Final days in Thailand (Week 6)

Disclosure: this week was a blur... we hit 4 cities in 7 days and filled our time with activities. Here are some of the highlights.

From Pai we made our way to the city of Chiang Dao on a public bus. The two hour bus ride ended up costing just over a dollar but did not come with a seat. We stood in the isle, surrounded by locals, and bounced our way north. 

Chiang Dao is a small town nestled in the Thai mountains with lots to do. We spent our first morning hiking to a secluded mountain monastery. The monastery sits atop a small cave filled with Buddha statues and is surrounded by jungle. After the 500 steps to the top, we sat and enjoyed watching monks meditate and worship. It was a very peaceful place. 

In the afternoon we toured Chiang Dao cave. While walking through the cave with our local guide we stumbled across various religious relics, Buddhas, and enormous spiders all while listening to the chirps of bats. Do bats even chirp? We don’t know but lets just go with it...

Our final day in Chiang Dao we rented mountain bikes and set off on a dirt road in search of some local hot springs. After riding 4 miles we stripped to our skivvies and jumped in. We didn’t realize how local of a spot this was... but as we soaked in the springs, we watched cows graze and locals bathe. How cool to get off the beaten path.

Next, we found ourselves in the beautiful border town of Thaton. We spent our time relaxing by the river, visiting the unique Wat overlooking town, and eating delicious food. One evening we hopped on our motorbike and cruised a mountain road during sunset. The views were incredible and at one point we were able to see across the border into the mountains of Myanmar. 

Our road trip continued east to the city of Chiang Rai via the Kok River (hehe). This was one of the highlights of the week. We sat on the bottom of a long-tail boat and floated down the river. As we traveled we floated past small villages, jungle covered mountains, farms, temples, and lots of naked thai children playing in the cool water. What a unique way to see the rural areas of northern Thailand.

There are a lot of things to do in Chiang Rai, the most popular is the brilliant (we have been hanging out with a lot of travelers from the UK) white temple. This contemporary temple was both stunning and thought provoking due to the dark, modern day artwork. We rounded out the day by visiting the Blue Temple (self explanatory) and enjoying our first Thai massage. Thai massages are unique for the fact that the masseuse literally climbs on you and arranges your body into slightly painful positions. It hurts SO good! 

With our time in Thailand coming to an end... we needed to make our way to the Thailand/Laos border town of Huay Xai. As we were heading to the bus station we noticed an approaching bus, flagged it down, and climbed aboard in the middle of the street. We are really getting this travel thing down. 

Thailand was incredible but we can’t deny we are ready to slow down a little in Laos. Let’s get lost in Laos. 

With Love,

   Boots Abroad

Corbin’s

   Highs: watching a HUGE spider (I think they’re neat), hot springs, watching soccer with locals, flagging down a bus

   Lows: argument with Tatum, the breakfast at our hotel in Thaton

Tatum’s

   Highs: River trip to Chiang Rai, mountain biking to hot springs, mountain monastery, being surrounded by mountains 

   Lows: Our very dirty hotel, HUGE spiders, being a little green after a late night at the Regge bar