Friday 9 May 2003
Chiang Rai, Thailand
ANOTHER Waterfall!
Went for another exhausting day speeding around the roads surrounding Chiang Rai...
First of all we sped off to Chiang Saen in the north-east in search of elusive temples (we were under the impression they would resemble those from Angkor, Cambodia). 2 hours of intense riding later and much searching we didnt manage to find the temples until later in the day when we were leaving the city. Found some interesting modern wat (temples) though and one in particular was amazing because it was being built and shone bright white (the gold paint hadnt been applied yet) with hundreds-of-thousands of little glass mirror pieces covering every inch of the surface. Inside the temple itself a monk was putting the finishing touches to a 30 metre high painting of Buddha. Quite amazing and something that few falang would see.
After an overdose of temples (visited about 6 in 2 hours!) we sped off to the south of Chiang Rai heading for a waterfall! This trip took another 2-3 hours and by the time we finally found the place it was verging on 5pm! Getting to the waterfall was another challenge: 1km walk through sweaty rain forest. So it was a very welcome sight to finally reach the 70m high waterfall and took a swim for half hour!
Im off to the market this eve, but I need to decide if Im gonna take the bike tommorrow or not. I dont think you can really achieve much in Chiang Rai without a motorbike (hence probably why most people give the place a miss)