIM. After updating my father, I called it a night. Well, I tried to… but the room, despite being on a higher floor was still open to the bars outside playing loud music. I guess this was to be expected with Pattaya.

Next posts in this series:

Thailand 2010: Pattaya — Beach road, Viewpoint, Jomtien Beach, Walking Street

Thailand 2010: Back to Bangkok — Chinatown, Patpong, Platinum Mall and Chatuchak Market

Thailand 2010: Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha, Sampeng Market, JJ market (again)

Thailand 2010: Damnoen Saduak Floating Market tour, Cobra show… and leaving Bangkok

Previous posts in this series:

Thailand 2010: Heading to Chiang Rai by bus, Wat Jedyod and Golden Clock Tower

Thailand 2010: Last day of Loi Krathong; Sunday Grand Parade (Day 4, Part 2)

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai Zoo (Day 4, Part 1)

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai Loi Krathong celebrations; first Grand Parade

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai cooking class; Loi Krathong celebrations in Mae Jo, Sansai

Thailand 2010: First day in Chiang Mai for Loi Krathong; driving up Doi Suthep

Thailand 2010: Arriving in Bangkok and preparing for Loi Krathong in Chiang Mai

Golden clock tower at night Chiang Rai Thailand

Thailand 2010: Heading to Chiang Rai by bus, Wat Jedyod and Golden Clock Tower

By Mithun Divakaran
/
Jun 25, 2011
/
Chiang Rai, Thailand, Travel

Date: 23rd November 2010

After 4 splendid days in Chiang Mai (amid some disappointments), today I left the city to go further up north. I went to the main bus station and only managed to get a ticket for 12 noon as all others were sold out. (Don’t remember exactly how much I paid for the ticket, but it was around ฿100)

Golden dragon bus Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai — After the instructional video on bus safety, they played ‘Predators’ (in Thai)

Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai road north Thailand — I got a seat right in front

Bus ride from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai — Chiang Rai city is around 200kms from Chiang Mai

Highway to Chiang Rai north Thailand landscape — The journey is quite scenic

Welcome to Chiang Rai board highway sign — After nearly 2 1/2hours, I arrived in Chiang Rai

The bus first stopped at what looked like a new bus station. I didn’t get down here because a lot of the Thais stayed in their seats. So I assumed this was not the final stop. Unfortunately some western tourists did get down and started hailing for taxis towards their hotels.

For which there was no need for, because the very same bus started again and drove straight into the city in 5 minutes time. This bus station was according my prior research, very close to the night market.

I hired a tuk-tuk and checked into my hotel.

Hotel Raungnakorn road Chiang Rai — Raungnakorn Hotel is located on the road of the same name

The room cost ฿350 for the night and I was only going to be staying one night. My flight from Chiang Rai to Bangkok was the next day evening. I know one day isn’t much in Chiang Rai, but this was my first time here and as always with first visits, this would be more a surveillance visit than any other.

Wat Phra kaew temple Chiang Rai Thailand — It was near this temple

Evening market Chiang Rai clock tower — The hotel is close to the fresh market

Road leading Chiang Rai Golden clock tower — Spotted it already haven’t you?

Golden clock tower junction Chiang Rai — Chiang Rai’s Golden Clock Tower

Golden clock tower roundabout Chiang Rai — Designed by a renowned Thai architect named Ajarn Chalermchai Khositphiphat

Chiang Rai golden clock tower — It was built in 2008 in honour of the King (as is usually the case in Thailand)

Chiang Rai bar restaurant Jedyod street — Jedyod road, you find a lot of restaurants here

Wat Jedyod temple Chiang Rai Thailand — I decided to check out this temple

Black cat in front of Buddha statue — Oh the irony of seeing a black cat at a place where people come to pray for good luck

Wat Jedyod golden buddha statue Chiang Rai Thailand — The temple is named Wat Jedyod

Gautum buddha staring eyes Wat Jedyod statue — The eyes…

Wat Jedyod Indian god paintings Chiang Rai — The hall had paintings depicting Hindu gods and some connection with India mythology

Indian gods Thai ancient wall paintings Wat Jedyod — I was very curious to know the connection, but unfortunately there weren’t any descriptions in English or a local guide in sight

Wat Jedyod temple hall Chiang Rai Thailand — I left the temple

I dropped by a few travel agents and tour operators along the way and asked them about day trips to the Golden Triangle. But because it was already late in the evening, nobody could assure me a spot as they needed few more tourists to fill up a group as tomorrow’s first group were already full.

A British guy who was behind, overheard me and told me he was in the same situation as I. So we chatted for a bit and exchanged numbers in case either of us managed to get into a group tour that was going tomorrow morning.

Sanpanard road Chiang Rai Thailand — I like their sign posts

Chiang Rai night bazaar entrance — A few steps from there and I was at the entrance of Chiang Rai’s Night Bazaar

Chiang Rai night market shops — But since it wasn’t night time yet, nothing was open

Chiang Rai night market food court evening — I would be coming back here for dinner

Phaholyotin road shops Chiang Rai Thailand — I decided to go the main bus station to find out when the first bus to Mae Sai would be

Chiang Rai bus stand Thailand — I was told that there are buses every 30 minutes starting 6am

Phaholyotin road Wangcome hotel Chiang Rai Thailand — I headed back as I still wasn’t feeling too well, and it gets pretty chilly in Chiang Rai at night

I rested for some time after applying some Vicks. I just didn’t want to fall sick. It’s the worst thing that can happen on one’s vacation. Well, one of the worst things.

I got up at around 8pm and craved to have some hot Thai soup for dinner.

Chiang Rai evening market fresh vegetables — I walked to the night bazaar

Sukgatis road night golden lamp posts clock tower Chiang Rai — It also changes colour

Chiang Rai night bazaar street vendors — You have the usual wares being sold at the Night bazaar, no different from any other night market in Thailand

Chiang Rai night bazaar street stalls musician — But you do see locals and a few students trying to make some dime with their talents

Chiang Rai night bazaar food court — Quite a change of scene from earlier

Chiang Rai fried insects Thailand — This place sells you french fries…and fried insects. How nice of them!

Chiang Rai night bazaar seafood bbq — Despite being very far the sea, you still get good enough seafood in Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai night bazaar stage music — Poor guitarist on stage was hardly getting any applause from the diners

Chiang Rai night bazaar dining crowd — I scanned the vendors for appetizing soup to warm my body up

Spicy Thai seafood soup Chiang Rai night bazaar — I ended up picking up this big bowl of tangy seafood soup loaded with veggies (cost ฿100)

Chiang Rai night market live stage entertainment — They had cultural dances later

Post dinner, I scanned the shops a bit. Unlike last year, when I bought 10 t-shirts from Thailand, I figured I wouldn’t need to buy much this time.

Alas, I ended buying two from a small vendor at the night bazaar after bargaining it down to ฿300 for both. Oh well, we’ll see how many t-shirts I end up buying this year.

Chiang Rai night restaurants tourists — This was right in front of the vendor I bought the t-shirts from

As I needed more rest for an early start tomorrow, I headed back. Plus, there was little else to do in Chiang Rai. There is barely any nightlife in Chiang Rai. It’s a lot quieter (and smaller) than Chiang Mai.

Chiang Rai golden clock tower at night — I took one last look at the Golden clock tower

As I was clicking this photo, I bumped into the same British guy I had met earlier at the travel office. He told me he met up with a group of people who were planning on going on a trek (Chiang Rai is famous for trekking and cycling) and asked me if I wanted to join them. I told him I was unfortunately not in the best of health and that I had to be back in town early enough for my evening flight to Bangkok.

We wished each other well and parted ways.

I reached my room, freshened up, dabbed some more Vicks and snuggled up for a good night’s sleep.

Next posts in this series:

Thailand 2010: Golden Triangle in Mae Sai; Chiang Rai’s White Temple (Wat Rong Khun)

Thailand 2010: Pattaya — Beach road, Viewpoint, Jomtien Beach, Walking Street

Thailand 2010: Back to Bangkok — Chinatown, Patpong, Platinum Mall and Chatuchak Market

Thailand 2010: Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha, Sampeng Market, JJ market (again)

Thailand 2010: Damnoen Saduak Floating Market tour, Cobra show… and leaving Bangkok

Previous posts in this series:

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai Zoo (Day 4, Part 1)

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai Loi Krathong celebrations; first Grand Parade

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai cooking class; Loi Krathong celebrations in Mae Jo, Sansai

Thailand 2010: First day in Chiang Mai for Loi Krathong; driving up Doi Suthep

Thailand 2010: Arriving in Bangkok and preparing for Loi Krathong in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai Loy krathong grand parade royal float

Thailand 2010: Last day of Loi Krathong; Sunday Grand Parade (Day 4, Part 2)

By Mithun Divakaran
/
Jun 19, 2011
/
Chiang Mai, Thailand, Travel

Date: 22nd November 2010

Today began with a visit to Chiang Mai Zoo, to pay a visit to see the city’s most famous residents. After a brief rest, I stepped out again to witness what the final night of the Yi Peng Festival had in store.

Loi Krathong start participants gather — The parade was about to start

Loy Krathong ornate float — Ornately decorated floats!

Loy Krathong tourists light man — This guy was attracting attention today as well

Loi Krathong Grand Parade start — Fascinating art

Yi Peng sunday parade silver float — Man, the work done on some of these floats!

Loy Krathong grand parade silver float — “Don’t call me now, I’m in a different era! You’re ruining it!”

Loi Krathong grand parade Thais dressed — Thai ‘princess’ and ‘prince’

Chiang Mai red t-shirt group parade — Not sure who this red t-shirt ‘army’ were representing

Lord Ganesha Thai women nails float Yi Peng — I wonder if Thais worship Lord Ganesha too

Chiang Mai Loy Krathong performers — Hundreds of locals participate in the Grand Parade

Chiang Mai US consulate family float Loi Krathong parade — The lady sitting on the car is the Consul General of the US Consulate of Chiang Mai, along with her family

Loy Krathong grand parade Japan particpants — Up ahead, I saw many Thais cosplaying. Hmm, I wonder which contingent this is? 🙂

Chiang Mai Loy Krathong celebrations Japan group parade — Why no surprise there! 🙂

Loy Krathong grand parade Japan float — Japan’s float

Loy Krathong grand parade Japan cosplay Chiang Mai — Lots of tributes to anime and videogame characters

Loy Krathong grand parade Japan cosplay Gundam Chiang Mai — Even dressing up as a Gundam robot!

Lavish float Yi Peng grand parade Chiang Mai — Absolutely beautiful work

Loi Krathong grand parade cavalade — The cavalcade made their may down Thapae Road

Loi Krathong parade coverage cameramen — Cameramen readied themselves

Chiang Mai Yi Peng parade cow puppet — Not sure if the creature was meant to be a cow or a goat

Chiang Mai Yi Peng parade animal buddhist monks elders — But it did stop occasionally to be ‘fed’ money

Thai character Chiang Mai Yi Peng parade — I don’t who this character/mascot was

Thai man back tattoo art Chiang Mai — Awesome tattoo art

After following the parade from up front, I got distracted.

Yes, it was food… but…

Fried bugs sale Chiang Mai vendor — Fried insects for sale!

Chiang Mai fried insects vendor Thailand — Was tempted to be all adventurous…

Fried insects cricket bamboo worm silkworm Chiang Mai — …but I hate insects when alive, leave alone when they are fried dead

Fortunately there were more appetizing food on sale.

Fried seafood street vendor Chiang Mai Thailand — All this stuff was cheap

Barbecue boiled meat balls Chiang Mai — My friend Loi’s survival food

Chiang Mai barbecued meat street vendor — Lots, and lots of meat!

Okay, enough food. Back to the parade.

Chiang Mai street Loy Krathong Thais — This being the last day of the festival, everybody was out

Ping river Loi Krathong devotees — Locals thronged the banks of Ping river

Chiang Mai US consulate wall paintings — Walls of the Consulate General of the United States in Chiang Mai

Loy Krathong grand parade vip stand judging — The various floats pass by these stands where judges select the best in show

Ping river candle lit krathongs floating — Meanwhile on the river banks…

Chiang Mai Loy Krathong parade audience stand cameraman — The eager crowd await the parade’s arrival through the final stage

Chiang Mai Loy Krathong grand parade police cars — Leading the parade

Yi Peng festival VIP arriving Chiang Mai — Some formalities

Loy Krathong festival fireworks last day Chiang Mai — …and then fireworks!

Chiang Mai krathongs ping river Thailand — River gods ‘flooded’ with krathongs

US consulate family car float Yi Peng festival parade — The American Consul family still doing the rounds

Dining ping river Chiang Mai Yee Peng festival — You also have fancier dining options by Ping river

Loy Krathong ping river boat ride Chiang Mai — Dinner boat rides are also quite popular

Loy Krathong grand parade march — The parade making their way towards the municipality building

Banana stem used in krathongs — The banana trunk slices are what forms the base of the krathongs

Watching so many people release khomloys into the sky (and the fact this was the last day of the festival), I told myself I better release a paper lantern myself now. I still hadn’t done it yet! The past three days, I was busy clicking away and it made me feel like I was on assignment, on work (which in some ways, it is).

Chiang Mai lanterns Ping river Thailand — So I bought a krathong and a khom loy from nearby

I asked a local if I could borrow a light and instead she kindly shows me how to light the khomloy. She even helped hold it with me as the lantern filled up with hot air.

Khomloy paper lantern Chiang Mai Yi Peng festival — And there mine goes!

Thai lady krathongs in ping river — I then released my krathong after making my wish(es). That’s the Thai lady who helped me.

As I walked back up to the main road, I kept telling myself with the disappointment of missing the events at Sansai that I had to come back again and do it right. More importantly, after the ‘assignment’ at Mae Jo, I will not spend all my time taking photos. Instead, I’m going to have fun releasing paper lanterns and playing with fireworks — and I won’t be alone 😉

I went back to the main road for a few more photos.

Thai transgender aids awareness Chiang Mai — Transgenders spreading the message of safe sex

Thai girls posing condom AIDS awareness Chiang Mai — Condom-man distributing free condoms… and posing for photos with girls

Young Thai girl glowing head band Chiang Mai — These kind of headbands are all the craze for young girls out here

Nawarat bridge crowds Yi Peng festival — Nawarat bridge was packed with people

Chiang Mai Thai king tribute gate — I headed back up Thapae road

Chiang Mai Loy krathong parade men — I pity the guys who had to carry the dancer in this heat for hours!

Chiang Mai grand parade traditional palanquin — Don’t you know driving while talking on your mobile is wrong?

Chiang Mai Loy Krathong grand parade traditional palanquin broke — It broke! Poor girl must be so self-conscious now (even through it probably wasn’t due to her weight)

Chiang Mai old Thai lady Loy Krathong grand parade — Hey, I couldn’t be biased

Thai king rama Chiang Mai Yi Peng grand parade — I’m really curious about the Indian connection in Thai history

Chiang Mai Loi Krathong grand parade elaborate float Thailand — These floats are all winners in my opinion

Chiang Mai grand parade Thai mythical animal puppet — This puppet was still doing the rounds

Cow puppet man drinking parade Chiang Mai — But even the men under the animal needed a break for water

Chiang Mai Thapae road Loy Krathong parade end — And that was the end of the parade…

Chiang Mai Thapae road junction street vendor — I walked back to Thapae gate to pick up some dinner

Chiang Mai fried rice shrimp cashews street food Thailand — Picked up some cashews, some fried rice and a shawarma

Leo beer can Chiang Mai Thailand — I even tried LEO beer for the first time. Essentially Singha’s offering to compete with Chang. My verdict? Chang is still better.

The fact that I had to split my last day in Chiang Mai into two posts is proof that this was a long day for me. I was quite tired, still feeling a bit feverish, but through it all — I was more than content with the photographs!

Tomorrow morning, I would head further up north to Chiang Rai and embark on the remainder of my journey across Thailand.

As a parting bonus, here’s a video of the some of the sights from today’s Grand Parade:

Next posts in this series:

Thailand 2010: Heading to Chiang Rai by bus, Wat Jedyod and Golden Clock Tower

Thailand 2010: Golden Triangle in Mae Sai; Chiang Rai’s White Temple (Wat Rong Khun)

Thailand 2010: Pattaya — Beach road, Viewpoint, Jomtien Beach, Walking Street

Thailand 2010: Back to Bangkok — Chinatown, Patpong, Platinum Mall and Chatuchak Market

Thailand 2010: Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha, Sampeng Market, JJ market (again)

Thailand 2010: Damnoen Saduak Floating Market tour, Cobra show… and leaving Bangkok

Previous posts in this series:

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai Zoo (Day 4, Part 1)

Thailand 2010: Chiang Mai Loi Krathong celebrations; first Grand Parade