Top Sights in Chiang Rai ‘All of which you must never miss.’
Chiang Rai is a province of Thailand that always stays on ‘must-go lists’ of many tourists, due to its beauty, historic stories, and various nations of people.
If you are planning to go to Chiang Rai, surely you will have fun and impression. But surely you can’t have fun if you don’t know where to go. There are so many many tourist attractions in Chiang Rai. Therefore you will feel awkward if you have to stay in your hotel only and be like that all day, just because you don’t know which are the best places to go in Chiang Rai.
Well, don’t let that feeling exist. Let’s see the most popular tourist attractions in Chiang Rai. Of course, your interest may be different from these. But, at least, just take them as your choices.
Wat Rong Khun : Also known as ‘The White Temple’, as the whole temple looks so sparkling with white color. This temple was designed and built by Chalermchai Kositpipat, one of the most well-known skilled artist of Thailand. His main idea was all about creating stunning, unique, and beautiful artworks with Lanna culture. Therefore the temple is full of sculptures, murals, and glass decoration.
However, the best part of Wat Rong Khun is that all architectures consist of deep metaphorical meanings. They aren’t just ordinrary architectures. For examples, ‘white color’ means ‘the clean mind of Lord Buddha’, ’16 beasts on the bridge’ mean ‘desire’, or ‘white glasses’ mean ‘the glorious intelligence of Lord Buddha’.
Baandam Museum : This is one of the best places for those who fall in love with traditional art. Baandam Museum was established by Thawan Duchanee, who was national artist of Thailand. All exhibitions there came from his collections, as he was good at sculpture and painting. To be precise, he created many valuable artworks. You can see them at this museum.
The museum is decorated in traditional style. It lconsists of 36 minor houses. All of them are the storages of Thawan’s art collections. Even he already passed away, but his works have never gone from tourists’ hearts.
The Golden Triangle : The Golden Triangle is a land that connects the three countries: Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar together. Its Thai name is pronounced as ‘San Liam Thong Kam’. In the past, The Golden Triangle was well-known for opium growing and narcotic manufacturing. At the time, there were many factories. People probably traded goods with gold and that where the name of the place came from.
By visiting The Golden Triangle, you can have a tour by a boat, sail along Mekhong River to observe lifestyles of villagers or get to some market places in Laos. Lastly, don’t forget to pay respect to the Golden Triangle Buddha Statue at Wat Phra That Pukhao.
Doi Tung Palace : This place comes together with Mae Fah Luang Garden. Doi Tung Palace was the first palace of Princess Srinagarindra, the royal mother of King Bhumibol. The Princess built the palace with her own money, as her shelther during her royal duties. The palace is decorated in Lanna-Swiss Chalet style, which makes it looks unique. You are allowed to tour the whole palace, even inside the bedroom, But photography is prohibited indoor.
For Mae Fah Luang Garden, it is in front of the palace. It’s full of cold weather flowers, all of which are rare and colorful. Don’t forget to get your camera ready.
Mae Sai Market : This is a Thai-Burmese market. It is located just between the border of Thailand and Myanmar. You should know that the atmosphere of this market is friendly and joyful. Many tourists, Thai and foreign, walk around and buy goods. People from the two nations talking to each other. That is such a lovely image.
You can find something like vegetables, fruits, instant foods, clothes, and many others at Mae Sai Market. You can even step into the border of Myanmar to see their land.
Doi Mae Salong : If you are a tea lover, you should visit this place for once in lifetime. Doi Mae Salong is located on a high mountain area, which is 1,200 metres higher than the sea level. In the past, it was a community inhabited by Chinese soldiers of Kuomintang Party. Now, it is a village and an important tourit attraction, inhabit by Chin Haw people. In fact, the village is also known as ‘Santi Keeree Village’.
Doi Mae Salong is well-known for its tea growing. There are dozens of tea shops there. Each cup is guaranteed to be fresh and delicious. Moreover, you can take a tour of tea plantations around the village while asking the villagers how they grow their tea. This is a very good opportunity of learning.