Chiang Mai
For my previous posts on this trip, check
http://lynntowin.ca/thailand-and-laos
Night train Bangkok to Chiang Mai
We boarded the night train for the trip to Chiang Mai. I travelled in Thailand the first time almost 20 years ago, and the night train experience was one I’ll never forget! This time, not so much.
On that trip so long ago, the night train had a bar car. My group went there, where we ordered buckets. Buckets are small pails filled with coke and some of the local rye or rum, then each person gets a straw to share the bucket. Our bartender was a flamboyant ladyboy, who led us in singing and dancing. We had to be careful to not hang out too near the sides of the train, where we could have fallen out the open windows. What a fun time! Ladyboys are those born as males presenting as females. If a boy wants to start dressing like a girl, they just do it in Thailand, not a big deal.
Well, that was 20 years ago. Now the very nice night train does not have a bar car, or even serve alcohol. Tourists ruined it by behaving badly.
We had seats that an attendant transformed into bunk beds, with curtains, and I had a great sleep. But there are never any good stories that come from those nights you have a great sleep!
Tiger park
In the early morning we arrived in Chiang Mai. The train station had tiger statues, maybe an advertisement for the tiger park near the city. There, you can interact and pose with over two hundred tigers. They are drugged for these interactions of course. A couple of people from my group, who worked for an animal rescue organization in India, went for the experience, and felt badly about it afterwards. The excursion was not endorsed by my tour company Intrepid, or by any ethical tour company.
And only a couple of weeks later, in February 2026, 72 tigers in that park died of a mysterious illness. Animal welfare groups charge that any disease spreads quickly in the crowded cages where these poor magnificent creatures are kept. I made the mistake of googling this disaster and found a picture of some of those beautiful bodies laid carefully together, awaiting autopsy and cremation.
Doi Suthep temple
We drove an hour from Chiang Mai to visit the Doi Suthep temple, atop a mountain, built in the 14th century. We walked up a couple of hundred steps guarded by statues of nagas, or snakes.
Our tour leader Nai gave a great tour of the temple grounds. He was previously a monk. For 12 days! Many young Thai men become monks as a rite of passage, and follow a couple hundred strict rules. And some destitute families send their young boys to the temple to become novice monks, where they will have food and lodging provided by the community.
We made an offering of flowers at the golden stupa, or shrine, then walked three times around it, while counting our steps. This is to clear the mind for enlightenment.
That night we went to the famous night markets of Chiang Mai. These markets set up in the late afternoon, hundreds of stalls full of handicrafts and clothing. We had dinner at a fancy food court, then shopped. I bought a hat for about $2. I always barter, since I believe the locals expect you to, but I stop before I get ridiculous.
Elephant sanctuary
The next morning, we woke very early for our morning at the elephant sanctuary. We drove 2 hours to this haven for former working elephants. They used to spend their days hauling logs or tourists around. Now, they wander around a huge forest with a handler always around, go down to the river for a drink or a bath, and wait for lunch.
After a tour to see their set up, some of us cut sugar cane and stuffed it in their feeding troughs. At exactly 1 pm, they came rushing down to the troughs. It reminds me of my cats, who also have an internal dinner time clock. We watched from platforms while the elephants made short work of all that sugar cane.
Some elephant sanctuaries allow you to touch them for feeding or bathing, but not this one. There were four adult female ellies here, all over forty years old, including one mom and daughter.
After that, some of us headed to the “sticky falls”. This is a waterfall several stories high in a national park. You can walk up the limestone rocks all the way to the top! When we got there it was almost closing time, so I very carefully walked just a short way up to see how it worked, and it really was sticky! Lots of people did the walk up, with the help of ropes near the top.
Silver temple
That night, we hopped in a big red tuk-tuk something like the back of a pickup truck, to go for dinner at a nice restaurant.
After dinner, we wandered into the huge Saturday night market nearby. Some of us carried on to the Silver Temple, a 500 year old temple now rebuilt with lighting changing in color every few seconds. It was really beautiful. Women were not allowed inside the temple, since ancient traditions suggest women are impure and will damage the holiness of the temple. I whispered a wish to a rat statue as we left.
Chiang Rai
The next morning, we headed to the border with Laos.
We stopped in Chiang Rai at the famous White Temple. This is a fantastical complex of structures using white paint and mirrors. There is a moat to cross with creepy hands grabbing up at you, representing the underworld. You cross the moat on a bridge in single file, since in death no one comes with you. Inside the chapel is a bizarre and ever-changing mural of famous characters, such as Osama Bin Laden, Batman, and Pikachu.
The White Temple opened in 1997, built and owned by a Thai architect and artist. Since it has no history, I didn’t find it that interesting, but it’s stunning.
We drove on to Chiang Khong, a small town on the banks of the Mekong River where it borders Laos. We had some time to check out the town, so I had a one hour Thai massage. It wasn’t very fancy, but it was great, and cost only 200 baht, or about $10!
We prepared for our border crossing to Laos the next day, which is notoriously difficult, by making sure our paperwork was in order. Then, our last Singha beer in Thailand, while on a chilly deck overlooking the mighty Mekong. We will spend the next two days on a boat on that river.
Laos is going to be interesting!