1 February 2023 – RM Day 20
Steve and I woke up early on a Wednesday morning in Chiang Rai, Thailand. We were excited to be in the final part of this road trip
We left our hotel and drove along the Kok River. The scenery was beautiful, and we saw many Karen Hill tribes along the way. We also saw some vacant rice paddy fields and pineapple plantations.
As we drove higher into the mountains, the scenery became even more spectacular. We saw elephants and even a snake display place. We sent Mikey and Robbie, into meet the snake, and they came back starry-eyed.
We were enjoying our drive so much that we didn’t realize that our route would not connect through to where we wanted to go. We had to backtrack a long way to correct our mistake.
By 3pm, we finally arrived at the Pink Temple. It was even more amazing than we had imagined! The temple is made of pink sandstone, and it is decorated with intricate carvings. We spent several hours exploring the temple and taking pictures.
Our last stop for the day was Wat Thaton. This temple is located on a hill overlooking the Mae Tok river. The temple complex is very large, and it is home to many different statues, stupas, and a meditation center. We spent a few hours exploring the temple and enjoying the view.
Our last stop for the day was our hotel, The Chiang Dao Reset. We had stayed here some years ago and was so happy catching up again with our friend the owner.
We found a great cafe for dinner that served traditional Thai food. We had a delicious meal, and we were all exhausted from our long day of driving and exploring. We went back to our hotel and fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow.
2 February 2023 – RM Day 21
After breakfast, we said goodbye to our hosts and headed out to explore. Our first stop was the Chiang Dao Caves. The caves are a popular tourist destination, and they are known for their beautiful stalagmites and stalactites. However, Mikey was struggling with a sore back, so we decided not to go inside.
Instead, we headed back to the car and drove to Wat Densari Sri Muang Kaen. This temple is located in Mae Tang District, Chiang Mai Province, and we especially chose to visit it was the last on our road trip with Mikey and Robbie. It is a beautiful temple with Thai and Burmese Buddhist architecture. The temple was built in the Lanna style of architecture, and it is home to a number of important Buddhist artifacts, including a Buddha image that is said to be over 1,000 years old.
We spent several hours exploring the 10 acres temple grounds. There are many different buildings to see, as well as gardens and ponds. We also saw some of the temple’s most famous features, including the guarding animal sculptures at the staircases.
After we finished exploring the temple, we headed back to the car and drove back to Chiang Mai. We arrived at our hotel, the 3Seasons, at 4pm. We were all tired, but we had had a great day. We had seen some amazing sights.