Around the World in 8000 days: Chiang Rai - hilltribes, clocktowers, flowers ... and eating bugs

Welcome to our travel blog. We are Tabitha and Nic. In 2011 we 'retired' in our early 40s and set off to travel the world. We spent our first year in South America and have been lucky enough to make two trips to Antarctica.

Our blog is a record of our travels, thoughts and experiences. It is not a guide book, but we do include some tips and information, so we hope that you may find it useful if you are planning to visit somewhere we have been. Or you may just find it interesting as a bit of armchair travel.

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Chiang Rai - hilltribes, clocktowers, flowers ... and eating bugs

Buses in Chiang Rai

Back in Chiang Rai itself, we decided to skip any temples, and stick to more general sightseeing. We had considered going on one of the hill tribe visits, but we are very wary of that kind of activity, because it feels like we are treating people as exhibits.

Whilst it is certainly interesting to see a different way of living, I can't help but think that I wouldn't be overly impressed at a hill tribe - or any other - group turning up at my home and wanting to look around my home and see how I cook etc. It sounds faintly ridiculous to suggest that anyone would do that to us, but it is no different to what we would be doing to them.

Clocktower, Chiang Rai

Of course, if you are going to do a visit, then the way in which these things are done makes a difference. The PDA Tour here is specifically set up to ensure that the groups visited do benefit from the tourism, and are involved in the planning of the support they receive, so at least they are gaining something genuinely helpful form the experience.

Sadly, we understand that many tour groups are far less supportive, and the people of the hill tribes can be left begging from visitors and quite understandably, feeling used and abused.

We decided not to take a tour, but instead to visit the Hilltribe Museum and Education Centre, which is run by the Population and Community Development Association (PDA), who I mentioned above regarding tours. It isn't particularly large, but they do have quite a bit packed in about the six main tribal groups, the Akha, Hmong, Karen, Lahu, Lisu and Yao.

Clocktower, Chiang Rai

As well as information about their respective cultures and beliefs, their clothing and their crafts, the museum also has information on people trafficking and the issue of opium on the communities.

It is definitely worth a visit, and I would certainly recommend coming here before doing any hill tribe visits, so that you better understand the people you are meeting.

Cat cafe, Chiang Rai

There isn't a great deal to see here in Chiang Rai. There is a very elaborate clocktower, designed by Chalermchai Kositpripat, the man who created the White Temple. It sits on a roundabout in the middle of a busy road, and at night it is lit up.

Actually, lit up is an understatement - at 7pm, 8pm and 9pm, there is a full blown display, with the clocktower lighting changing colours, which is slightly surreal as the traffic continues to drive around it like nothing is happening.

When we were there, there was an added element of fireworks, which I am not entirely sure were connected, but the timing and duration was highly coincidental if not.

Cat Bar, Chiang Rai

We popped in to the nearby cat café, where a few of the cats were vaguely interested in being friendly, and we also went along to the Cat Bar, where the cat was somewhat friendlier. The owner was friendly too, and although we didn't stick around for too long, it was long enough to see him have his guitar out, as he apparently does most nights.

Flower Festival, Chiang Rai

We did catch the tail end of the annual flower festival. It isn't Chelsea, but it is a nice way to spend a few hours wandering around. I rather liked the intricately created leaf and flower structures that seemed to be entries in a competition. It was also interesting to see all of the painters out capturing the carpets of flowers - with varying degrees of success.

We also took a stroll through the market, where Nic decided that he would try some of the fried grubs and crickets. He quite liked them, and polished off a portion of each; apparently they are an excellent source of protein.

Flower Festival, Chiang Rai

If you fancy something less 'adventurous' to eat, we found a few decent places. For western style cafes, I could happily recommend both the Baan Chivit Mai Bakery, which is close to the bus station, and Polar Boulangerie and Patisserie.

There was a cheap and perfectly decent local restaurant at the western end of Thanon Baanpa Pragarn Road, just before it turned sharp right, or for a genuinely good burger - which isn't something you find too often around here - I heartily recommend a place called San Fran Burger, which is in a lane just slightly to the south east of the clocktower. It isn't a restaurant, just an old VW campervan and a wooden stall, but the burgers are excellent.