Fun things to do in Northern Thailand

If you see these plants in Europe they are mostly in Florist shops or in private homes, but then looked after as if they were children ... delicate things that could´t survive of their own (wich probably is right around my home).
Here in Thailand they seem to be everywhere.... and they also seem not to need much for growing.
In this Orchid Farm there were hundreds of them hanging in small baskets with nothing in it in thin air.
Air, water and sun (not too much) seems to be all what they need.
There are also so many species with so many colors, sizes and forms...

Oh and you have the possibility to try to grow them at home, too. They offer small Orchid plants in bottles to take home - together with a manual of some sort.
Well it sure is something for those with a green thumb.

Hi, I don't know which elephant sanctuary you're referring to, but the one in Lampang, the Elephant Conservation Center does have a good reputation. I did visit an elephant camp less than an hour away from Chiang Mai called Mae Sa Elephant Camp and they had something like 25 elephants at their camp. Their elephants seemed in good shape and did't look maltreated.

I think you can just show up at the Arcade Bus Station for the VIP bus to Chiang Rai since they do have several departures per day. I guess you're thinking of the same website to book the bus which is in Thai.

Highly recommend a visit to Mae Fah Luang/Doi Tung. There are some interesting hilltribes up on the way too and you're quite close to the Burmese border. We rented a motorbike in Chiang Rai for the trip but be careful going up and down since some sections are quite steep.

You can cross over into Burma from Mae Sai but quite honestly, Tachilek is mainly a border town and isn't that interesting unless you want to do shopping in which case, you might as well do it at the Chiang Rai night market or back in Chiang Mai.

And yes, Wat Rong Khun or the 'White Temple' is well worth a visit. very stunning. You can take a shared songthaew from near the Chiang Rai Market to Wat Rong Khun and then flag down the same colored songthaew to get back to Chiang Rai if you don't want to hire private transport.

There'a also a hilltribes museum and an opium museum in Chiang Rai.

As for food the Chiang Rai and Mai (Sunday) night markets are great places to have food. Chiang Rai's Night Market is next to the old bus station and there are shops like in C. Mai for shopping, too. Also, in the evening around 5pm, many C. Rai locals gather at their market to buy food and you can also get very good and inexpensive meals there too like in most Thai cities/towns.

For the C. Mai Sunday night market, there are multiple places that offer good Thai food but several of the temples/wats along Ratchadamon also host Thai food courts with the usual, such as BBQ chicken, grilled whole fish, papaya salad, khao neaw, mango with sticky rice, etc.

Have a great time.

PS--I also recommend hiring a motorbike in Chiang Rai and heading northwest out of the town following the road that parallels the Mae Kok river. There are interesting villages, (one with an elephant camp), caves, and waterfalls along the route.

Selamat and travel safe.

1 more image

There are various hill-tribe villages in the area of Northern Thailand close to Chiang Rai. I visited a couple with a tour guide as part of my excursion. It was fascinating to wander around them & get a glimpse of the tribes way of life.

I always feel a bit uneasy about exploring peoples homes at close up. I didn't take any photos of anybodys personal belongs. Some of the villagers came out to see us & offer their locally made handicrafts for sale.

3 more images

There are many boat trips available at Sop Ruak. The one I went on took me upriver for a close up view of the casino hotel in Myanmar. The boat then turned round & headed back downriver for a stop off at a Lao village on the large river island of Don Sao (see travelogue).

After a short stop there the boat crossed the river back to Thailand. It was such a great experience to be on the Mekong river in a small boat getting close up views of the riverside scenery of three countries.

3 more images

This museum in Sop Ruak displays the history of the opium trade in the Golden Triangle. The exhibits include opium weights, pipes & scales. The museum also has displays on other aspects of Northern Thailand, such as the long neck Karen.

Adjacent to the museum is a gift shop selling souvenirs of the Golden Triangle area.

The museum is open from 7am to 7pm. The adult entry fee is 50 baht.

For those who wish to look for a time to discover themselves, I would suggest Vipassana Meditation. However, you must also follow the rules of the temple to monastry and take the 8 precepts.

You can opt for some days or depending on how long you could stay.

If you like to stay longer and develop more into a novice, You should look for monastry.
and apply to the abbot.

This parade happens each February and is worth seeing- lots of beautifully decorated floats in a parade with thousands of flowers and also a chance to see the most lovely girls of Thailand who wave gracefully to the crowd from their flower-bedecked thrones.

1 more image

Near Mae Hong Son you can get a tour to Nam Pieng Din village. It is one of the three villages in Thailand with long neck Padung Karen women. They are originally from Burma. You take a long-tail boat on the Pai River to get there. In Mar 01, it cost 500 baht for the boat and 250 baht fee for a foreigner. The village depends economically on the income generated by tourists (the 250 baht fee includes letting you take photographs).

We went a little later in the morning and passed all the boats coming back with the early morning visitors. By the time we got to the village, there were maybe 6-7 other tourists there. There were many forest fires during the dry season and the air was smoky.