Starting the two day trip to Thailand

After spending a few days hiking in Nong Khiaw, I had arrived at the end of my Laos trip and wanted to continue my journey from Nong Khiaw to Thailand. Thailand should then be the last country I travel to before I go back to Germany. I was already in Thailand in April/May 2022, but I hadn’t seen everything yet, which is why I really wanted to go back. The journey from Nong Khiaw to Chiang Rai was not that easy. From Nong Khiaw I first had to take the bus to Ban Houayxay. This is a village in Laos right on the border to Thailand. The drive there was supposed to take 10 hours, so I had to spend one more night in Ban Houayxay before I could continue to Chiang Rai the next day.

The owner of the hostel in Nong Khiaw kindly organized a TukTuk for me to the bus stop and the bus to Ban Houayxay. I was picked up by the TukTuk at 7am. The ride to the bus stop took 45 minutes. There were a few other backpackers in the TukTuk, but none of them had to go to Ban Houayxay as well.

I really didn’t feel like the 10 hour drive in the mini van. I had already heard from a girl I did the trekking tour with who drove to Ban Houayxay and then to Chiang Mai the day before that her drive was horrible. In her van there were 12 seats but 24 people. In addition, the van had to go to the workshop in the meantime, which is why the journey was delayed. When she arrived in Ban Houayxay, there were no tuk-tuks to take her to the accomodation, so she approached two women who ended up taking her.

A 10 hour bus ride on a folding chair

My biggest worry when traveling by bus is always not knowing how to get from the bus stop to the accommodation. During the day this is usually easy as there are always many TukTuks. But it’s always more difficult at night and I don’t like getting into the car with strangers. I then decided that if there were no TukTuks, I would offer the bus driver money to take me to the accommodation.

Shortly after 8 the TukTuk arrived at the bus stop. The driver gave us our bus tickets and after looking at them, I realized that my bus to Ban Houayxay wasn’t leaving for another 2.5 hours. This worried me a bit as it was now clear that we would arrive in Ban Houayxay late in the evening. I then waited at the bus stop for 2.5 hours until the minivan came.

Our luggage was stowed away and then we got in. When I got in last, there was only a small folding seat left right by the door. I was now absolutely dreading the 10 hour drive. I had no backrest, hardly any legroom, little space and had to somehow hold on to the open window.

After two hours we took a longer break for the first time. After half an hour I wanted to sit back down on my tiny seat, but then I noticed that some people had gotten out and there were now free seats. I then sat at the door and had enough legroom there. At that point there weren’t that many people on the bus.

On the way to the border

The drive through the winding landscape and the many potholes was still not entirely pleasant. Luckily the bus driver drove carefully, but people on the bus still got sick. As the afternoon progressed, more and more people got off and eventually there were only six of us left on the bus. This is of course much more relaxing than sitting on a completely overbooked bus.

At half past six we took another long break. From now on it was another two hour drive to Ban Houayxay. We took a few people there with us, but even now everyone still had enough space and no one had to sit on a stool.

By now it was dark and we were still driving along the winding road with many potholes. There were also an extremely large number of trucks on the road, which made the journey the most dangerous. In the meantime we could also see an accident that had just happened with a truck. The truck overturned and landed in a ditch.

During the drive I received a message from the accommodation asking me when I would check in. They then wrote me that there would be no more tuk tuks at the bus stop at that late time, so I should ask the bus driver if he could take me to the accommodation for some money.

Making it safe to my Guesthouse

When we arrived at the bus stop shortly after 9 am, I first looked around to see if there was a TukTuk there after all. But there was none to be seen. The bus driver didn’t speak English, so I asked him using google translator if he could drive me to my accommodation. I don’t think he understood what google translater saied either. I then showed him my guesthouse on Google and asked with gestures if he could take me there. He kept saying something in Lao, which of course I didn’t understand.

Finally a boy came along who spoke some English and translated between us. Based on the gestures made by the bus driver, I assume that he didn’t want to bring me at first because it was a detour for him. I then kept telling the boy “I will give him money”, he finally translated this and the next moment the bus driver put my things back in the van and waved me in.

He then took me to the city center, 800 meters from my accommodation. Since he didn’t understand me anyway, I didn’t ask again if he could bring me the last meters. It was only straight ahead and the street was also well lit and busy. The 800 meters were  no problem for me to walk. It was also dark and therefore not that hot anymore.

I gave the driver 150K Kip (about 7€) which is still cheap for me but damn expensive for a 10 minute taxi ride in Laos. However, I was just grateful that he drove me and I didn’t have to hitchhike. This would have been much more unsafe and dangerous. He thanked me kindly and I then walked the last 800 meters to my accommodation.

The last hours in Laos

On the way, a woman stopped in her car and, in fluent English, asked me if she could take me to my accommodation. I thanked her very politely, but declined the offer because it was only 400 meters away. I’m pretty sure she just wanted to be friendly, but I’m always skeptical when it comes to getting into strangers‘ cars. I’d rather walk a few more meters than end up regretting getting into that car.

A few minutes later I arrived at my guesthouse. I got the key to my room right away and was able to check in. I then went to a shop again, bought cookies for dinner since most restaurants were already closed and then went to sleep later.

The next morning I booked my bus to Chiang Rai at the reception of the guesthouse. The early morning buses had already left, so I was only able to book a 3pm bus. Since I had enough time I spent the morning relaxing in bed in the guesthouse. Later I had breakfast and checked out. I then waited for my bus in the seating areas of the restaurant. In the meantime I went back to the shops to buy some snacks for the bus ride and above all to get rid of the remaining cash.

On my way to Chiang Rai

At three o’clock I was picked up by the TukTuk. The driver took me to the border to Thailand. He helped me with my luggage and also filled out the departure card for me. When I got the passport stamped, I had to pay a fee of 10,000 kip. Since I had previously spent all my money, I had no cash left. So I had to go to the ATM for an extra €0.50. The smallest amount I could withdraw was 100,000 Kip (approx. €5). The TukTuk driver had advanced me the money beforehand. After I withdrew money, he gave me 100 Bath (€2.65) in change. It was a huge loss for me, of course, but I couldn’t do anything about it.

I then waited for the shuttle bus to take me to the Thailand border. At the border crossing I had to fill out the arrival card and get my passport stamped: entry, September 2nd, exit October 1st. And with that, the date was set when I would fly home and my 1.5 year journey would come to an end.

After the border, the bus driver was waiting for me and took me to the mini van. I was already allowed to take a seat and he said that we would be waiting for another person. When he came a short time later, we drove off in the direction of Chiang Rai. It was just the two of us on the bus for the whole trip, which was of course very relaxed. The drive wasn’t long either, so after 1.5 hours we arrived at the bus station in Chiang Rai.

Welcome to Chiang Rai

I was lucky that the bus stop was only 200 meters from my hostel. Since I didn’t have a SIM card and no money yet, it would have been a bit complicated for me to get to the hostel otherwise.

I was able to check in directly at the hostel. But I immediately set out to withdraw money and get a SIM card. When I got back to the hostel I met a girl from the Netherlands and a boy from the UK. Both were on their way to the Night Market of Chiang Rai. Since I also wanted to go out soon to eat something, I joined the two of them.

First we strolled a bit through the night market. We looked at the many stalls with food, clothes and jewelry. Finally we stopped at the Night Bazaar where we all bought something to eat and sat down at one of the many yellow folding tables. As my first meal in Thailand I had of course ordered Pad Thai.

After we were all full, we strolled through the night market one more time, stopped at a dance show and then headed back to the hostel.

My first hours in Chiang Rai felt a little strange. On the one hand, because everything was so familiar, since I’ve been to Thailand before. On the other hand, it was the knowledge that Thailand would now be the last country I would travel to and that I would fly back home from here.

Temple hopping in Chaing Rai

The first thing I did the next morning was to rent a scooter from the hostel reception. The owner of the hostel gave me some tips about which temples I should visit nearby. All the temples he mentioned to me had already been on my list.

I then got my scooter and headed straight to the first temple: the White Temple. In Thailand you drive on the left, something I was used to in Australia but hadn’t done since I’ve been in Asia. So I first had to get used to driving on the left side of the road again.

The White Temple was 15 kilometers away from the hostel. To get there I had to drive on the main road. Although it wasn’t too busy, there were a lot of fast cars and trucks on the road. I didn’t feel comfortable on the road with my scooter, which I don’t drive very fast. That’s why I was happy when I finally arrived at the White Temple.

The White Temple consists of a fairly large complex. Every archway shines a brilliant white and glitters in the sun. I bought a ticket for 100 Bath at the counter and then entered the temple. The White Temple is not very big, but it is very spectacular. Even though this was just a tourist attraction, I was quite impressed by the white gleaming and glittering temple. I particularly liked the many colorful paintings on the inner walls of the temple. Figures like Michael Jackson, the Minions or Hulk were actually paintings that I would at least have expected in a temple.

Visiting the famous blue temple in Chiang Rai

After visiting the temple, I drove back to the center of Chiang Rai on the main road. There I first went to 7/11 and bought something to eat there. After the short break, my temple hopping tour through Chaing Rai continued.

My next stop was the Blue Temple. This is also a very famous temple along with the White Temple. However, I did not find it quite as crowded as the White Temple. I was also very impressed by this temple. The paintings on the walls of the temple were again incredibly beautiful. I honestly can’t say if I liked the Blue Temple or the White Temple better. Both are unique in their own way.

Impressive interactive art in the Black House

After the Blue Temple I went to the Black House Museum (also called Black Temple). In the museum you can see many unique works of art by an artist. What is special about this art is that it is interactive. You can scan a QR code next to the picture with your mobile phone. Instagram will then open and you can watch the image move through the camera. I thought that was pretty cool, so I tried it on quite a few images.

After almost an hour I drove to my last stop of the day: Wat Huay Pla Kang. This is also a temple in Chiang Rai. The huge Buddha standing on a mountain is particularly striking and can be seen from afar. You can also take the elevator up to the head of the Buddha. I didn’t do that, but instead visited a small temple near the Big Buddha. It was white and shiny on the inside, which I really liked. A large white Buddha also stood here.

After I had visited four temples in one day, which were all totally different, I had enough of temples. Then I went back to the hostel, changed my clothes and then went to the gym. By the time I finished my workout it was dark and I went back to the Night Bazaar for dinner and ordered Pad Thai again.

On a busy road to the Golden Triangle

The next morning I got up early again because I wanted to go to the Golden Triangle. But this is 70 kilometers outside of Chiang Rai, which is why I had a longer drive that day with the scooter ahead. I set off at 9 am. I was hoping that the road wasn’t a big, busy road. Unfortunately I had to fight my way through the city and the traffic for the first part. I still don’t really feel comfortable with the scooter that I can easily drive busy roads.

The road that I had to take mainly to the Golden Triangle was very easy to drive, in contrast to the roads in Laos. So I could drive relatively fast, but it was a relatively large, two-lane highway. Although there was very little going on on the road and I was able to drive on a lane on the side, I still didn’t feel comfortable when the heavy trucks drove past me at high speeds.

Visiting the Golden Triangle

After 2 hours I arrived at the Golden Triangle. The Golden Triangle is the border where the three countries Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet. I then looked for a parking space and then sat on a bench and ate something I had bought at 7/11 that morning. After my breakfast I set off to explore the Golden Triangle.

Unfortunately, it’s not like in Europe where you can put one foot in one country and the other foot in the other and then say, I was in two countries at the same time. The border between the three countries runs right through the river, so you can only see the other country on the other side of the river. Although you can take a boat tour and get off in Laos and see a market there, you cannot get off in Myanmar. Since I had just come from Laos, I didn’t think it was necessary to take the boat tour.

So I only looked at the national border from a distance. On the side in Thailand there are several statues marking the Golden Triangle and the border. To be honest, I expected a little more from the Golden Triangle. But it’s definitely cool to say I was there and at least I got to see Myanmar.

On the search for the famous triangle

I then looked for the triangle on the Thai side, which shows the three countries. I looked for it for a while and walked up to a nearby viewpoint in the heat, thinking it might be there. But it wasn’t at the viewpoint and you didn’t have a real view from there either. So I walked up to the Viewpoint in the heat for absolutely nothing.

Finally I was able to find the triangle. It was somewhat hidden behind an arch that I had been standing in front of the entire time. After I finally saw the triangle, it was only early midday. Since I still had time, I drove another 10 kilometers because I saw that there was supposed to be a Green Temple there. When I got there, the temple seemed pretty quiet. Nobody was there except me. The green temple looked cool, but the temples I had visited the day before were much nicer.

So I didn’t stay there for long, but soon drove back. First I drove the 10 kilometers back to the Golden Triangle. From there I drove back to Chiang Rai.

A stressful drive back to Chiang Rai

On the way back, one of the locals suddenly drove past me on his scooter. He then pulled back in front of me, but then drove extremely slowly and then kept watching me through his mirrors. I finally overtook him because his slow driving was a bit annoying. He then matched my pace and followed me fairly closely. I found it all pretty strange, but tried to ignore the guy. I finally stopped because I wanted to check my route on Google Maps. The guy then stopped right next to me and said something I didn’t understand. I just said „no, thank you“.

Since he consistently stopped next to me, I drove on quickly and he followed me. He was driving extremely close, which made me completely uncomfortable and I was also terrified of an accident. I then stopped again and he drove past me, but kept turning back to me. I then waited until he was around the next bend and then drove on slowly. He waited for me in the bushes around the bend and then drove after me again as soon as I passed him.

I then drove slower again and gave hand signals that he should please drive ahead and leave me alone. It wasn’t far to the major highway. I was afraid that he would follow me until then. I definitely didn’t want to drive on that road with him following me. It would have been too dangerous if he had followed me there at higher speeds. In addition, the road wasn’t that busy, so I would have been there alone with him. So I had to get rid of him before I hit the road.

Finally getting ride of the strange guy

I finally overtook him again, shouted at him to leave me alone and then accelerated hard. In the rearview mirror he gave me the same hand signals I had given him before to please pull over and get away from me. What an irony…

Finally he drove forward again and I saw a small restaurant on the side of the road, I quickly braked and parked there. I really wanted to be around other people, he scared me so much. The biggest fear was that he would cause an accident. As a local and with years of experience on a scooter, he knows much better how to handle such a scooter than I do.

Luckily he didn’t stop when I pulled up to the restaurant. I then gave him a head start and waited for almost 10 minutes. Then I drove on. I looked behind every bush to see if he was there waiting for me. But then I didn’t see him again and soon drove onto the expressway that led back to Chiang Rai and then made my way back.

In fact, something similar happened to me on the Hai Van Pass in Vietnam and in Kampot in Cambodia. Locals who don’t speak English follow me consistently, say things to me that I don’t understand and don’t stop leaving me alone. Situations like this always scare me incredibly because they are always men who are decades older than me.

Two hours later I was back in Chiang Rai. Since I still had enough time, I went to the gym. Then I went back to the Night Bazaar. Just as I was about to order something to eat at a stall, I bumped into the two British girls I had spent some time with in Laos. We then ate together at the market.

On the way to Chaing Mai

The next morning my journey continued to Chiang Mai, since I have been there the year before I didn’t plan on staying more than one night. I had booked the bus for 12 pm. So I went to the gym beforehand, packed my things in a relaxed manner and had breakfast before I made my way to the bus stop. I had previously booked the ticket online. All I had to do was go to the right terminal and wait for the bus. Luckily this came on time. I checked in my luggage, showed my ticket and then boarded the coach.

The bus ride was very relaxed. It wasn’t like people had to sit on stools or that you were totally cramped. Everyone had enough legroom and there was also a toilet on the bus. After almost four hours we arrived at the bus stop in Chiang Mai. From there it was a few more kilometers to the hostel. So I booked a taxi via Grab. It took half an hour before I finally sat in the taxi.

Struggling with the Grab App

The first taxi was only a few hundred meters away when I got a message from the driver that he had problems with the car and that I should cancel the trip. So I ordered a new Grab. This wasn’t far away either, but it didn’t move from the spot. The driver asked me shortly afterwards where I should be. I sent him my location, but he canceled the trip. So I ordered another Grab. The next two drivers also canceled the trip within seconds. On the fifth attempt I finally found my Grab. It was the first time that I rode with a woman. It just took a while to finally get there as she was stuck in traffic.

When she dropped me off at the hostel, I checked in there straight away. Since I still had some time that afternoon, I set out to explore Chiang Mai a bit. I went to the nearby Wat Sri Suphan Temple also called the Silver Temple. There I had to buy a ticket for 50 Bath. The lady at the counter was really nice, she just pointed out that I could go anywhere except the Silver Temple. I just thought this was a general rule, but when I finally stood in front of the temple there was a sign saying that only women were not allowed to enter. The men were all allowed to visit the temple from the inside.

The Silver Temple also looked pretty impressive from the outside and was well worth a visit. But when it closed at 6 pm., I made my way back to the hostel. There was a free dinner at 7 pm. I sat with some backpackers from the UK that night and the two owners of the hostel. One of them was also German. We played beer pong and cards.

Temple Hopping in Chiang Mai

For the next day I had booked a 12.30pm bus to Pai. I had heard a lot about Pai and everyone told me that Pai is the backpacker’s place in Thailand. That’s why I really wanted to go there. Of course, my demands on Pai were extremely high.

Before I went to Pai, I wanted to visit two temples in Chiang Mai. At half past eight in the morning I set off on foot to Wat Phra Singh Temple. Even though I had already seen many temples in the last few days, each temple is still very unique. The special thing about the Wat Phra Singh temple was the golden tower, which had similarities with a bell. Next to this golden bell was a temple that could be viewed from the inside. There were five monks made of wax. These monks looked really lifelike. I was pretty impressed.

From Wat Phra Singh Temple I then made my way to Wat Chiang Man Temple. The only special thing about this temple was a gray tower with a gilded top. This temple is definitely a cool photo motiv.

After visiting the Wat Chiang Man Temple, I went back to the hostel. On the way back I bought myself something for breakfast. I checked out at the hostel and then had breakfast. At just before 12 pm I ordered a Grab which took me to the bus stop from where I took the mini van to Pai.

If you would like to know what I experienced during my time in Pai, please read my next blog post The backpacker hotspot Pai – Thailand Travel Diary.