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| Along Thanan Baanpa Pragarn Road through the heart of Chiang Rai |
There is no organized free walking tour of downtown Chiang Rai. I don't think there is even an organized for-fee walking tour of downtown Chiang Rai.
But to get to downtown Chiang Rai, I must cross the Phaya Mangrai Bridge.
The reason there is no organized walking tour, free or for-fee, is because nearly all of the sights a Chiang Rai tourist wants to see are on the outskirts of the city. Even the Blue Temple, not far from the downtown, is about a two-mile walk to the main attraction in downtown Chiang Rai.
But when you see a temple complex, the walking tour tourist gets an itchy camera-clicking finger. Let's look at the Wat Phra Sing Chiang Rai, shall we?
Lots of animals decorating the exterior. Not sure what this is. It looks like a ferocious capybara.
I don't think capybara are found in the Old World. And I don't think they are capable of being ferocious, or even slightly miffed. But, you never know.
The tall spire within Wat Phra Sing Chiang Rai.
Note the use of elephants at the base of the spire.
Of course there would be elephants.
The next temple on the tour features a tubby Buddha:
I believe this is the Wat Mung Muang, but keeping the names straight on these various temples is getting to be complicated.
This is not a tourist temple.
I am walking toward the star attraction of downtown Chiang Rai, which requires me to walk through a street market:
There are two types of street markets in Thailand and never shall the two meet.
The tourist-oriented markets sell souvenir trinkets (little elephant statues and dolls are particularly popular). The signage is in English. Prices are prominently displayed.
Then there are the locals-oriented markets:
Focused on food. No English language signage. No prices on display that I could see. But fish on the grill!
I now come to the star attraction of downtown Chiang Rai:
It's in the middle of a busy intersection, with no apron around it to actually get up close. So the photography was difficult.
Time to go find a place for yet another Thai massage.
Speaking of tourist markets, this is the locale of Chiang Rai night market.
I am guessing this one will be more tourist-friendly.
Time to scurry back to my side of town. Why I think I see my luxury resort hotel from across the Kok River.
But, first, I light snack for supper.
And here's where "local" and "authentic" are not necessarily a good thing. This was definitely "local" and "authentic." No English spoken. No English signage. Communication possible only through google translate.
The way this one works is that select a skewer -- multiple skewers depending on how hungry you are -- of raw material: meat, vegetable, tofu. And you have it grilled. I didn't recognize the meats, so, to be safe, I asked for chicken.
I got two skewers of what I was told was chicken. Maybe it was the way things are for us locals, but it tasted like crunchy chicken cartilage. However, the grilled corn of the cob was awesome. And very, very spicy, this being Thailand after all, and not only Thailand, but far northern Thailand which is known for having the spiciest variant on Thai cuisine. Ever had hot and spicy corn on the cob? I highly recommend it. It rescued the meal.
Walking back to the hotel at the end of the day, I walked past the Blue Temple.
Most of the tourists have gone, back to their hotels in Chiang Mai or elsewhere, and the place is lit very nicely. Not too bright. Not too dim.
The blue does not look so gimmicky after dark.
I like this version of the Blue Temple much better, after I'm the only left from the tourist horde.
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